Sources have reported that the Toronto Raptors are set to appoint Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as their new head coach. After offering Rajakovic the job on Saturday, the two sides are believed to be finalizing a contract that is set to be completed soon.

Having arrived from his native Serbia in 2012 to serve as the G League head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rajakovic later advanced to the Thunder’s bench before taking on assistant coaching roles with the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies. He then climbed the ranks to become the top assistant of Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins.

It is believed that Rajakovic engaged in a grueling process of convincing Raptors president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster why he is an appropriate hire for the head coaching role. According to the Raptors’ leadership, the team was in search of a versatile coach with the ability to mold a competitive team based on its existing roster of veterans while also nurturing young talent.

The post Raptors to Hire Darko Rajakovic as Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a long tenure of strict COVID-19-induced health regulations, sports teams located within the Canadian province of Ontario will be allowed to host full capacity crowds in their arenas going forward after being permitted to do so by the provincial government.

Announced by Ontario Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod on Friday, this new regulation will affect the NHL teams of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as well as the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. This eased ruling has already taken effect.

While the number of attendees permitted at indoor sports events has been increased by the province of Ontario, there are still a number of health guidelines that will be strictly enforced on gamedays. This includes the requirement for all attendees to produce proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to gain access to the facility.

Following this latest ruling, the Vancouver Canucks are the last remaining NHL team that is not permitted to host a full-capacity crowd at home games. Currently, the province of British Columbia only allows for indoor crowds to reach a maximum of 50% capacity.

The post Ontario Sports Teams Permitted to Host Capacity Crowds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The “Tampa Bay Raptors” are here to stay. At least until the 2020-21 NBA season wraps up.

The Raptors confirmed on Thursday that they would continue playing their home games in Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena throughout the remainder of the current NBA season. According to the team’s announcement, the decision was made due to “ongoing border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mindful of public safety measures in Canada.”

The Raptors were forced to find a new home after it became evident that they wouldn’t be able to play their home games in Toronto and their Scotiabank Arena this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several cities were in play as their substitute home, including Kansas City, but the organization decided to settle in Tampa Bay.

So far, the switch has been tough on the Raptors as they had a rough start of the season. They have a 12-13 record and are currently tied for No. 5 in East with the Indiana Pacers.

“Home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto,” said Raptors president Masai Ujiri. “We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again.”

The post Raptors Will Play in Tampa Bay for Remainder of 2020-21 NBA Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Toronto Raptors continue to show that they are a serious candidate to defend their title even after the departure of Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors demolished the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 150-122 in Game 4 on Sunday night and completed the First Round series sweep to advance to the next stage of NBA playoffs.

A particularly impressive stat from the Raptors’ win is that 100 of their points they scored against Brooklyn came from their bench. Since NBA began tracking scores of starters and bench players in 1970/71, no bench scored more than 94 in the regular season or more than 87 in the playoffs.

Toronto’s bench contribution was highlighted by center Serge Ibaka, who scored 27 points and added 15 rebounds, while guard Norman Powell added 29 points. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam was a standout among the starters, pouring in 20 points alongside 10 assists.

“I think we just have confidence in each and every one of us that step on the floor and we work on offense,” said Powell after the game. “I don’t think it really matters who’s in the game.”

The Nets, who came to Orlando without most of their starters, were led by Caris LeVert, who scored 35 points, while Tyler Jones and Dzanan Musa added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

“We had an extreme resilience as a group, a competitive nature about us as a group and a sacrifice as a group for the men who came, and extremely grateful for this group and the time we spent together,” said Nets’ interim head coach Jacque Vaughn.

With the first playoff series sweep in their history, the Toronto Raptors secured a Second Round matchup against Boston Celtics. The Celtics advanced thanks to their own sweep against Philadelphia 76ers.

The post Raptors Sweep the Nets with 150-122 Statement Win in Game 4 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

When the final whistle blew on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, history was made. Not only was Game 6 of the NBA Finals the last game in the history of the stadium, but the Toronto Raptors had been crowned champions of the NBA for the first time in their franchise’s 24-year history.

The Raptors defeated the two-time reigning champion Golden State Warriors on their home court in order to claim the title.

Thursday’s game was a tense, back-and-forth affair that the Raptors never controlled. In fact, they went into the fourth and final quarter trailing Golden State by an 88-86 score.

However, they charged ahead in the fourth quarter on the backs of a dominant Kawhi Leonard, who was named Finals MVP, and the hot three-point shooting of Raptors bench guard Fred VanVleet.

