(Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs look to continue their strong play on
this road trip when they make their only trip north of the border Sunday
against the Toronto Raptors.
The Spurs are 2-0 over the first two games of this six-game, nine-day trip
east. They bested the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers so far and now it's
the Raptors, a team the Spurs have gone 15-4 against since the 2002-03 season.
Tony Parker has been on mini-tear this road trip. He's averaging 29.5 ppg and
8.0 apg. Against the Pacers, Parker went for 33 points and 10 assists and led
three Spurs in double-figures in scoring.
Any guesses who the other two were?
Tim Duncan had 22 points and 17 boards, while Manu Ginobili netted 19 points
in 28 minutes of action. But Parker's been the most important part of the
Spurs' version of the Big Three, at least for the first two games of this
trip.
"He got us going the whole game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Parker.
"He had double-digit assists, 33 points. He was phenomenal. He played great
D."
The Spurs are 6-1 on the road this season and head to Washington for the
second game in as many nights on Monday.
The Raptors have lost three in a row after they won two of three before that.
They've managed to find new ways to lose games as all three setbacks were
winnable games.
The three losses have come by a total of 10 points and, in the last two, the
Raptors have had the ball in their hands with a chance to win. Didn't happen
in either game.
Against the Pistons on Friday, Kyle Lowry's attempt to win bounced off the
back of the rim and didn't fall.
"I got the shot I wanted, just missed it," said Lowry. "I got to the spot I
wanted to get to on the floor. I shot a shot I've shot a million times. Next
time I shoot it, I intend on it going in."
Lowry had 19 points against Detroit and Andrea Bargnani put in a game-high 34.
Offense has been a problem for the Raptors lately. They haven't scored over
100 points in a game since a triple-overtime loss to the Utah Jazz on Nov. 12.
A win on Sunday would get the Raptors to .500 at home at 3-3.
Of the four Raptors' victories in this series over the last decade, three of
them came at home.
The Sports Network