The nine consecutive wins are a season high for the Raptors, who haven’t lost since Jan. 12 against San Antonio. They went 3-0 versus Cleveland this season to pick up the first sweep of the Cavs since 2000-01. And, more importantly, they improved to 34-14 on the season and solidified their hold on second place, getting head coach Nick Nurse closer to an all-star nod alongside Lowry and starter Pascal Siakam. Mike Budenholzer, coach of the first-place Bucks, is ineligible for this year’s game in Chicago because he was the coach a year ago. The Canadian connection: Brampton native Tristan Thompson suited up against his hometown Raptors for the 29th time in his career.

Source: thestar January 31, 2020 03:41 UTC