Read More: Andrea Bargnani (F – TOR), Antawn Jamison (F – CLE), DeMar DeRozan (G – TOR), Kyrie Irving (G – CLE), Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers

There’s something about the Toronto Raptors that really affects Kyrie Irving, who was virtually shut down in the first meeting between the two teams for the opener on Dec. 26. That was Irving’s NBA debut, and he didn’t fare well in his second meeting against them either, going just 1-for-7 from the field in the first half, and just 3-13 overall. Cleveland needed him to step it up as he has been in recent games, but wasn’t able to, and Toronto took the 92-75 win.

It’s Toronto’s second win over the Cavs this season, in just six games. For the Cavaliers, it snapped a two-game winning streak, and for the Raptors, it snapped a losing streak. Antawn Jamison was the only player who performed well for Cleveland, with 19 points, six rebounds and a block, going 8-of-19 from the field.

A monster performance from Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors to the win. He had 31 points with seven rebounds, three assists and a block on the night. It was helped, of course, by sinking six of seven free throws, but he went 11-for-16 from the field and led the Raptors to the win, in much the same way he did in the first outing, when he scored 21 points along with DeMar DeRozan, who shot 9-for-18 from the field and 5-for-8 from range, putting together a great performance on his own.

Cleveland will next take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. For an opposing point of view, check out Raptors HQ. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

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January 4, 2012 – NBA Development League (D-League)
NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 ? The Toronto Raptors today assigned center Solomon Alabi to the Bakersfield Jam, the Raptors? NBA D-League affiliate. The assignment marks the 18th time an NBA player has been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and the first assignment for Alabi this year.

Alabi (7-1, 225, Florida State) has appeared in one game for the Raptors this season, his second with the team. During the 2010-11 campaign, he appeared in 12 games, scoring six points and grabbing 14 rebounds in 59 minutes. Alabi returns to the NBA D-League having played 22 games on assignment with the Erie BayHawks during the 2010-11 season.

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• Milwaukee Bucks Recall Hobson from NBA D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants – D-League

• Toronto Raptors Assign Alabi to Jam – Bakersfield Jam

• Toronto Raptors Assign Alabi to NBA D-League Affiliate Bakersfield Jam – D-League

• Babbitt, Johnson Assigned to Stampede – Idaho Stampede

• Portland Trail Blazers Assign Babbitt and Johnson to Idaho Stampede – D-League

• Cleveland Cavaliers Assign Eyenga to NBA D-League Affiliate Canton Charge – D-League

• Ahearn, Emmett Continue Streak in Bighorns Win Over Mad Ants – Reno Bighorns

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Kyrie Irving’s profesisonal debut against the Toronto Raptors was completely forgettable, but he’s been showing why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft in the games since.

Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers look to win their third straight Wednesday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.

While Cleveland saw Irving as a player it could build around when it drafted him last year, he struggled in his debut, scoring six points on 2-of-12 shooting in a 104-96 loss to Toronto on Dec. 26. He hit a meaningless three-pointer in the final minute, and finished with seven assists and one turnover in 26 minutes.

Since that game, it’s clear why the Cavaliers (3-2) are so high on Irving. He’s averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 assists and is shooting 53.1 percent in his last four games.

Irving had 20 points, six assists and no turnovers in Cleveland’s 115-101 win over Charlotte on Tuesday.

“Kyrie makes everyone around him better,” Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. “He gets more and more comfortable with each game.

“Tristan [Thompson is] in that same boat. He’s starting to really understand his role and what he can do in this league.”

Thompson, from Brampton, Ont., and the fourth-overall pick in the same draft, had his most effective game Tuesday with 16 points and nine rebounds. He’s averaging 9.8 points and 5.2 boards.

Tuesday’s victory moved the Cavaliers above .500 for the first time since Nov. 9, 2010, when they were 4-3. They won three straight only once last season, also coming in the opening weeks.

Cleveland has been better defensively since that last game against the Raptors, who shot 53.2 per cent in the season opener. The Cavaliers’ next three opponents didn’t break 100 points and the last four have shot a combined 41.4 per cent.

The Raptors (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 90-85 win at New York on Monday.

Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points as Toronto opened a 17-point lead at halftime before holding off a late rally.

Despite the scare, the Raptors gave up their fewest points of the season and held New York to 35.9 per cent shooting.

Bargnani, averaging 22.6 points, scored four in the final 47 seconds after the Knicks had pulled within a point. He came in averaging 4.0 points and shooting 25.0 per cent in the fourth quarter, but went 4 of 4 at the line, finishing with six points in 12 minutes.