Leonard was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. His transcendental first season in Toronto led the Raptors to heights that had never before been experienced by the team.

It was the second Finals MVP for Leonard, after he won the award in the Spurs’ 2012 championship win.

Toronto will now celebrate their title and enjoy the fruits of a fantastic season which saw them do something that was almost unimaginable just a short time ago.

The post Toronto Raptors Beat Golden State Warriors in Game 6 to Win NBA Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Toronto Raptors will be the ones facing Milwaukee Bucks in Eastern Conference Finals. This is a result of a wild Game 7 against Philadelphia 76ers which came to an end after Kawhi Leonard hit a wild buzzer-beater for 92-90 on the scoreboard in Toronto’s favor.

Raptors and 76ers both came to play on Sunday night and treated the fans with a highly exciting and nerve-wracking game. The score was tied 90-90 with 4.2 seconds remaining on the clock, and everything pointed out to overtime. Still, Toronto had the opportunity to inbound the ball in Philly’s half and a chance to run one last play.

The ball was inbounded to Leonard, who dribbled it to the far right corner and with less than a second remaining, managed to release a fadeaway show across the outstretched arm of 76ers’ center Joel Embiid. The ball bounced several times on the rim and then went in which launched Raptors’ players and fans into a crazy celebration.

Leonard’s shot was the first Game 7 buzzer-beater NBA history.

“It was great,” – said Leonard after the game. “That’s something I never experienced before — Game 7, winning shot. It’s a blessing to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment, and it’s something I can look back on in my career.”

“It was crazy,”- added Raptors’ guard Kyle Lowry. “It was one of those moments where it’s just like a real-life game winner, Game 7, like, count it down when you’re back home, and everyone was celebrating like that. It was a pretty awesome moment.”

Toronto Raptors will now travel to Milwaukee, where they will face the Bucks on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the East Finals.

The post Raptors Advance to East Finals with a Wild Buzzer-Beater in Game 7 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Sources have reported that the Toronto Raptors are set to appoint Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as their new head coach. After offering Rajakovic the job on Saturday, the two sides are believed to be finalizing a contract that is set to be completed soon.

Having arrived from his native Serbia in 2012 to serve as the G League head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rajakovic later advanced to the Thunder’s bench before taking on assistant coaching roles with the Phoenix Suns and the Memphis Grizzlies. He then climbed the ranks to become the top assistant of Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins.

It is believed that Rajakovic engaged in a grueling process of convincing Raptors president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster why he is an appropriate hire for the head coaching role. According to the Raptors’ leadership, the team was in search of a versatile coach with the ability to mold a competitive team based on its existing roster of veterans while also nurturing young talent.

The post Raptors to Hire Darko Rajakovic as Head Coach appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a long tenure of strict COVID-19-induced health regulations, sports teams located within the Canadian province of Ontario will be allowed to host full capacity crowds in their arenas going forward after being permitted to do so by the provincial government.

Announced by Ontario Sports Minister Lisa MacLeod on Friday, this new regulation will affect the NHL teams of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators as well as the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. This eased ruling has already taken effect.

While the number of attendees permitted at indoor sports events has been increased by the province of Ontario, there are still a number of health guidelines that will be strictly enforced on gamedays. This includes the requirement for all attendees to produce proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to gain access to the facility.

Following this latest ruling, the Vancouver Canucks are the last remaining NHL team that is not permitted to host a full-capacity crowd at home games. Currently, the province of British Columbia only allows for indoor crowds to reach a maximum of 50% capacity.

The post Ontario Sports Teams Permitted to Host Capacity Crowds appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The “Tampa Bay Raptors” are here to stay. At least until the 2020-21 NBA season wraps up.

The Raptors confirmed on Thursday that they would continue playing their home games in Tampa Bay’s Amalie Arena throughout the remainder of the current NBA season. According to the team’s announcement, the decision was made due to “ongoing border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mindful of public safety measures in Canada.”

The Raptors were forced to find a new home after it became evident that they wouldn’t be able to play their home games in Toronto and their Scotiabank Arena this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several cities were in play as their substitute home, including Kansas City, but the organization decided to settle in Tampa Bay.

So far, the switch has been tough on the Raptors as they had a rough start of the season. They have a 12-13 record and are currently tied for No. 5 in East with the Indiana Pacers.

