Quite possibly the most important road trip of the Raptors season kicks off on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.  Unfortunately for the Raptors it isn’t with a match-up against the Clippers, its a date with the defending champion Lakers.

Having dropped to 6th in the East, and only 2 games up on 9th every game from here on out is that much more important. Nothing would help the Raptors more at this point than a surprise win against the Lakers, something that would definitely provide them with some much needed confidence.

In their only previous meeting this season, the Raptors were able to squeeze one out against the Lakers when Kobe Bryant just missed a buzzer-beater in front of a sold-out ACC crowd. In order to repeat the Raptors will need a much stronger effort than they put forth against the Sixers on Sunday.

As bad as the Raptors have looked, as of late, the Lakers haven’t looked much better.  Los Lakers still find themselves comfortably in the 1st seed of the Western Conference, but have lost 3 in a row -including a tight loss to the Magic on Sunday. Hopefully the Raptors can add to their woes, and help their chances at having a winning road-trip -something that we desperately need.

Tip-off is at 10:30PM EST. Be sure to check back on Raptors Rapture for post-game analysis. I will be at this game live and am more excited than a kid on Christmas. Go Raps Go!

Let me be the first to tell you -the Toronto Raptors are in trouble! Today’s 114-101 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers was just the exclamation point on that statement.

With the loss the Raptors dropped to 3 games over .500 and more importantly down to 6th place in the Eastern Conference. What makes this situation even more challenging is the daunting 4-game western road trip the Raptors have ahead of them -starting on Tuesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. One could only hope for a 2-2 record at best on this trip which features a stop in: LA, Sacramento, Golden State, & Portland.

In today’s depressing contest the Raptors were led in scoring by Jarrett Jack who put up 20 in an attempt to make-up for the lacklustre performances of both Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. The visiting Sixers were led powerfully by Thaddeus Young who put up 32 on 13 of 18 from the floor.

As mentioned earlier the Raptors next play on Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers.  I will have the pleasure of being at this game live, and will be sure to fill you all in on how much of an experience the Staples Center is. Be sure to check back on Raptors Rapture for a pre-game analysis.

Raptors Player of the Game

Reggie Evans – 10 points, 5 rebounds

Fans Perspective

I really hope the Raptors can right this ship sooner than later.  The last thing we want to see is them stumble into the playoffs, finish 7th or 8th and get smacked in 4. Anyways, I’m off to the Oscars (or at least as close as they will let me get), but Go Raps Go!

First things first. Chris Bosh is okay, and is expected to be in the line-up for the Toronto Raptors on Sunday afternoon.  This was confirmed by Raptors announcer Matt Devlin, news that I’m sure allows all Raptors fans to rest much easier.

His first game back features a divisional face-off with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors final game before a critical 4-game west coast trip. It is for this exact reason that tonight’s game is as much a must-win as Friday night’s meeting with the New York Knicks.

Due in large part to the resurgence of Elton Brand, the 76ers seemed to be on the right path as of late. However, despite his increased efforts the Sixers find themselves in the midst of a 5-game losing streak and 8.5 games back of the 8th and final playoff spot.

On Sunday afternoon, the Raptors will be looking to go back to 5 games over .500. No word is out as to whether Jose Calderon or Hedo Turkoglu will once again play through their injuries.

Tip-off is at 12PM EST. Be sure to check back on Raptors Rapture for post-game analysis. Go Raps Go!

Chris Bosh’s ankle is healed. Unfortunately, his stomach isn’t. Raptors fans had to sit through their seventh straight contest without their all-star and leader who was taken to hospital for further evaluation on his abnormal stomach pains.

Luckily for Raptors fans, the result was positive, a 102-96 win over the lowly New York Knicks -ending the recent Raptors slide. The Raps were lead by high-flyer Sonny Weems who poured in 20 points while pulling down 9 boards which earned him critical fourth quarter minutes. In a losing cause, the Knicks were led by David Lee who put up 23 while grabbing an astounding 18 rebounds.

The Raptors next play on Sunday afternoon when the Philadelphia 76ers come to the Air Canada Center. This contest will stand as another must win for the Raptors with or without Bosh as it is the last contest before a 4 game west-coast swing.

Raptors Player of the Game

Sonny Weems – 20 points, 9 rebounds

Fans Perspective

The win allows us to hold onto 5th for one more day.  If Bosh isn’t back for the west coast trip, I don’t think that position will still be possible.  Go Raps Go!

Side Note: I am currently out of town in Los Angeles and am limited to post my blogs on a public computer.  Unfortunately, these computers struggle with the posting of pictures so my entries will be pictureless until March 25th.

Fresh off a three day lay-off the Toronto Raptors will be back in action on Friday night when the New York Knicks come to Air Canada Centre. This will be the third of four meetings between the two clubs this season, the first to be held on Toronto’s home court.

The Raptors were victorious in both of their previous encounters, but the Raptors were also healthy.  Their is no guarantees on the availability of any Raptors just yet, but at the very least Chris Bosh is expected to be back and available -which is undoubtedly the greatest possible re-enforcement.

Their are some question marks in regards to the availability of: Hedo Turkoglu, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani -who missed practice on Wednesday due to illness.

This game is undoubtedly a must-win for the Raptors, especially if they hope to hold onto the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Tip-off is at 7PM EST. Be sure to check back on Raptors Rapture for post-game analysis.

Credit-nydailynews