Dwane Casey wants Bargnani to take on a bigger role and the rookie head coach is liking what he’s seeing. Bargnani is averaging close to 37 minutes per game and has been more aggressive on the boards, pulling down 7.6 a game.

“He ran the floor really well and … he’s really giving it to us on the defensive end,” Casey said. “He’s got to maintain that stamina on both ends and that’s what he’s doing.”

The Raptors have won three of four against the Cavaliers.

What are your opinions.

Kyrie Irving’s NBA debut against the Toronto Raptors was completely
forgettable, but he’s been showing why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011
draft in four games since.

Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers look to win their third straight
Wednesday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.

While Cleveland saw Irving as a player it could build around when it drafted
him last year, he struggled in his debut, scoring six points on 2-of-12 shooting
in a 104-96 loss to Toronto on Dec. 26. He hit a meaningless 3-pointer in the
final minute, and finished with seven assists and one turnover in 26 minutes.

Since that game, it’s clear why the Cavaliers (3-2) are so high on Irving.
He’s averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 assists and is shooting 53.1 percent in his last
four games.

Irving had 20 points, six assists and no turnovers in Cleveland’s 115-101
win over Charlotte on Tuesday.

“Kyrie makes everyone around him better,” coach Byron Scott said. “He gets
more and more comfortable with each game. Tristan (Thompson is) in that same
boat. He’s starting to really understand his role and what he can do in this
league.”

Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the same draft, had his most effective
game Tuesday with 16 points and nine rebounds. He’s averaging 9.8 points and 5.2
boards.

Tuesday’s victory moved the Cavaliers above .500 for the first time since
Nov. 9, 2010, when they were 4-3. They won three straight only once last season,
also coming in the opening weeks.

Cleveland has been better defensively since that last game against the
Raptors, who shot 53.2 percent in the season opener. The Cavaliers’ next three
opponents didn’t break 100 points and the last four have shot a combined 41.4
percent.

The Raptors (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 90-85 win at New
York on Monday.

Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points as Toronto opened a
17-point lead at halftime before holding off a late rally.

Despite the scare, the Raptors gave up their fewest points of the season
while holding New York to 35.9 percent shooting.

Bargnani, averaging 22.6 points, scored four in the final 47 seconds after
the Knicks had pulled within a point. He came in averaging 4.0 points and
shooting 25.0 percent in the fourth quarter, but went 4 of 4 at the line,
finishing with six points in 12 minutes.

Dwane Casey wants Bargnani to take on a bigger role and the coach is liking
what he’s seeing. Bargnani is averaging close to 37 minutes per game and has
been more aggressive on the boards, pulling down 7.6 a game.

“He ran the floor really well and … he’s really giving it to us on the
defensive end,” Casey said. “He’s got to maintain that stamina on both ends and
that’s what he’s doing.”

The Raptors have won three of four against the Cavaliers.

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

Kyrie Irving’s NBA debut against the Toronto Raptors was completely
forgettable, but he’s been showing why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011
draft in four games since.

Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers look to win their third straight
Wednesday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.

While Cleveland saw Irving as a player it could build around when it drafted
him last year, he struggled in his debut, scoring six points on 2-of-12 shooting
in a 104-96 loss to Toronto on Dec. 26. He hit a meaningless 3-pointer in the
final minute, and finished with seven assists and one turnover in 26 minutes.

Since that game, it’s clear why the Cavaliers (3-2) are so high on Irving.
He’s averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 assists and is shooting 53.1 percent in his last
four games.

Irving had 20 points, six assists and no turnovers in Cleveland’s 115-101
win over Charlotte on Tuesday.

“Kyrie makes everyone around him better,” coach Byron Scott said. “He gets
more and more comfortable with each game. Tristan (Thompson is) in that same
boat. He’s starting to really understand his role and what he can do in this
league.”

Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the same draft, had his most effective
game Tuesday with 16 points and nine rebounds. He’s averaging 9.8 points and 5.2
boards.

Tuesday’s victory moved the Cavaliers above .500 for the first time since
Nov. 9, 2010, when they were 4-3. They won three straight only once last season,
also coming in the opening weeks.

Cleveland has been better defensively since that last game against the
Raptors, who shot 53.2 percent in the season opener. The Cavaliers’ next three
opponents didn’t break 100 points and the last four have shot a combined 41.4
percent.

The Raptors (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 90-85 win at New
York on Monday.

Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points as Toronto opened a
17-point lead at halftime before holding off a late rally.

Despite the scare, the Raptors gave up their fewest points of the season
while holding New York to 35.9 percent shooting.

Bargnani, averaging 22.6 points, scored four in the final 47 seconds after
the Knicks had pulled within a point. He came in averaging 4.0 points and
shooting 25.0 percent in the fourth quarter, but went 4 of 4 at the line,
finishing with six points in 12 minutes.

Dwane Casey wants Bargnani to take on a bigger role and the coach is liking
what he’s seeing. Bargnani is averaging close to 37 minutes per game and has
been more aggressive on the boards, pulling down 7.6 a game.

“He ran the floor really well and … he’s really giving it to us on the
defensive end,” Casey said. “He’s got to maintain that stamina on both ends and
that’s what he’s doing.”

The Raptors have won three of four against the Cavaliers.

What do you guys think about this.

NEW YORK—Go on, all you Raptor fans who mocked coach Dwane Casey and his “pound the rock” mantra and rolled your eyes at the thought of some 1,300-pound boulder as some talisman for the season.

Make light if you will but in the aftermath of a rather impressive victory, a guy who’d struggled all season before playing a significant role in a 90-85 road win invoked the rock, the mantra and the importance of doing your job every day because good results may come at any time.

“There are no moral victories and for us to come through tonight was good because we’re a young team and it’s going to help us with our confidence and knowing we can win tough games by closing them out,” said Rasual Butler, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.

“That’s why coach (Dwane) Casey and the coaching staff, we have this statement: Pound the rock. We know it’s going to take work, just like the statement says, it might be the 101st time that you finally crack the rock; you have to continue to work every day.”

Casey has tried to instill that kind of work ethic in a team that, so far this season, has responded with a consistently hard effort.

But before Monday night, they hadn’t had any tangible things to show for it.

They’d dropped three games in a row, blown good leads in the last two, and another group might have been in danger of throwing up their arms at the futility of it all and taking at least a night off.

But this team didn’t.

And when the Knicks made an inevitable run and carved an 18-point lead to one with just over a minute remaining, they found some inner reserve to make the right play and fight through the mental fatigue.

Andrea Bargnani made a clutch jumper in the low post to make it a three-point game and then matched a Knicks basket with two clutch free throws with 17.7 seconds left.

And after the Raptors forced Carmelo Anthony into badly missing a potential game-tying three with 13.2 seconds left, Anthony Carter sealed the game with two foul shots of his own.

“At halftime, we talked about that: they were going to make a run, we needed to keep our composure, make the easy plays,” said Casey. “We still had 18 turnovers, that’s way too many turnovers for us. Great win for us but we’ve got to learn from it and cut down on our turnovers.”

Bargnani finished with 21 points, the same as DeMar DeRozan, as the Raptors were finally rewarded with a win from a good night’s work.

“(Sunday) coach told us to stick with what we were doing,” said Bargnani. “Keep working, keep doing the same thing because it was working . . . we just had to finish the game.

“That’s what we did today, we finished the game. We played for 48 minutes and in the fourth quarter, we made really good decisions.”

Jose Calderon, with nine points and 12 assists, logged a season-high 43 minutes but calmed things down offensively late in the game when the Raptors needed it most.

Anthony led the Knicks with 35 points and Toney Douglas had 22.

The Raptors did have the benefit of catching a Knicks team with a barren bench and a distinct lack of offensive firepower.

Amar’e Stoudemire missed the game with a bad ankle, a knee injury has rookie Iman Shumpert on the inactive list, and Baron Davis is still weeks away from being able to even practise.

Stoudemire, who hurt the ankle on Thursday against the Lakers, said before the game that he could be back Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats, but that there were no guarantees.

That means extended minutes for the likes of rookie Josh Harrellson, who was a nonfactor, and a thin bench that puts all kinds of pressure on the starters to play long minutes.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

National Post Staff 
Jan 2, 2012 – 10:50 PM ET
| Last Updated: Jan 2, 2012 10:52 PM ET

Comment Below!.

The Knicks’ poor first-half effort gave Toronto another big lead.

Then their poor final-minute execution allowed the Raptors to keep this one.

Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points, and the Raptors held onto a big cushion this time, beating New York 90-85 on Monday night.

Jose Calderon added nine points and 12 assists for the Raptors, who blew a 16-point lead Sunday in Orlando before losing 102-96. They opened a 17-point advantage at halftime in this one thanks to the Knicks’ inept second quarter then held on to snap a three-game losing streak.