“Home is where the heart is, and our hearts are in Toronto,” said Raptors president Masai Ujiri. “We think often of our fans, of our Scotiabank Arena family, and all those we are missing back home, and we can’t wait until we can all be together again.”

The post Raptors Will Play in Tampa Bay for Remainder of 2020-21 NBA Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Toronto Raptors continue to show that they are a serious candidate to defend their title even after the departure of Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors demolished the short-handed Brooklyn Nets 150-122 in Game 4 on Sunday night and completed the First Round series sweep to advance to the next stage of NBA playoffs.

A particularly impressive stat from the Raptors’ win is that 100 of their points they scored against Brooklyn came from their bench. Since NBA began tracking scores of starters and bench players in 1970/71, no bench scored more than 94 in the regular season or more than 87 in the playoffs.

Toronto’s bench contribution was highlighted by center Serge Ibaka, who scored 27 points and added 15 rebounds, while guard Norman Powell added 29 points. All-Star forward Pascal Siakam was a standout among the starters, pouring in 20 points alongside 10 assists.

“I think we just have confidence in each and every one of us that step on the floor and we work on offense,” said Powell after the game. “I don’t think it really matters who’s in the game.”

The Nets, who came to Orlando without most of their starters, were led by Caris LeVert, who scored 35 points, while Tyler Jones and Dzanan Musa added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

“We had an extreme resilience as a group, a competitive nature about us as a group and a sacrifice as a group for the men who came, and extremely grateful for this group and the time we spent together,” said Nets’ interim head coach Jacque Vaughn.

With the first playoff series sweep in their history, the Toronto Raptors secured a Second Round matchup against Boston Celtics. The Celtics advanced thanks to their own sweep against Philadelphia 76ers.

The post Raptors Sweep the Nets with 150-122 Statement Win in Game 4 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

When the final whistle blew on Thursday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, history was made. Not only was Game 6 of the NBA Finals the last game in the history of the stadium, but the Toronto Raptors had been crowned champions of the NBA for the first time in their franchise’s 24-year history.

The Raptors defeated the two-time reigning champion Golden State Warriors on their home court in order to claim the title.

Thursday’s game was a tense, back-and-forth affair that the Raptors never controlled. In fact, they went into the fourth and final quarter trailing Golden State by an 88-86 score.

However, they charged ahead in the fourth quarter on the backs of a dominant Kawhi Leonard, who was named Finals MVP, and the hot three-point shooting of Raptors bench guard Fred VanVleet.

Leonard was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. His transcendental first season in Toronto led the Raptors to heights that had never before been experienced by the team.

It was the second Finals MVP for Leonard, after he won the award in the Spurs’ 2012 championship win.

Toronto will now celebrate their title and enjoy the fruits of a fantastic season which saw them do something that was almost unimaginable just a short time ago.

The post Toronto Raptors Beat Golden State Warriors in Game 6 to Win NBA Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Toronto Raptors will be the ones facing Milwaukee Bucks in Eastern Conference Finals. This is a result of a wild Game 7 against Philadelphia 76ers which came to an end after Kawhi Leonard hit a wild buzzer-beater for 92-90 on the scoreboard in Toronto’s favor.

Raptors and 76ers both came to play on Sunday night and treated the fans with a highly exciting and nerve-wracking game. The score was tied 90-90 with 4.2 seconds remaining on the clock, and everything pointed out to overtime. Still, Toronto had the opportunity to inbound the ball in Philly’s half and a chance to run one last play.

The ball was inbounded to Leonard, who dribbled it to the far right corner and with less than a second remaining, managed to release a fadeaway show across the outstretched arm of 76ers’ center Joel Embiid. The ball bounced several times on the rim and then went in which launched Raptors’ players and fans into a crazy celebration.

Leonard’s shot was the first Game 7 buzzer-beater NBA history.

“It was great,” – said Leonard after the game. “That’s something I never experienced before — Game 7, winning shot. It’s a blessing to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment, and it’s something I can look back on in my career.”

“It was crazy,”- added Raptors’ guard Kyle Lowry. “It was one of those moments where it’s just like a real-life game winner, Game 7, like, count it down when you’re back home, and everyone was celebrating like that. It was a pretty awesome moment.”

Toronto Raptors will now travel to Milwaukee, where they will face the Bucks on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the East Finals.

The post Raptors Advance to East Finals with a Wild Buzzer-Beater in Game 7 appeared first on SportzBonanza.