Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors
When: 7:30 PM  ET, Friday, January 13, 2017
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 122, Nets 105

On May 4, 2014, Raptors guard Kyle Lowry drove the lane with the backing of a raucous crowd in Toronto only to have his shot blocked by Paul Pierce. The play ended Game 7 of an exciting first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets advancing with a 104-103 win.

Since Lowry and the Raptors experienced the disappointment of getting a shot blocked in a playoff elimination game, the fortunes of both teams have been drastically different.

The evidence of how different things have gone for both teams since their postseason series will be on display when the Toronto Raptors host the league-worst Nets Friday night.

The Raptors won the Atlantic Division in 2013-14 to get homecourt advantage against the Nets. The Raptors then won the last two division titles and are vying for another division crown while fending off the Boston Celtics.

In the regular season, Toronto is 130-72 since Pierce’s block while the Nets are 67-135.

Besides Lowry, four other players remain from that series for Toronto, including DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan is averaging a career-best 28.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He also is shooting 47.4 percent this season, the second-highest mark of his eight-year career.

DeRozan’s latest big game occurred Tuesday night in a 114-106 home win over the Boston Celtics. Besides scoring a season-high 41 points on 16-of-29 shooting, DeRozan grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

It was DeRozan’s 11th career double-digit rebounding game and the significance of that was not lost on coach Dwane Casey, who played Patrick Patterson 21 minutes after the forward missed four games with a strained left knee.

The Raptors average 42.7 rebounds per game and are near the bottom of the league with 31.6 defensive rebounds per game. Tuesday was the sixth time Toronto finished with at least 50 boards and that included Jonas Valanciunas getting a career-high 23 rebounds.

“More than anything else, the 41 points is nice, but 13 rebounds, the 11 defensive rebounds when we needed it with Pat not being 100 percent and (Boston) putting two guys on JV trying to keep him out.

“DeMar came in and got some big rebounds, tough rebounds so that was impressive. That was more of a sign of grit and grind as much as the 41 points.”

Toronto is 5-5 in its last 10 games since getting a 116-104 win over Brooklyn on Dec. 20. The Raptors won their next two after beating the Nets but dropped five of seven before Tuesday.

Friday will begin four straight games against sub-.500 teams, and 12 of Toronto’s next 20 games through the All-Star break will be against teams at or under .500.

Brooklyn takes a 15-game road losing streak into Friday and is 1-17 overall on the road. The Nets’ lone road win was Nov. 12 in Phoenix, and since then the average margin of defeat away from home is 13.2 points.

Brook Lopez is the lone holdover for the Nets from the classic series but seems to get his name mentioned in trade rumors annually.

Lopez scored 20 points but also committed six turnovers in a 104-95 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday. Brooklyn often struggles in the third quarter, but Thursday it was the fourth quarter that resulted in a season-high eighth straight loss.

The Nets held a six-point lead through three but shot 6 of 18 and committed seven of their 16 turnovers in the fourth.

“We really struggled to score the ball,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We had a few turnovers and just didn’t make the plays.”

“We just turn the ball over,” Lopez said. “It’s kind of the story. That’s really it. You got to do a better job taking care of it, myself first and foremost.”

Toronto is on a five-game winning streak over the Nets and its next win matches its longest winning streak in the series. The Raptors won six straight over the Nets from Jan. 28, 2009, to Dec. 17, 2010.

In the most recent meeting, the Raptors picked up a 116-104 home win on Dec. 20. Lowry scored 23 points and Norman Powell’s 21 points compensated for DeRozan shooting 6 of 20.

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Toronto Raptors vs. Chicago Bulls
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 7, 2017
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), WGN (Chicago)
PREDICTION: Raptors 109, Bulls 101

Oddsmakers currently have the Raptors listed as 2-point favorites versus the Bulls, while the game’s total is sitting at 208.

CHICAGO — If the Toronto Raptors are going to continue to be one of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams, coach Dwane Casey acknowledges his team has to put forth a balanced effort.

Casey, who has built his reputation on defense, wants the Raptors to thrive on both ends of the floor. But he knows there will be nights like the one Toronto had Thursday when the Raptors didn’t lead the Utah Jazz until the final minutes of a 101-93 victory.

Now, the Raptors must deal Saturday night with an up and down Chicago Bulls team that has experienced its share of drama, but that has played well against the NBA’s top teams.