“We didn’t let their run get to us,” DeRozan said. “The last couple of games you know teams made runs on us and we let it get to us and we kind of broke down on the defensive end. So tonight we didn’t let that happen.”

Carmelo Anthony had 35 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks played their second straight game without Amare Stoudemire, who has a sprained left ankle. But they couldn’t duplicate their impressive play from their victory without him on Saturday in Sacramento, shooting just 36 per cent from the field and misfiring on 25 of their 35 three-point attempts.

Toney Douglas had 22 points for the Knicks, 12 during a third quarter that finally woke them up after a dreadful second period in which they made three baskets. But he appeared to forget the play when the Knicks inbounded down three in the final seconds, forcing Anthony to launch a long-range attempt that missed with 13 seconds left.

Coach Mike D’Antoni was all the way on the court hollering for Douglas to move before the ball was thrown in, and he said after the game the Knicks forgot the play that was to be run.

“I thought the whole first half our energy was down. We didn’t play real hard. And then I think we got a little snake bitten in the sense of when you’re not playing hard, things aren’t falling, it started being contagious and everybody started missing shots, and we were playing on our heels,” D’Antoni said. “Halftime we talked about it and we came out and played aggressive and I thought second half was really good, but we needed obviously 48 minutes and didn’t get it.”

Missing a chance

The Raptors missed a chance to extend a three-point lead in the final 90 seconds when Amir Johnson blew a dunk, and Anthony followed with a drive into the lane to cut it to 84-83 with 1:04 to go. Bargnani answered with a jumper, and after Tyson Chandler’s dunk, Bargnani sank a pair of free throws to keep it at a three-point edge with 17 seconds left.

Anthony missed the three-point attempt and Anthony Carter, who finished last season with the Knicks, hit two free throws to make it 90-85 with 10.7 seconds remaining.

Rasual Butler had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto.

“A little bit different than last night,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “They made the run. We knew they were going to make a run. Our guys bounced back, hung in there, took the blow and absorbed it.”

Stoudemire could be back Wednesday against the Bobcats, and Iman Shumpert could return this week, ahead of the two to four week absence that was expected when he sprained a right knee ligament in the Christmas opener.

The Knicks showed how badly they could have used his help in the first half.

New York led 23-22 after one, but then shot 3 of 19 (16 per cent) in the second quarter. They heard some boos at Madison Square Garden, where the loudest cheers came when receiver Victor Cruz of the playoff-bound Giants was shown in his courtside seat.

The Knicks didn’t monopolize the ugliness — Toronto’s Jamaal Magloire threw up an airball on a free throw. But Toronto shot 56 per cent in the second quarter and ran off seven straight during one Knicks drought to open a 17-point lead before taking a 51-34 advantage into halftime.

“Second half we played with a lot more confidence,” Anthony said. “First half, I really don’t know what was wrong with us. No excuses, but I think, I know, in the second half we did a better job defensively. Offensively guys made shots.”

DeRozan hit a three-pointer to open Toronto’s second-half scoring, but the Knicks surged back behind Douglas, who had a four-point play among his 12 points in the period as New York got within three before Toronto took a 67-58 lead into the final period.

Rookie Josh Harrellson, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds as Stoudemire’s replacement Saturday, was limited to two points and five boards. Chandler finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

There is the quick update of the day.

The lesson to learn from Monday night’s game (Jan. 2) is that if you live by the three-pointer, you also die by the three-pointer. The New York Knicks attempted 35 three-pointers against the Toronto Raptors, making just 10 of them to finish 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. Overall, the team went just 28-for-78 from the field (35.9 percent) in a game that simply got away from them at the end.

This 90-85 loss to the Raptors is extremely frustrating; especially with how good the Knicks looked against the Sacramento Kings back on Saturday (Dec. 31). The team had to play without All-Star power forward Amare Stoudemire again, and at first it didn’t seem like it would hurt the team. The Knicks took a nice 23-22 lead at the end of the first quarter and it looked like a great game was brewing. The second quarter got out of control though, as Toronto out-scored the Knicks 29-11 in those 12 minutes alone.

Heading into halftime with a 17-point deficit to a team that won 22 games last year is not what Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni wanted to see, and at least the team put in more effort in the second half. The Knicks fought back to within one point with just 35 second left but couldn’t stop the Raptors when it mattered most. In the early Atlantic division standings, New York now falls behind Toronto by means of the head-to-head tie-breaker. This is definitely not where the team wanted to sit after five games in a shortened season.

