Nick Nurse Articles - Page 8

Even with Kawhi Leonard’s departure after their NBA championship in 2019, coach Nick Nurse propelled the Toronto Raptors to a second round appearance in the NBA Playoffs in the following campaign. Due to playing all their home games in Tampa, Florida last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was inevitable for the Raptors to […]

The Toronto Raptors entered their game against the Miami Heat expecting a tough battle. However, they likely weren’t expecting a grueling, tiring triple-overtime game. Luckily for the visiting team, they escaped with a 124 – 120 win after three extra periods thanks to All-Star candidate Fred VanVleet finding his stroke late. After this triple overtime […]

In many ways, it was the inverse of the Portland Trail Blazers game on Sunday. After having fallen into the bad habit recently of starting off slowly, the Toronto Raptors came out like they meant business against the Charlotte Hornets. Despite no Fred VanVleet, no Scottie Barnes, no Khem Birch, and losing Justin Champagnie early […]

It was simply not meant to be for the Toronto Raptors. In one of the most demoralizing halves of basketball the Raptors have played this season, they came out completely discombobulated against the Portland Trail Blazers at home on Sunday night, languid on defense and stagnant on offense. They only managed 34 points through those […]

The Toronto Raptors are 1-4 over their last five games and now back at the .500 mark, a spot they’ve been hovering around all season. Those are facts, but facts without context aren’t particularly insightful. It would behoove anyone looking to brush off the Raptors as a legitimately good team amid those recent struggles to […]

It was another great showing and another loss for the Toronto Raptors. As has always been the case with the team this season, the margins are thin. That means missing key rotations pieces like Gary Trent Jr. and Khem Birch are going to have a serious impact on the best of nights against the lowliest […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has been one of the more successful leaders in the NBA since being hired ahead of the 2018-19 season. Nurse has led the Raptors to two 50-win seasons and an NBA championship and currently has this season’s squad in line for an appearance in the play-in tournament despite being […]

The Toronto Raptors have not played a game with their full complement of players in almost two weeks. It has resulted in one big win, two ugly losses, and three postponed games. As the Raptors get set to face the Los Angeles Clippers in their next game on New Year’s Eve, head coach Nick Nurse […]

It’s fair to wonder whether the Toronto Raptors who got demolished by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night were truly were the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors that fell 144-99 played with no Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, or OG Anunoby. There was no Scottie Barnes, Precious Achiuwa, or Gary Trent Jr. either. It’s not exactly a […]

Four regular roster players. That’s what the Toronto Raptors had to work with on a night when Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa, Gary Trent Jr., Malachi Flynn, Scottie Barnes, Isaac Bonga, Khem Birch, and Justin Champagnie were all in health and safety protocols. The ultimate result, predictably, was a 144-99 blowout loss […]

On a night where everyone was cooking, Toronto Raptors rookie Dalano Banton was no exception. The rookie entered the game and made an immediate impact as the de facto backup point guard, shredding the Sacramento Kings’ defense to the tune of six assists (tying a career-high) while committing zero turnovers. Over and over, the Canadian […]

With only 30 minutes or so before the Toronto Raptors tipped off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, the team was informed that superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo would not be suiting up. But Raptors coach Nick Nurse said that didn’t affect them too much. “I guess I was pretty neutral on it, to be honest,” […]

The Toronto Raptors couldn’t overcome a severely depleted roster and dropped their second game in a row after losing to the Boston Celtics on Sunday. There were some spirited runs, including a breathtaking third quarter stretch that saw Scottie Barnes morph into the 6’9” version of Stephen Curry, raining three-pointers from a variety of areas […]

The Toronto Raptors are now through about a quarter of their 2021-22 season, a significant chunk of which has been spent away from Scotiabank Arena. In fact, they’ve played 12 of their 20 total games on the road, where they’ve achieved a 7-5 record. Most of those games came within the last two weeks, with […]

The Toronto Raptors are struggling a bit to start this 2021-22 season after an exhausting and disappointing 2020-21 campaign. The Raptors won only 29 games last season while playing all their home games in Tampa. That was their first missed postseason since 2012-13. This season, Toronto has started with an 8-9 record and will have to […]

The Toronto Raptors are crashing back down to Earth. After a string of close losses and strong wins, Nick Nurse and his crew succumbed to the Utah Jazz 119 – 103. It was an ugly game for the Raptors, as they had a slim lead at halftime but surrendered the lead in the third quarter. […]

The Toronto Raptors will be without one of their best players for the foreseeable future. Per The Athletic’s Eric Koreen, OG Anunoby is set to miss time with a hip injury: OG Anunoby will be out " a while" with a hip pointer. Precious Achiuwa and Yuta Watanabe also out tonight. Chris Boucher is back. […]

Bradley Beal scored 25 points against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, but it didn’t come easy. In fact, the Washington Wizards guard had a difficult time that even his scoring exploits were not enough to propel them to victory. Naturally, Beal heaped praised on the Raptors’ defense after the contest. He particularly credited head coach […]

The Toronto Raptors had offseason acquisition Goran Dragic as one of their opening day starters. Now the 14-year NBA veteran has been glued to the bench in the team’s last two contests. Dragic registered back-to-back DNPs for Toronto after he seemed poised to be a fixture in the team’s rotation. Raptors coach Nick Nurse spoke […]