And in order to become the Bulls’ latest victim after Chicago knocked off defending champion Cleveland 106-94 Wednesday night, Casey knows the Raptors can’t depend solely on either their offense or their defense.

“I want to be successful on both sides,” Casey told reporters after Thursday night, according to The Globe and Mail.

Entering Friday night, the Raptors rank third in 3-point field goal percentage (38.9). Toronto connected on 8 of 21 3-point attempts against Utah. Kyle Lowry, who scored a game-high 33 points, was 4-of-8 from behind the arc for Toronto (24-11), which didn’t grab its first lead until DeMar DeRozan hit a pull-up jumper to give the Raptors an 89-88 lead.

As they have throughout the season, the Raptors continued to rely on the 3-pointer, which Casey told reporters likely won’t change.

“I think we’ve adjusted our philosophy here to take in that change, to shoot the three,” Casey said, according to The Globe and Mail. “Some shots I would have said five or six years ago that were bad shots, are good shots.”

Meanwhile, who will lead the Bulls offense as the season progresses remains a point of contention, depending on who you ask.

Media reports this week suggested that Chicago (18-18) is shopping guard Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 25.2 points per game. But on Friday, fellow guard Dwyane Wade shot down the suggestion and said the rumors were based largely on the size of the market the Bulls play in.

On Friday, Wade referred to Butler as the cornerstone of the franchise.

“It’s the Bulls. Our best player is in a rumor right now,” Wade told reporters on Friday. “It doesn’t matter. It’s been a rumor every week, but it hasn’t happened. It’s a big market — something to talk about. A couple of extra (web) hits. It’s the way the world works, the world we’re in. Somebody decided to write something with no merit.”

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg, whose job security has also been a point of discussion, refused to lend credence to the reports that the Bulls could be looking to be move their star player. Chicago enters Saturday night’s game having won two straight games and four of their last six.

“I’m not going to comment on the rumors,” Hoiberg told reporters Friday.

Asked if he was surprised by the speculation, Hoiberg said he wasn’t.

“That’s the world we live in, unfortunately,” Hoiberg said.

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Milwaukee Bucks vs. Toronto Raptors
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 12, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 108, Bucks 105

Oddsmakers currently have the Raptors listed as 8½-point favorites versus the Bucks, while the game’s total is sitting at 212.

TORONTO — The Milwaukee Bucks have been playing better in the first half than the second half recently.

The Toronto Raptors have been better in the second half.

The teams will meet Monday night at the Air Canada Centre, where the Raptors have been showing that it’s not so much how you start but how you finish.

The Raptors, who defeated the Boston Celtics 101-94 Friday, have won eight of their past nine games. Their only loss in their recent surge was to the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the Raptors were completing wins in back-to-back games Friday after overcoming a slow start Thursday to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Bucks lost both ends of their back-to-back set to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

The Bucks (11-11) blew a 20-point halftime lead Friday to lose to the Hawks 114-110, then were tied at the half before losing 110-105 in Washington on Saturday.

“You can’t turn the ball over late,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “I think we had 20 turnovers (Saturday night) and that led to a lot of points (24). We shot a lot of 3s in that five-minute span. Our strength is the paint. We’ve got to get back to the paint and work inside-out.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a key to the any success the Bucks have. He led them with 28 points (11-for-18 from the field), 13 rebounds and seven assists Saturday.

He also turned the ball over seven times in 41 minutes.

“Giannis is an all-star,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. “I wasn’t in the league last year but he has improved a lot. He’s a handful. He has the longest stride. His jump shot has improved and his passing and rebounding. … We tried to make it crowded for him and he did turn the ball over a few times.”

The Raptors (16-7) trailed at halftime on Friday before using a third-quarter surge to prevail 101-94 over the Celtics, who are being touted as a threat to the Raptors in the Eastern Conference.

DeMarre Carroll was rested in Saturday to protect his right knee and Norman Powell took his spot and again excelled when given the chance, scoring 20 points. Carroll is expected to start Monday against the Bucks.

“It was a very good team win for us,” said Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who scored 34 points. “Everyone stepped up (Friday night). Norm (Powell), I know some games he plays and some he doesn’t, but 20 points. Pat (Patterson) didn’t shoot the ball well but came up with some big rebounds. We had a great team win tonight and against a team that plays extremely hard. They are missing their All-Star guard (Isaiah Thomas), but they played extremely hard and they played well and together.”

