| 2018–19 Toronto Raptors season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
NBA champions | |||
Conference champions | |||
Division champions | |||
| Head coach | Nick Nurse | ||
| President | Masai Ujiri | ||
| General manager | Bobby Webster | ||
| Owners | Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment | ||
| Arena | Scotiabank Arena | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 58–24 (.707) | ||
| Place | Division: 1st (Atlantic) Conference: 2nd (Eastern) | ||
| Playoff finish | NBA champions (DefeatedWarriors 4–2) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | TSN Sportsnet CTV (NBA Playoffs) CTV2 (NBA Finals) Citytv (NBA Finals) RDS (in French) | ||
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The2018–19Toronto Raptors season was the24th season of the franchise in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). During the off-season, the Raptors acquiredsmall forwardKawhi Leonard from theSan Antonio Spurs after trading franchise starDeMar DeRozan. The season ended with the franchise's firstNBA Finals appearance and firstNBA championship, ending the City ofToronto's 26-year championship drought if not countingToronto FC’s2017MLS championship orToronto Argonauts multipleGrey Cup Championships. The Raptors were one of two teams to have an offense and defensive rating that both ranked in the top 5 of the NBA.
On May 11, 2018, the Raptors firedDwane Casey after the team was swept by theCleveland Cavaliersfor the second consecutive time in the postseason.[1] On June 14, the Raptors promoted assistant coachNick Nurse as their head coach.[2] The Raptors played their home games at newly renamedScotiabank Arena.[3] For the first time since2008–09,DeMar DeRozan (who spent his first nine seasons in the NBA with the Raptors) did not play for the Raptors, as he was traded, along withJakob Poeltl and a protected2019 first-round draft pick, to theSan Antonio Spurs forKawhi Leonard andDanny Green. Later, on February 7, 2019, at the trade deadline, theMemphis Grizzlies tradedMarc Gasol to the Raptors forJonas Valančiūnas,Delon Wright andC. J. Miles. The Raptors later signedJeremy Lin.
The Raptors finished the regular season with a 58–24 record, one less win than theirfranchise best the previous season, second best in the league for the second consecutive season, earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They also won their fifth Atlantic Division title in six years.
In the playoffs, the Raptors defeated theOrlando Magic in five games in the first round. They edged thePhiladelphia 76ers in seven games in the semifinals to make their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since2016, withKawhi Leonard's buzzer-beater overJoel Embiid, giving the Raptors a 92–90 victory in the series-clinching game 7. The series was a rematch of the2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where theAllen Iverson-led76ers defeated theVince Carter-ledRaptors in seven games. The Raptors defeated theMilwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals 4–2, winning the last four games of the series after being down 0–2 to become the sixth team to overcome that deficit. They won the Finals against the two-time defending NBA championGolden State Warriors, also the first NBA Finals series that was played outside the United States. They beat the Warriors 4–2, becoming the first non-US team to win the NBA title.[4]
The Raptors were the firstAtlantic Division team since the2007–08 Boston Celtics and the firstEastern Conference team since the2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers to win the championship. Before their victory, the Atlantic Division had had the second-longest title drought in the league. This was the first championship by a Toronto-based team in one of themajor professional sports league since theToronto Blue Jays won the1993 World Series, excludingToronto FC’s2017MLS championship and theToronto Argonauts multipleGrey Cup championships. This was also the first major championship for a Canadian-based team since the Blue Jays World Series championship in 1993, which came less than 5 months after theMontreal Canadiens won the1993 Stanley Cup.[5][6]
The Raptors did not have a pick in the2018 NBA draft. They had previously traded their selections to theBrooklyn Nets, who ended up draftingDžanan Musa, and to thePhoenix Suns, who ended up draftingGeorge King.
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
| Atlantic Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y –Toronto Raptors | 58 | 24 | .707 | – | 32–9 | 26–15 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x –Philadelphia 76ers | 51 | 31 | .622 | 7.0 | 31–10 | 20–21 | 8–8 | 82 |
| x –Boston Celtics | 49 | 33 | .598 | 9.0 | 28–13 | 21–20 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x –Brooklyn Nets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 16.0 | 23–18 | 19–22 | 8–8 | 82 |
| New York Knicks | 17 | 65 | .207 | 41.0 | 9–32 | 8–33 | 2–14 | 82 |
