Nick Nurse Articles - Page 13

Toronto Raptors shooting guard Danny Green appreciates head coach Nick Nurse for trusting him in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Nurse ran a play for Green in the second overtime and Green delivered by hitting a clutch 3-pointer. The Raptors guard was 0-for-8 at the time, so […]

The Toronto Raptors finally won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 118-112 in a double-overtime thriller in Game 3 behind another stellar performance from Kawhi Leonard. The All-Star forward finished with 36 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals while playing a total of 52 minutes — […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse praised Kawhi Leonard’s defense on Milwaukee Bucks star player Giannis Antetokounmpo, noting that it was the biggest key in their Game 3 victory. Per NBA TV, Nurse was asked about Leonard’s defense on Antetokounmpo — this year’s leading MVP candidate. Nurse believes that the Raptors forward’s defense was key […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse surprised everyone at the start of Game 3 as he kept his starters from Games 1 and 2. After all, he directly said heading into the contest that he will make plenty of lineup changes to prepare for the Milwaukee Bucks. Nurse, however, clarified his comments after the match […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is hinting a potential lineup change in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors are still looking for their first victory of the series, and a loss this Sunday will put them on the brink of elimination. Nurse is looking to make the […]

The Toronto Raptors find themselves in a 0-2 hole against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals — and in desperate need of some adjustments. Head coach Nick Nurse indicated that some of those changes will come early in the hopes of finding more favorable matchups on both the offensive and defensive side of […]

Despite falling 0-2 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse believes that a victory in Game 3 could help change the outcome of the series. The odds are stacked against the Raptors coming back from a two-to-nothing deficit, but Nurse said he doesn’t care about the statistics […]

The Toronto Raptors are in a must-win situation after losing the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Heading into Game 3, head coach Nick Nurse hinted at possible lineup changes as the team attempts to fight their way back into the series. According to Arden Zwelling of SportsNet Canada, […]

Over seven months into the 2018-19 season, with the glare off the Larry O’Brien Trophy growing stronger by the day, one would assume Nick Nurse wouldn’t have to beg his team to play with more physicality. After the Toronto Raptors were blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, […]

Despite the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick nurse hailed Kyle Lowry’s performance. Per NBA TV in a postgame conference, Nurse was confident that every shot that Lowry took would swish the net. “Every time he let it go tonight, you were like […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse wants his team to distribute shots better against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. At times, the Raptors rely too much on star small forward Kawhi Leonard to carry them on offense. Nurse says while Leonard is an all-world player, Toronto needs to get other guys involved […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse expresses his belief on his team ahead of their Eastern Conference Finals showdown against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors are coming off a second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers that took seven games to decide. Meanwhile, the Bucks are well-rested ahead of the East finale after closing out […]

The Toronto Raptors have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they’ll square off against the Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Most analysts are expecting a physical series, and Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says his guys will be ready for it. In an interview with William Lou of Yahoo Sports Canada, Nurse pointed […]

After clinching the series against the Philadelphia 76ers in a thrilling Game 7 win, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse praised Kawhi Leonard and noted that he’s always locked into the game. In his postgame presser, Nurse shared his thoughts on Leonard’s approach to the game and his buzzer-beating game winner. From his observation, Leonard […]

With their season on the line, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has announced there will be no minute caps for his players when Toronto faces the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Nurse says minute caps are off the table tomorrow, likely for both teams. "I would expect the best […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says the Philadelphia 76ers are a very talented team and that this second round matchup will ultimately help the Raptors grow as a unit. The Raptors and Sixers play Game 7 of their second round series on Sunday. Toronto fought all season to get the No. 2 seed in […]

The Toronto Raptors have been an inconsistent team in the playoffs so far, but head coach Nick Nurse is playing it down and is not one bit bothered about the concern. Toronto is currently tied with the Philadelphia 76ers at 3-3 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals showdown. Both teams won one game on the road […]

Last week, the Philadelphia 76ers seemed on the verge of taking complete control of their second-round series against the Toronto Raptors. Brett Brown’s team put together perhaps its most complete performance of the entire 2018-19 season in Game 3, beating Toronto 116-95 to take what many believed was a commanding 2-1 lead in the Eastern […]

Nick Nurse chased an improbable win in Game 6. He is lucky no key starter got injured before Game 7. The Toronto Raptors got drubbed by the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night by the final score of 112-101, with Joel Embiid of the 76ers posting a masterful +40 rating in the game. The Raptors just […]