The Raptors, who trailed by one point entering the fourth quarter on Thursday before defeating Minnesota 124-110, played more the way Dwane Casey wants to see them play Friday against the Celtics.

“I think it was just the attention to detail,” Casey said. “Guys were into the ball in pick and rolls, (Thursday night) we weren’t and the proof is in the pudding. This is a talented offensive team and if we can do that against these guys we have to do that for the majority of the rest of our schedule.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Toronto Raptors
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 8, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7 p.m. ET, TNT, Sportsnet (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 112, Timberwolves 103

Oddsmakers currently have the Raptors listed as 8-point favorites versus the Timberwolves, while the game’s total has not yet been posted.

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors and the Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off losses to two of the NBA’s powerhouses.

The Raptors lost 116-112 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday and the Timberwolves lost 105-91 to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

Minnesota and Toronto play Thursday night at the Air Canada Centre.

The Raptors (14-7) hope to finish a six-game homestand with a win, which would give them a 5-1 record during that span as well as seven wins in their past eight games overall.

The Wolves (6-15) will try to prevent the kind of second-half fade they had against the Spurs.

The Timberwolves led after the first half against the Spurs but were outscored 29-18 in the third quarter as they failed to carry their first-half defense into the second half.

Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau approved of the way his team played in the first half. The Timberwolves held the Spurs to a season-low 19 points in the first quarter.

“I thought our shell was tight, I thought we challenged shots well, I thought we got back in transition well,” Thibodeau said. “(In the third quarter) we just got outplayed in every aspect. …

“In the second half, you have to have discipline. You have to stick with your team, you have to understand what your job is, then you have to do your job. When you randomly make it up, the results aren’t going to be good. That’s where we need to grow and improve.”

One bright spot from Tuesday for Minnesota was the play of rookie point guard Kris Dunn, who came off the bench to score 15 points in 17 minutes on 6-for-7 shooting.

“Kris is playing really well,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a good sign.”

The Raptors had their six-game winning streak stopped by the Cavaliers, who have defeated Toronto in their three games this season. The NBA champions defeated the Raptors in the Eastern Conference finals last season.

Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry took an elbow to the face during the first quarter on Monday and required treatment but returned before the opening stanza had been completed and scored 24 points and had nine assists.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey talked about the mental part of the game after the loss.

“I thought our guys competed,” Casey said. “But now we have to put the mental part within the game.”

Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas scored four points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Cavaliers but struggled enough that he did not play the fourth quarter with his backup, Lucas Nogueira, playing only four minutes and Patrick Patterson and Terrene Ross each playing the full 12 minutes.

Starting power forward Pascal Siakam also did not play in the fourth quarter.

In the past five games, Valanciunas has averaged six points and 7.4 rebounds.

“Jonas is fine,” Casey said. “It’s a matchup league.

“I thought Lucas did a little bit better job of guarding (Channing) Frye, which is a hard matchup for any (center) in the league, not just Jonas and Lucas. He’s really a four playing the five and that’s why we decided to go small, that kind of got us going a little bit toward the end but, again, you give up something.”

The Raptors are 8-4 at home. The Timberwolves are 3-8 on the road.

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors
When: 7:30 PM ET, Monday, December 5, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), TSN2 (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 103, Cavaliers 101

Cleveland enters Monday’s meeting on a three-game slide after beginning the three-game road trip with a 111-105 loss at Chicago on Friday on the heels of double-digit losses to Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers. “You’ve got to play the game the right way,” Cavaliers star LeBron James told reporters. “You’ve got to battle every night like we ain’t won nothing. Last year is last year, and after ring night, it’s over with. Now it’s a new season and everybody is gunning for us every night, and we have to understand that. The honeymoon stage is over.” Toronto enters the meeting riding a six-game winning streak and coming off one of the more impressive wins of the season – a 128-84 triumph over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. The Raptors are winning by an average of 23 points over the last six games and will be trying to avenge a 121-117 loss at Cleveland on Nov. 15.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (13-5): Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, who averaged 24.4 points in the Cavaliers’ win over Toronto in the Eastern Conference finals last spring, downplayed the significance of the losing streak. “We don’t want to drop three in a row, but it’s happened,” Irving told reporters. “And now we figure out where we can get better, things that we need to correct and we move forward. Obviously, all of us are competitive players, we’re winners, and going forward we just got to be better. But there’s no need for controversy or any of that or us overthinking it. It’s just basketball.” Irving scored 20 or more points in each of the last nine games.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (14-6): Saturday’s 44-point triumph marked a franchise record for margin of victory and featured eight different players scoring in double figures. “The ball is finding the right person,” coach Dwane Casey told reporters. “When you move the ball like that, it has energy inside it and I think it helps us on the other end when the ball is moving like that. I know it sounds simplistic but it is. We’re running the same offense, the same sets with some little wrinkles but mostly the ball is zinging around.” Toronto shot 57.6 percent from the field and went 13-of-24 from beyond the arc in the win.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Raptors PF Patrick Patterson is 21-of-38 from 3-point range in the last eight games.