When OG Anunoby is playing to the level he’s capable, the Toronto Raptors ascend to a different stratosphere. After a magnificent preseason in which he looked primed to sprint into a star-turning year, Anunoby has struggled to find that same consistency in regular-season play. The reasons for why this is the case, of course, have […]

In the 2019-20 season, the Toronto Raptors still finished second in the Eastern Conference despite the departure of superstar Kawhi Leonard. The following season, Toronto played all their games away from their home floor because of the COVID restrictions mandated in Canada. The Raptors dropped all the way down as they did not even contend […]

The Toronto Raptors’ opening night wasn’t without its teachable moments against the Washington Wizards. Both off the floor and on it, Toronto’s homecoming debut was filled with excitement, disappointment, and a few things in between. What follows are some things we learned, gleaned from players, coaches, and jumbotrons. Nerves existed for “The Return” Whether a […]

The Toronto Raptors are… a work in progress. After trading away long-time franchise player Kyle Lowry, the team has fully committed to a rebuild around their young core. The Raptors drafted Scottie Barnes fourth overall this, who joins Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby as the cornerstones of the team. Raptors head coach Nick […]

Toronto Raptors fans are still getting used to the fact that Kyle Lowry is no longer with the Toronto Raptors. Apparently, even those in the organization still forget that from time to time, including coach Nick Nurse. Speaking to the media before the Raptors’ pre-season tilt against the Philadelphia 76ers, Nurse was asked about his […]

Having a well-rounded and cohesive roster is one of the ingredients to winning an NBA championship. However, winning championships doesn’t just require a solid group of players. It also requires a great head coach who can initiate a system and lead the squad from the sidelines. Throughout the years, we’ve seen coaches make an impact […]

The Toronto Raptors had a rough 2021-22 season, and one of the low points was a reported fight between star Pascal Siakam and head coach Nick Nurse. This led to rumors of a rift between Siakam and the Nurse, which in turn resulted in trade rumors. Siakam is now trying to set the record straight […]

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has had a lot on his plate this offseason. The team lost arguably the franchise’s greatest player ever in Kyle Lowry and it’s still unclear whether they’ll be able to play in Canada next season due to COVID-19 restrictions. Amid all these, Raptors fans can now breathe easier as Ujiri […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has been sued by his former agent, Warren LeGarie, for breach of contract. LeGarie is seeking financial relief. USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt has details of the complaint: “Defendant Nurse failed to do certain things required by the representation contract. “Among other things, Defendant Nurse failed to abide by […]

The Toronto Raptors officially played their first season in the NBA back in 1995. The team won just 25 games back then, struggling to compete on the pro level as most expansion teams do. While the 2020/21 campaign has a sheer disappointment for the Raptors, they’ve still been one of the more successful organizations in […]

With the Toronto Raptors’ season over and done, the attention of the franchise now shifts to team president Masai Ujiri. More specifically on whether he would stay with the Raps or pack his bags somewhere else. There are also other top priorities in the offseason for the Raptors, like deciding on what to do with […]

Jonas Valanciunas may no longer be with the Toronto Raptors but he surely left quite an impression on head coach Nick Nurse. Apparently, one of his former coach’s fondest memories of JV is the time they went fishing together in Valenciunas’ native of Lithuania. As it turns out, JV is really, really into fishing. Nurse […]

The entire 2020-21 NBA season for Pascal Siakam, Nick Nurse as well as the entire Toronto Raptor organization has been far from ideal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic still taking over the world, border laws, as well as health and safety protocols, have made it tough for the 2019 NBA champions to find a home […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has spoken out on the now-viral video of Freddie Gillespie and Malachi Flynn doing their rather cringeworthy yet totally hilarious rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA.” Gillespie and Flynn recently underwent their rookie initiation (one of many I presume) wherein team veteran Kyle Lowry asked them to […]

It has been a wildly disappointing year for the team up north that is playing down south this year. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse shared his thoughts before their game on Thursday against the Chicago Bulls, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.  “I’m not sure it could get any funkier this year than it’s gotten,” […]

The Toronto Raptors — or one could say, Tampa Raptors — are entering Thursday’s game versus the Chicago Bulls shorthanded, as coach Nick Nurse knows. This is all because of guard OG Anunoby’s flagrant foul on Dennis Schroder last Tuesday, which garnered multiple fines and suspensions from both the Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers players.  […]

It’s no secret that Marc Gasol hasn’t exactly adjusted well to life with the Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol’s numbers this term have seen a significant dip from the last couple of seasons with the Toronto Raptors, and as it turns out, even his former coach in Nick Nurse is surprised by how Gasol hasn’t found […]

Despite their rollercoaster of a season, Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse said tanking is definitely out of the picture. Wins have been few and far between for the 2019 champions this season but they did manage to snap their four-game losing skid with a blowout win over the Golden State Warriors last Saturday. Nurse was […]

First impressions do last and it looks like Gary Trent Jr. is leaving quite an imprint on Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. Shortly after the Raptors’ 53-point demolition of the Golden State Warriors at Amalie Arena on Friday, 130-77, Nurse had nothing but praises for Trent’s two-way potential. According to the NBA champion coach, […]

The Toronto Raptors just can’t seem to get on track this season as Nick Nurse’s squad continues to search for answers. While the Raptors are struggling to find ways to win games, Nurse iterated why he believes his team is sputtering thus far, via TSN’s Josh Lewenberg. Nurse: "You have to at least be cognizant […]