Raptors’ Lowry named All-Star game starter

Following a bench dominant win last night against the Clippers, the Raptors continue their homestand with three games this coming week.

As a result, with all-star point guard Kyle Lowry leading the way with 21 points and six assists, the Raptors defeated the Clippers 112-94 to extend their winning streak to eight games. Along with Ross’s 18, Cory Joseph had 12, and Patrick Patterson and Bismack Biyombo had 10 each.

“Well, we just really wanted to get the San Antonio scouting reports”, Rivers joked. “I think their style of play more so than the perception is the thing”. They already hold the wood over the Clippers this season and will be keen to sweep the season series.

It is Toronto’s longest winning streak under head coach Dwane Casey and the franchise’s longest run of victories since a nine-game stretch in 2002.

“We are just playing together”. “It’s halfway through the season so we all know how to play”.

Chris Paul scored 23 points and distributed 11 assists for the Clippers.

Often, the Clippers’ first points either come on a long-range hit from J.J. Redick or an emphatic slam from Jordan. Smith, in his second game with the Rockets following his acquisition from the Clippers on Friday, added 16 points off the Houston bench.

With all the momentum, the Raptors feasted on the Clipper bench.

“It feels good, everyone was on the same page”, said Patterson. Take the Raptors to pull away late and keep their winning streak alive.

Outmanned by Toronto’s defense, the Clippers turned the ball over seven times in the first five minutes of the second quarter. The first unit did their job. “There’s been nights where the starters have come out and haven’t played well and the second unit has brought us back so I told us after the game that we’ve just got to find a way to put it all together”.

The Clippers tried going to the bench well of Pablo Prigioni-Cole Aldrich pick and rolls, but the Raptors were ready for it and picked off or deterred pass after pass. This lead to several easy transition baskets going the other way, and the Raptors took the lead at the 9:18 mark.

“Patriots lost, bad night”, he said. As the bench trickled back in for the Clippers, their good looks dwindled and the Raptors’ increased. This is Marv Albert courtside at the Air Canada Centre for a game between the New York Knicks and the Raptors.

The Raptors have made 11 or more 3-pointers in each of the last four games, going 49 of 100 from beyond the arc. The team is 12-4 when it makes double-digit three-pointers …

Kevin Durant had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, but Oklahoma City never led in the game that was delayed four hours by the blizzard that dumped more than 2 feet of snow on NY on Saturday. Regardless of ability, though, it’s hard for any player to exert themselves fully on both ends of the floor over the course of an National Basketball Association game, yet that’s exactly what the Clippers did.

But in the midst of it all will be Lowry-the Raptors’ fearless leader, the one who sparked his team’s long-awaited turnaround two seasons ago, and the player that the [adopted] hometown crowd is now proud to call its own. This week, the Hornets will embark on a four-game road trip, with stops at the Kings, Jazz, Blazers and Clippers.