2. Cleveland SG J.R. Smith is shooting 17.5 percent from the floor in the last five contests.

3. Toronto C Jonas Valanciunas was the only starter not to score in double figures on Saturday and totaled 14 points in his last three games.

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Atlanta Hawks vs Toronto Raptors
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, December 3, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), Sportsnet (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 112, Hawks 94

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors are hot, the Atlanta Hawks are not.

The teams meet Saturday night at Air Canada Centre with the Raptors trying to extend their season-best five-game winning streak and the Hawks attempting to stop a five-game losing streak.

The Raptors led all the way Friday night in defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 113-80 at the ACC and the Hawks lost to the Detroit Pistons 121-85 at Philips Arena.

The Raptors (13-6) will be playing the fourth game of a season-long six-game homestand at the ACC, where they are 7-3 this season.

The Hawks (10-10) have lost eight of their past nine games, with the only win coming Nov. 23 at Indiana to the Pacers.

They were 9-2 and tied for the Eastern Conference lead after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 16.

Dennis Schroder had 17 points and 13 assists for the Hawks on Friday. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mike Muscala each scored 11.

The Raptors likely will have forward DeMarre Carroll back in the lineup. His playing time is being monitored as he entered the season coming off knee surgery.

Carroll was rested Friday night to avoid playing him in back-to-back games with Norman Powell replacing him and responding with 16 points and seven rebounds.

It was not certain which game Carroll would miss.Powell said after the game that he found out during the shootaround on Friday.

“From there, it was just preparing and getting focused on who I’m guarding and what the team wants me to do defensively to take them out of what they are trying to run,” Powell said.

“He’d been a professional young man,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said after Friday’s game. “He puts the work in at game tempo, usually when guys are not playing they kind of go through the motions, feel sorry for themselves. But this young man comes in every day, puts in the work, puts in the time, keeps a positive attitude, understands the situation when winning and is just waiting his turn.

“Just like last year, he was in the D-League for a while and came in and helps us win a (playoff) series. He understands, a mature young man, and I can’t say enough good things about him.”

He will understand if he does not start Saturday.

In the Raptors’ romp past the Lakers, Kyle Lowry again led the way with 24 points. DeMar DeRozan had 16 points as he receives extra attention after a blistering start.

Meanwhile, against the Pistons, Dwight Howard had his worst game with the Hawks, scoring only two points and grabbing six rebounds.

“We’ve got to stay positive,” Howard said. “This little thing we are going through now, even though we don’t want to, I think it’s best we are going through it now and not at the end of the season.

“All the things we need to clean up, offensively and defensively, are being exposed right now. It gives us time to work on it. So come playoff time and later on in the season, we’ll have all that down pat.

“The best thing we can do now is not hold our heads, keep positive, speak life into the situation and keep pushing.”

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is obviously not happy with the offense.

“We are not getting the looks that we need to get,” he said. “Then I think it puts a lot of pressure when you do get a good look. There is more of a priority, more of a need, to make those good ones.

“The game gets hard that way. You want to be free-flowing. I don’t think we are getting enough good possessions to make those good looks flow right.”

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Memphis Grizzlies vs Toronto Raptors
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 108, Grizzlies 99

TORONTO — The Memphis Grizzlies will be dealing with yet another injury when they play the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday at the Air Canada Centre.

Point guard Mike Conley is expected to be out for about six weeks with a broken bone in his back.

It is bad news for the Grizzlies (11-7), who will be facing a Raptors team that was able to rest some players down the stretch in a 122-95 home win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.

The Raptors (11-6) are 5-3 at home and the Grizzlies are 6-3 on the road.

Memphis has lost two of its last three after winning six straight. The Raptors have won three in a row.

Conley was injured during the third quarter of the 104-85 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday after taking a charge from Michael-Kidd Gilchrist.