Though he’s not on the team’s official injury report anymore, Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has been dealing with a touch of calf soreness. The ailment was an issue in Sunday’s series-tying victory over the Sixers, but Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is expecting Siakam to play a bigger role in Game 5. Siakim noted […]

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is one of the most respected coaches in the league, if not the most. Under his tutelage, several coaches have blossomed and become great head coaches themselves. Doc Rivers, Mike Budenholzer, and Brett Brown all worked under Popovich. Pop is known for his championship pedigree and milking the […]

After blowing out the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, the Toronto Raptors seemed well on their way to a berth in the Conference Finals. Less than a week later, though, Nick Nurse’s team suddenly finds itself in a 2-1 hole, one made deeper than it seems given the injury status of one of its best […]

Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury-prone center, has been a thorn in the side of Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, who now finds his team trailing 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The 7-foot Goliath had his best game of the series with 33 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and five blocks, showing the […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse wasn’t happy with his team’s energy and effort in a Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on the road. The 116-95 loss was the biggest differential in this Eastern Conference Semifinal series thus far, and one that came with plenty of disappointments in all facets of the game. […]

Throughout the regular season, the Toronto Raptors grew accustomed to overwhelming opponents with size and athleticism. Nick Nurse’s team is one of the longest in the league, and with Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, can count on a pair of overwhelming physical mismatches almost every time it takes the floor. The Philadelphia 76ers, though, aren’t […]

Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol is only averaging 7.9 points per game in the playoffs. Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says Gasol is too talented of a player to not score more than that. The Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are tied at 1-1 in the second round. For Toronto to defeat this talented Sixers squad, […]

The Toronto Raptors lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers, and a lot of people believe Nick Nurse — with his rotations in the fourth quarter — played a key role in their defeat. Nick Nurse didn’t play Kawhi Leonard for the first 3:23 of the fourth quarter. He also […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has come under fire from the media on a night when his team fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star tweeted his displeasure with the rotation during the game, pointing out the fact that Nick Nurse was […]

Last week, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse achieved Internet immortality. Clips of his reaction to a three-second call late in Game 4 against the Orlando Magic made the rounds immediately. The young coach will be forever known for the way his jaw dropped in that instance. On Monday night, Nurse was at it again. […]

Amid all the criticisms that Kyle Lowry received after his horrendous Game 1 performance, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse commended the guard and noted that he saw the best of him in their series with the Orlando Magic. Per Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet, Nurse shared his thoughts of Lowry’s overall performance in the […]

Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby is progressing in his recovery from an appendectomy and was in good spirits at the team’s practice facility on Monday, according to head coach Nick Nurse. Unfortunately, there’s still no timetable for Anunoby’s return to the court: OG Anunoby is progressing in recovery from his appendectomy. He was at the […]

The Toronto Raptors can close out the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Tuesday night, but history is not on their side. Or is that even relevant? In the past, the Raptors have had playoff struggles, showing an inability to come up big when it really counts. Of […]

For Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, Kyle Lowry is ‘tailor-made’ for the playmaker role. He’s no longer the number one or two scoring option for a team. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Per LWOS Toronto Raptors, Nurse commented on how he adjusted Lowry to be a playmaker from being a primary scoring […]

The Toronto Raptors pushed the Orlando Magic to the brink of elimination after their 107-85 Game 4 win on Sunday night. After losing the first game of the series, the Raps stormed back to win three straight games and to put themselves one victory away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Following the game, […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse finds it “a little interesting” that his club has been dealing with foul trouble in the playoffs. Nurse is also confused as to why the Raptors are not getting to the free throw line a lot in their series against the Orlando Magic since his offensive philosophy is to […]

Although Marc Gasol has been getting a bigger share of minutes now that the Toronto Raptors are in the playoffs, Serge Ibaka is still playing a key role. In Friday night’s 98-93 Game 3 victory over the Orlando Magic, Ibaka played important minutes after Gasol got in foul trouble, and head coach Nick Nurse praised […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says star small forward Kawhi Leonard hasn’t been feeling well over the past few days and didn’t practice before Game 3 of their first round series against the Orlando Magic. There was no way Leonard was going to miss Game 3, though. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse says big man Serge Ibaka has accepted his bench role in the most professional manner. The Raptors acquired Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies at the February trade deadline. Nurse decided to insert Gasol into the starting lineup and move Ibaka to the bench. No player in the NBA […]

The Toronto Raptors were able to even their first round playoff series against the Orlando Magic at one game apiece with a 111-82 Game 2 victory last Tuesday. Raptors head coach Nick Nurse seemed to have shown no mercy in Game 2, as he didn’t allow his starters to be subbed out of the game […]