Preview: Toronto At Oklahoma City
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Toronto Raptors are 4-0 for the first time in franchise history and look to remain unbeaten when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. Toronto controlled the fourth quarter on Tuesday while recording a 102-91 road victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Raptors used a 12-0 run in the middle of the fourth quarter and held Dallas to 6-of-22 shooting in the stanza to record the franchise first. Point guard Kyle Lowry went 4-of-5 from 3-point range and notched season highs of 27 points and 10 assists while continuing his strong early-season play. Oklahoma City won its first three games of the season under new coach Billy Donovan before committing 25 turnovers and falling 110-105 to the Houston Rockets on Monday. “We need to improve,” Donovan told reporters. “We need to really focus and continue to try to get better in terms of playing to our identity.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FSN Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (4-0): Backup swingman Terrence Ross had just four points on 2-of-8 shooting against Dallas in his first contest since signing a three-year, $33 million contract extension. Ross is averaging 10.3 points this season and Toronto is gambling that the fourth-year pro, who tied the franchise record of 51 points in a single game last season, is on the verge of a breakout campaign. “Terrence has shown growth with each season,” Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “We are excited that he will be part of what we are building in Toronto. He is a great teammate and has worked hard to become one of our best shooters.”
ABOUT THE THUNDER (3-1): Oklahoma City is averaging 118.3 points and 9.5 made 3-pointers while adjusting to Donovan’s plan of attack, and both point guard Russell Westbrook (30.3) and small forward Kevin Durant (29.8) are thriving. But the miscues against the Rockets in which Westbrook (seven), backup point guard D.J. Augustin (six) and Durant (five) combined for 18 turnovers was disconcerting to Donovan. “I think as they get accustomed to making the reads and those kind of things, it will get better,” Donovan told reporters. “Sometimes there are turnovers inside your offense when you’re trying to make the right pass but it’s not executed well. It’s the ones that are probably a high-risk, low-reward kind of pass, some of those we need to get better at.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The teams split two meetings last season but the Thunder have won five of the past seven matchups.
2. Toronto SG DeMar DeRozan had 20 points against Dallas for his third game of 20 or more points this season.
3. Oklahoma City PF Serge Ibaka (12 points, 14 rebounds, four blocked shots) recorded his first double-double of the season against Houston.
PREDICTION: Thunder 109, Raptors 96