The Grizzlies said that Conley was diagnosed with transverse fractures in the vertebrae located in his lower back. The injury is expected to resolve itself with rest. Conley is expected to miss six weeks and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.

Conley scored seven points in the first four minutes of the third quarter in trying to lead a comeback from a 56-39 disadvantage at the half. The deficit had been cut to 11 points when Conley was injured. He left with 14 points and five assists.

“There was another setback with Mike leaving the game,” Memphis guard Tony Allen said. “A lot of guys looked like they were worried. I think the game got away from us at that point.”

“At that point you are only concerned about that guy’s health,” center Marc Gasol said. “You just worry if he is OK or not.”

The Grizzlies said that Vince Carter also was injured early in the fourth quarter on Monday. Carter, a former Raptors star, suffered a right hip flexor strain. He traveled with the team to Toronto and will be listed as questionable for the game.

The Grizzlies already have plenty of absences. Chandler Parsons, James Ennis and Brandan Wright are out with injuries. Zach Randolph has missed the past three games after the death of his mother last week.

Meanwhile, the Raptors had better news on the injury front. Center Jonas Valanciunas did not play in the fourth quarter Monday because of a minor ankle injury. The ankle was rewrapped and he could have returned but coach Dwane Casey rested him with the game well under control.

“He’s OK,” Casey said.

The Raptors’ concern has been the defensive part of their game. They have kept the opposition under 100 points the past two games. Casey is still not satisfied.

“We had a lot of defensive mistakes,” Casey said Tuesday. “Our defensive fundamentals, we’ve got to continue to work on.”

The Raptors easily defeated Philadelphia despite getting only 14 points from DeMar DeRozan, who has been averaging 30 per game.

“Teams are sending extra bodies to him,” Casey said. “They stay a little longer on the pin-downs.”

Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 24 points and Terrence Ross scored 22 off the bench as six players hit double figures.

“Consistency has been huge for him,” Casey said of Ross. “I know he had 22 points but the most important thing is his defensive focus.”

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TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TCN (Philadelphia), Sportsnet (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Raptors 110, 76ers 97

TORONTO — After playing eight of their past 10 games on the road, the Toronto Raptors open a season-long six-game homestand Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

When the Raptors defeated the Bucks 105-99 Friday at Milwaukee, they finished their 10-game grind with a 6-4 record.

“On the road, you’ve been edgy, you’ve been uptight, you’ve got the you-against-the-world mentality,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said Sunday. “Now you come home to the comforts of home and relax and we can’t do that. We’ve got some good teams coming in, the young, athletic Philly team coming in, Memphis is playing well, the Lakers are playing well and Atlanta. It’s going to be a tough homestand, it won’t be a piece of cake whatsoever. “

The homestand will end with games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Raptors (10-6) are 4-3 at home and Philadelphia is 0-5 on the road this season.

The 76ers (4-13) are coming off a 112-108 loss to the Cavaliers at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday after leading for the first three quarters.

Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who is coming back from foot injuries that cost him the past two seasons, will not make the trip to Toronto after scoring 22 points with nine rebounds in 25 minutes on Sunday.

“We played hard,” Embiid said. “We had a good defensive game. They just played better.

The game Monday will be the sixth he will have missed this season. The restriction in minutes and the skipping of some games fit in with his rehabilitation program. He also did not play in the 105-89 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

“You come up with some really hard decisions that maybe don’t favor me or us or whatever,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. “But for the long-term lens that we all have, we have to be responsible with Joel Embiid. Winning a game in the middle of November in 2016, sometimes that takes a back seat.”

The 76ers were without point guard Jerryd Bayless on Sunday because of a sore left wrist. Bayless, a former Raptor, missed the first 13 games of the season after suffering a torn ligament in the wrist during training camp. The free-agent acquisition played in only three games. Bayless said his wrist was sore when he played against the Bulls on Friday.

The Raptors made a season-best 14 3-pointers against the Bucks and had double-digit scoring from six players.

While the offense is working, the concern remains the defense.

“We’ve got to be more conscious of letting teams get easy buckets, transition buckets, make everything a lot tougher on them,” said Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 30.2 points. “Especially from the 3. Just be more disciplined. We can’t have mistakes. Once we get clicking defensively and everything comes together as one, we have a chance to be really good.”

Improving the defense is constantly on Casey’s mind.

“If we have to get guys in there that are going to be committed to the defensive end, we’ve got to do that because to get where we want to go, we’re kidding ourselves if we’re not committed to that end,” Casey said.

