Bobcats-Raptors Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Jan 10 2013 12:56PM

The Toronto Raptors have been dealing with a number of injuries, but they've been able to compensate with solid defense. That may not bode well for the low-scoring Charlotte Bobcats.

Toronto goes for its 10th victory in 13 games Friday night when it faces a Bobcats team looking for a third straight road win.

Injuries to Andrea Bargnani, Linas Kleiza, Aaron Gray and Jonas Valanciunas have left the Raptors (13-22) extremely short-handed down low. It's also uncertain if rookie guard Terrence Ross will be able to play in this game after missing a 90-72 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday.

"We know we have some people down - we just have to pick up the slack," said forward Amir Johnson, who has started the last two games at center in place of Gray. " ... This is not the time to take a break now. We gotta pick it up and dig ourselves out of the hole we dug."

Having a healthy Landry Fields could help. Making his first start since Nov. 7 - and playing for the sixth time since coming back from wrist surgery - Fields set season highs with 10 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday.

He also had three of the Raptors' nine steals as the team matched its season best in points allowed and avoided a third straight loss.

"(Fields) did exactly what we needed," coach Dwane Casey said. "He gave us energy and he was running the floor."

Casey's team has given up an average of 87.3 points in the wins during its 9-3 surge. None of those nine opponents reached the 100-point mark.

Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has been getting great energy and production off his bench, which is among the best in the NBA with 40.9 points a contest. However, he may think about switching up his starting five after Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo, Tyrus Thomas, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffrey Taylor were outscored 67-35 by Charlotte's reserves in a 112-102 loss to Utah on Wednesday.

"I like the lineup that we had starting out against Detroit (in a 108-101 overtime win Sunday) and I tried to stay with that tonight," said Dunlap, whose starters are 29th in the league with 55.4 points per game.

The Bobcats (9-25) also have plenty of issues to fix at the other end, as they've allowed 100 or more points in 20 of 24 games since a 98-97 home win over Toronto on Nov. 21.

"We have to pick up our defense," forward Gerald Henderson said Wednesday following the team's 12th consecutive home defeat. "We scored enough, but we gave up too many points to win. It's tough to try to come back on a team like that (down by 19 at halftime) when you're down early by so much."

The Bobcats might be energized by hitting the road for three straight, as their last two wins came away from home. Charlotte last won three in a row on the road during a four-game run Jan. 18-28, 2011.

The Bobcats have won 10 of 13 against the Raptors and had posted three straight victories at Toronto - and six in a row in the series - before a 92-87 loss in their last visit April 3.

Anderson leads Raptors to victory over Bobcats

By IAN HARRISON
Posted Jan 11 2013 10:51PM

TORONTO (AP) The thing Alan Anderson likes most about the Toronto Raptors' recent run of success is the way efficient ball movement has spread the offense around.

Of course, that can make keeping track of the top scorer a little tricky.

Anderson scored 16 points against his former team, Jose Calderon had 15 and the Toronto Raptors won for the 10th time in 13 games Friday night, beating the Charlotte Bobcats 99-78.

"Any night, it could be anybody," Anderson said of Toronto's balanced scoring. "I don't know who it was tonight."

Uh, Alan, better check the boxscore. It was you.

"Good," he said, smiling.

Calderon, who along with Kyle Lowry had a game-high six assists, said he's enjoying Toronto's generous style.

"Everybody was looking for the open guy," he said. "Sharing is fun when you do that. It was great to see everybody scoring and moving the ball."

Anderson had four of Toronto's 12 3-pointers, while Calderon and Lowry each made three.

Amir Johnson had 13 points and eight rebounds while Ed Davis had 12 points and eight boards for the Raptors, who led by as many as 24.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey call Johnson "the heart and soul of our team."

"He brings it every night," Casey said. "He has a bum ankle. Most guys with an ankle like his would be out for two or three months. He's a warrior."

Toronto has not trailed in each of its past three victories, including home wins over Portland on Jan. 2 and Philadelphia on Jan. 9.

"We did not let up," Casey said. "I liked out businesslike approach in the second half."

Starting for the second straight game, Toronto's Landry Fields matched his season high with 11 rebounds.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker and Ben Gordon each scored 12 points as Charlotte's modest streak of two straight road victories came to an end.

The Bobcats lost for the third time in five games since snapping their 18-game losing streak. Charlotte has fallen behind early in the past two defeats, something Gordon called their "Achilles heel."

