The high flying rookie DeMar DeRozan has been using his athleticism to make some plays for the Toronto Raptors this year.  DeRozan gets limited minutes, but he sure does make the most of them.  He has the ability to make an impact as soon as he steps on the floor and there aren’t too many players (if any) that can match his athleticism.  DeRozan is my favorite to win the NBA Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend, but see where he ranks amongst the other top rookies in my list of the Top Rookies in the NBA so far.

The Raptors didn’t play any D last night as the Bucks shot 52.5% from the floor and it did them in. Chris Bosh led the way for the Raptors last night with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists. Jarrett Jack got another start last night and he finished up with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. Sonny Weems pitched in with 12 points and 2 assists in only 19 minutes off the bench. The Raptors are now 10-14 on the year.

The Raptors only shot 32.1% from the floor last night but it didn’t matter. Chris Bosh led the way for the Raptors last night with 21 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Jarrett Jack got a rare start last night and he responded with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. Hedo Turkoglu pitched in with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists last night. The Raptors are now 10-13 on the year.

The Raptors dominated the Bulls tonight as they outrebounded them 53-32 and they led 87-58 after the first three quarters of the game. Chris Bosh led the way for the Raptors tonight with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Marco Belinelli had a good game off the bench for the Raptors tonight with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 23 minutes on the floor. Rasho Nesterovic pitched in with 12 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. The Raptors are now 9-13 on the year.

The Raptors held the Wizards to only 36.8% shooting from the floor last night and it really helped them in the end. Chris Bosh led the way for the Raptors last night with 31 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. Hedo Turkoglu also had a solid game with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Andrea Bargnani pitched in with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists last night. The Raptors are now 8-13 on the year.

Amir Johnson is providing toughness and rebounding off the bench for the Raptors so far this season. He has played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Raptors this season and he is averaging 17.4 minutes, 5.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He is shooting 64.1% from the floor this season which is better than he is shooting from the free throw line (61.5%). That means that a lot of his shots are coming from close range but that is o.k. as the Raptors are pleased with his play so far this season and Johnson does have a nice upside.

There was very little defense played last night between the Toronto Raptors (7-13) and Atlanta Hawks (13-5) last night, but the Raptors were blown out by the Hawks despite shooting 51% from the field and 63% from three point land.  The Raptors were very weak on the defensive end and did a terrible job rebounding the ball.  The Hawks out-rebounded them 51-29 and hit 59% of their shots.  DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists but they got almost nothing from star forward Chris Bosh.  Bosh only scored 2 points and only played 16 minutes, as he got into foul trouble early.  The Hawks had 9 different players in double figures and they embarrassed the Raptors last night.  The Raptors need to step up their defense and hit the glass hard, or they are going to continue to lose.

The Raptors were outscored 34-25 in the 4th quarter and it did them in last night. Chris Bosh led the way for the Raptors last night with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 2 assists. Andrea Bargnani also had a really good game with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 1 assist. Jose Calderon pitched in with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists last night. The Raptors are now 7-12 on the season.