Forward DeMarre Carroll is improving as he returns from knee surgery and that should help the Raptors’ defense. He also scored 14 points on Friday.

“That’s what I’ve got to do,” Carroll said. “They’re double-teaming Kyle (Lowry) and DeMar (DeRozan). I’ve got to be able to space the floor, especially in the first unit. I’m just trying to do my part. I know at the beginning of the season I wasn’t doing my part, but now I’m trying to step up, and I’m just trying to progress and not look back.”

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Golden State Warriors vs. Toronto Raptors
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), TSN (Toronto)
PREDICTION: Warriors 119, Raptors 112

Oddsmakers currently have the Warriors listed as 6½-point favorites versus the Raptors, while the game’s total is sitting at 222.

TORONTO — The schedule does not get any easier for the Toronto Raptors after they took a hard-fought 121-117 loss to the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

The Raptors, who dropped the Eastern Conference final to the Cavaliers last season, returned home Wednesday to face the Golden State Warriors at Air Canada Centre.

The Warriors were NBA finalists last season, losing a seven-game series to Cleveland after winning the championship the season before.

“The computer that spit out the schedule, I’m going to find it and break it,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.

The Raptors (7-3) also lost to the Cavaliers 94-91 at the ACC in their second game of the season, Oct. 28.

Casey feels the games are too early in the season to draw conclusions.

“It’s good for us; it’s not a measuring stick,” Casey said. “I think we’re still trying to get our rotations down as far as what we want to do in certain situations, who we want to guard, who can do what in certain situations. (We are) still trying to figure those things out a little bit. It’s that part of the year. I’d rather go ahead and get these (games against) two of the best teams in the league in now and go from there.”

The Warriors arrived in Toronto on a four-game winning streak in which they outscored the other teams by a total of 68 points.

Toronto Stats:
Team record: 7-3 SU,7-3 ATS
Toronto is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 5 games

Golden State (8-2) faces a test of its own on a four-game trip that opens in Toronto and is followed with visits to the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers in a six-day span. The four Eastern Conference teams have a combined record of 22-18.

“The challenge gets bigger now,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re playing playoff teams on the road, East Coast and all of that. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s coming at a good time, and we’re going to embrace it.”

Stephen Curry said, “Obviously on the road, it’ll expose us to different challenges and we’ll see where we are. I think we’re ready for it.”

Curry remains the catalyst for the Warriors even with the addition this season of Kevin Durant.

“(Curry) kind of gets us started almost every game,” Durant said, “when we need an extra surge of energy, coming down to make shots. But also making the right play, scramble for guys. He’s just doing it all to be a complete player.”

Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who had 28 points and nine assists Tuesday, said he took no solace in being a tough opponent for the Cavaliers.

Golden State Stats:
Team record: 8-2 SU,4-6 ATS
Current Streak: won 4 straight games.
Golden State is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
Golden State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State’s last 5 games

“I’m not encouraged by any loss,” Lowry said. “We want to win every single game.”

Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan failed to score 30 points for only the second time this season when he was held to 26 on Tuesday. DeRozan has been the main story on the Raptors this season.

“He is mature,” Casey said. “He’s a man now, as opposed to a kid getting beat up in those situations, and the officials respect him now; whereas, three or four years ago they probably would let the veterans get away with a lot of stuff. The game has slowed down for him, and I see that as being the biggest change for him.”

Toronto forward DeMarre Carroll did not play for the second game in a row Tuesday as he continues to come back from right knee surgery.

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Oakley played 208 games for Toronto between 1998 and 2001. Oakley, 51, was asked if he could have imagined having a bobblehead day.

”Well, I had a head so you never know what could happen,” he said before the game against Miami. ”It’s great to come back up here and see the guys.”

But the power forward who also played for Chicago, New York, Washington and Houston in a career that stretched from 1985-2004 had little good to say about today’s game.

”Who do I like watching? It’s hard to watch,” he said. ”I don’t know, it’s just, it’s a different game. It’s some good games and a lot of bad games. More bad games than good games these days.”

That’s why he thinks he and former fellow Knicks Patrick Ewing and the late Anthony Mason would have done well today.

”I know we would win a lot of games and you never know what could happen,” he said, ”but we would come out and play hard and, the way that they shoot now, we’d have a lot of rebounds every night and we’d have a chance every night to win games.”

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