"We've got to give ourselves a better chance to compete early in the game. We can't start out by spotting teams double digit figures and then trying to climb back. It's too hard to do and we don't have that kind of team."

Ramon Sessions scored 11 for the Bobcats, and rookie Jeff Taylor had 10.

Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap said he's considering lineup changes when his team visits Indiana on Saturday night.

"Absolutely," Dunlap said. "We just have to find guys who can start us and get us going, especially on the defensive end."

Charlotte came in having won 10 of their past 13 meetings with the Raptors, including three of the past four in Toronto, but were never in this one, trailing by double digits from the midpoint of the first quarter onward.

The Bobcats missed seven of their first eight shots and, for the second straight game, never held a lead. Charlotte also trailed throughout in Wednesday's home loss to Utah.

Calderon scored 10 points in the opening quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Raptors surged out to a 29-16 lead after one.

Anderson said Toronto's starters "just blitzed them right out of the gate."

Dunlap called his team's first quarter performance "inexcusable."

Kidd-Gilchrist and Walker combined for seven of Charlotte's nine free throws in the second quarter, but Toronto used seven points from rookie Terrence Ross to take a 53-39 lead at the half.

Anderson scored eight points in the third and Davis had six as the Raptors took a commanding 76-58 lead into the fourth.

NOTES: Toronto made a season-high 15 3-pointers in a 123-88 win at Orlando on Dec. 29. ... Anderson played for the Bobcats in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, appearing in 53 games. ... The Raptors are 8-0 when holding their opponent below 90 points. ... Charlotte surrendered a season-high 22 second chance points. ... Ross returned after missing Wednesday's win over Philadelphia with a sore left ankle. ... The Raptors conclude a season-long six-game homestand on Sunday when they host Milwaukee.

Notebook: Raptors 99, Bobcats 78

Duane Watson, For NBA.com
Posted Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:00 PM - Updated Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:00 PM

THE FACTS: The Toronto Raptors won their second game in a row, defeating the Charlotte Bobcats 99-78 at the Air Canada Centre on Friday night. The Raptors are now 3-2 during their season-high six game homestand and have won 10 of their last 13 games. Toronto took this game wire-to-wire, with as much as a 24-point lead. The Raptors started the game on a 19-6 run, outshooting, outplaying and outhustling the Bobcats and never looked back.

The Raptors' (14-22) scoring was paced by Alan Anderson's 16 points, including four, 3-pointers, while Jose Calderon added 15 points and six assists. Forward Amir Johnson scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while his teammate at the position Ed Davis had 12 points and eight rebounds.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker and Ben Gordon all scored 12 points each for the Bobcats (9-26). Walker added a game-high eight assists while Ramon Sessions added 11 points off the bench.

QUOTABLE: "That's been our downfall all season. We usually have the game and during the fourth quarters, we tend to lose them. Now we had a big turnaround and tend to play those fourth quarters out all the way."

-- Raptors forward Amir Johnson on finishing strong

THE STAT: The Bobcats' 37.3 percent shooting from the field is an obvious number that sticks out, but giving up 22 second-chance points to the Raptors is a sure way as any to give away a basketball game.

TURNING POINT: The Raptors won the first quarter 29-16 and didn't let up for the rest of the game. The margin was as wide as 24 points and the Bobcats never threatened a double-digit lead.

QUOTABLE II: "The hardest thing to do is to play with a lead. It is about focus, attention to detail, staying in the moment, and pushing every possession. That is what our guys did tonight."

-- Raptors coach Dwane Casey

GOOD MOVE: Casey played seldom-used rookie Quincy Acy early in the game and his physical presence and activity paid off. Casey was able to give his starters rest while Acy tied a career-high points with six, and set new career-highs in rebounds (six) and blocks (two).

NOTABLE: The Raptors have led wire-to-wire in each of their last three victories. ...The Raptors have dished out 20 or more assists in 12 of their last 14 games. ...The Bobcats have allowed 100 or more points in 21 of 25 games since a 98-97 home win over Toronto on Nov. 21. ... Terrence Ross returned to the line up for the Raptors after missing a game with a sprained left ankle.

UP NEXT: For the Raptors, Sunday vs. Milwaukee, Tuesday @ Brooklyn, Wednesday vs. Chicago. For the Bobcats, Saturday @ Indiana, Monday @ Boston and Thursday vs. Indiana.

• Bobcats: Mullens
• Raptors: Bargnani, Valanciunas

• Bobcats: --
• Raptors: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• Officials: #36 David Jones, #7 Kevin Fehr, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 14373
• Duration: 2:06