Carmelo Anthony finished the game 13-for-31 from the field, often taking shots he wasn’t comfortable with just to get the offense going. Far too many times there were other players passing up shot opportunities and it seemed like Bill Walker was afraid to even take shots on Monday night (Jan. 2). I don’t blame Anthony at all for attempting 31 shots, but I would have liked him to make a couple more. He did finish with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists though, so fantasy basketball owners that have him had to come away happy from this game.

Next up for the 2-3 Knicks are the Charlotte Bobcats, who come to town on Wednesday (Jan. 4) for a 7:30 p.m. ET game.

More From YCN :

Knicks Beat Kings Without Stoudemire

Stoudemire Injures Ankle

No_Garnett_Suspension

New_York_Wins_Opener_Against_Boston

Baron_Davis_Comes_To_Knicks

Sources:

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

What are your opinions.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Date: Monday Jan. 2, 2012 7:56 AM ET

That’s all the news for today.

Published: Monday, January 2, 2012 at 7:08 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 2, 2012 at 7:08 a.m.

That’s all for today.

There is the quick update of the day.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—The Orlando Magic struggled during much of their game
against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, playing sloppily on offense and
failing to contain Andrea Bargnani at the rim.

But a 4-minute stretch in the fourth quarter made everything all better.

The Magic went on a late 16-0 run, led by the shooting of Ryan Anderson—
who finished with 24 points—to erase a double-digit deficit and defeat the
Raptors 102-96.

Orlando shot 4 for 5 from 3-point range during the burst, with Anderson
making two of them, as the Magic took a 94-89 lead with 3:05 left after trailing
by as many as 16 points.

“We sort of could’ve just given up, but we kept pushing through it,”
Anderson said. “This was huge for us.”

Dwight Howard had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Magic, who have won four
straight since a season-opening loss to Oklahoma City. J.J. Redick added 21
points and Hedo Turkoglu had 15 points and seven assists.

“I thought we played a great fourth quarter,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy
said. “Our intensity level went way up.”

Bargnani paced the Raptors with 28 points, and Jose Calderon had 18 points
and 13 assists.

It was the second consecutive late collapse by the Raptors, who also gave up
a second-half lead to Dallas on Friday.

“I don’t really have an explanation as to why this game got away,”
Calderon said. “It’s tough. It’s kind of like the same thing that happened with
Dallas. They’re two veteran teams. They know how to play in those moments. We’ve
got to learn from that.”

Bargnani, who scored only three of his 28 points in the fourth period, was
disappointed with his team’s showing.

“We really made the game for three quarters; we played good offense and
great defense,” he said. “But we didn’t play that way in the fourth quarter.
We played really bad.”

The Magic shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range and were 5 for 7 from long
range in the fourth quarter.

After the Raptors built another double-digit lead in the second half and
looked to be on their way to a road upset, the Magic shots began falling while
the Raptors’ offense stalled.

Turkoglu made a layup to cut the Raptors’ lead to 89-80, then Anderson and
Redick made 3-pointers. Howard converted a layup off a pass from Jameer Nelson,
followed by 3-pointers from Anderson and Turkoglu to force Toronto into a
timeout down 94-89.

The Raptors missed all five of their shots and committed three turnovers
during the run. They didn’t score between the 7:48 and 2:47 marks of the fourth
quarter.

“It was the defensive end of the floor,” Van Gundy said. “You’re not
going to come close to trading baskets and get back in the game, so you
obviously have to make plays at both ends. You have no margin for error. But
your defense has got to be great, and ours was going down the stretch. To be
down 11 going into the fourth and get that done, we played a great game in the
fourth quarter.”

The Raptors took a double-digit lead late in the first quarter behind some
strong shooting from Calderon and Bargnani. The Magic responded, going up 40-39
after a 12-2 run midway through the second quarter that included eight points
from Anderson.

Bargnani led all scorers with 19 points after two quarters of play.

NOTES: Nelson returned for the Magic after missing one game with a neck
spasm. He finished with nine points. … Toronto guard Jerryd Bayless didn’t
play because of a sprained ankle he sustained Friday against Dallas. There’s no
definite timetable for his return. … Calderon surpassed the 3,000-assist mark.
… Howard, who had 24 rebounds in each of the Magic’s past two games, was
attempting to become the first player with 24-plus rebounds in three consecutive
games since Dennis Rodman in November 1993. … Anderson, who is 21-for-45 (46.6
percent) from deep this season, leads the NBA in 3-pointers made and attempted.

Feel free to leave your comments below.