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z –Milwaukee Bucks * | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y –Toronto Raptors * | 58 | 24 | .707 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x –Philadelphia 76ers | 51 | 31 | .622 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x –Boston Celtics | 49 | 33 | .598 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x –Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x –Brooklyn Nets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 7 | y –Orlando Magic * | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x –Detroit Pistons | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 39 | 43 | .476 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Washington Wizards | 32 | 50 | .390 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Atlanta Hawks | 29 | 53 | .354 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Chicago Bulls | 22 | 60 | .268 | 38.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 19 | 63 | .232 | 41.0 | 82 |
| 15 | New York Knicks | 17 | 65 | .207 | 43.0 | 82 |
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Division | Northwest Division | ||||||
| Team | Home | Away | Team | Home | Away | ||
| Boston | 113–101 | 118–95 | 116–123* | 108–117 | Denver | 103–106 | 86–95 |
| Brooklyn | 122–105 | 127–125 | 105–106* | 115–105 | Minnesota | 112–105 | 120–100 |
| New York | 128–112 | 128–92 | 104–99 | 117–92 | Oklahoma City | 109–116 | 123–114* |
| Philadelphia | 129–112 | 113–102 | 101–126 | 119–107 | Portland | 119–117 | 122–128 |
| Utah | 122–116 | 124–111 | |||||
| 8–0 | 4–4 | 3–2 | 3–2 | ||||
| Division | 12–4 | Division | 6–4 | ||||
| Central Division | Pacific Division | ||||||
| Team | Home | Away | Team | Home | Away | ||
| Chicago | 95–89 | 112–103 | 122–83 | 124–101 | Golden State | 131–128* | 113–93 |
| Cleveland | 116–104 | 126–110 | 106–95 | 101–126 | L.A. Clippers | 121–103 | 123–99 |
| Detroit | 104–106 | 107–112* | 107–110 | L.A. Lakers | 111–98 | 121–107 | |
| Indiana | 99–96 | 121–105 | 106–110 | Phoenix | 111–109 | 107–98 | |
| Milwaukee | 99–104 | 92–105 | 109–124 | 123–116 | Sacramento | 120–105 | 114–105 |
| 6–3 | 4–5 | 5–0 | 5–0 | ||||
| Division | 10–8 | Division | 10–0 | ||||
| Southeast Division | Southwest Division | ||||||
| Team | Home | Away | Team | Home | Away | ||
| Atlanta | 104–101 | 124–108 | 119–101 | Dallas | 116–107 | 123–120 | |
| Charlotte | 127–106 | 114–115 | 111–113 | Houston | 95–107 | 119–121 | |
| Miami | 125–115 | 117–109* | 106–104 | 125–104 | Memphis | 119–90 | 122–114 |
| Orlando | 98–113 | 121–109 | 93–91 | 87–116 | New Orleans | 110–126 | 127–104 |
| Washington | 125–107 | 129–120 | 117–113 | 140–138** | San Antonio | 120–117 | 107–125 |
| 7–2 | 7–2 | 3–2 | 3–2 | ||||
| Division | 14–4 | Division | 6–4 | ||||
| Conference | 36–16 (Home: 21–5; Away: 15–11) | Conference | 22–8 (Home: 11–4; Away: 11–4) | ||||
| Overall | 58–24 (Home: 32–9; Away: 26–15) | ||||||
(* game decided in overtime)
| 2018 pre-season game log Total: 4–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–19 game log Total: 58–24 (Home: 32–9; Road: 26–15) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 7–1 (home: 6–0; road: 1–1)
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November: 12–3 (home: 4–2; road: 8–1)
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December: 8–7 (home: 4–2; road: 4–5)
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January: 10–5 (home: 7–1; road: 3–4)
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February: 8–1 (home: 5–1; road: 3–0)
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March: 9–6 (home: 4–3; road: 5–3)
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April: 4–1 (home: 2–0; road: 2–1)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
see also2019 NBA Playoffs and2019 NBA Finals
| 2019 playoff game log Total: 16–8 (Home: 9–4; Road: 7–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
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Conference Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
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NBA Finals: 4–2 (home: 1–2; road: 3–0)
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| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Green | SG | 80 | 80 | 2,216 | 317 | 126 | 73 | 53 | 821 | 27.7 | 4.0 | 1.6 | .9 | .7 | 10.3 |
| Pascal Siakam | PF | 80 | 79 | 2,548 | 549 | 248 | 73 | 52 | 1,354 | 31.9 | 6.9 | 3.1 | .9 | .7 | 16.9 |
| Serge Ibaka | C | 74 | 51 | 2,010 | 601 | 99 | 29 | 103 | 1,112 | 27.2 | 8.1 | 1.3 | .4 | 1.4 | 15.0 |
| OG Anunoby | SF | 67 | 6 | 1,352 | 197 | 47 | 46 | 22 | 469 | 20.2 | 2.9 | .7 | .7 | .3 | 7.0 |
| Kyle Lowry | PG | 65 | 65 | 2,213 | 312 | 564 | 91 | 31 | 926 | 34.0 | 4.8 | 8.7 | 1.4 | .5 | 14.2 |
| Fred VanVleet | PG | 64 | 28 | 1,760 | 167 | 307 | 57 | 20 | 701 | 27.5 | 2.6 | 4.8 | .9 | .3 | 11.0 |
| Kawhi Leonard | SF | 60 | 60 | 2,040 | 439 | 199 | 106 | 24 | 1,596 | 34.0 | 7.3 | 3.3 | 1.8 | .4 | 26.6 |
| Norman Powell | SG | 60 | 3 | 1,126 | 139 | 91 | 39 | 13 | 516 | 18.8 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .7 | .2 | 8.6 |
| Delon Wright† | PG | 49 | 2 | 897 | 125 | 110 | 46 | 15 | 337 | 18.3 | 2.6 | 2.2 | .9 | .3 | 6.9 |
| C. J. Miles† | SF | 40 | 1 | 562 | 68 | 22 | 18 | 10 | 218 | 14.1 | 1.7 | .6 | .5 | .3 | 5.5 |
| Greg Monroe† | C | 38 | 2 | 423 | 156 | 16 | 13 | 8 | 183 | 11.1 | 4.1 | .4 | .3 | .2 | 4.8 |
| Jonas Valančiūnas† | C | 30 | 10 | 564 | 216 | 29 | 13 | 23 | 384 | 18.8 | 7.2 | 1.0 | .4 | .8 | 12.8 |
| Chris Boucher | PF | 28 | 0 | 163 | 56 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 93 | 5.8 | 2.0 | .1 | .2 | .9 | 3.3 |
| Marc Gasol† | C | 26 | 19 | 648 | 172 | 101 | 24 | 23 | 237 | 24.9 | 6.6 | 3.9 | .9 | .9 | 9.1 |
| Patrick McCaw† | SG | 26 | 1 | 344 | 45 | 27 | 21 | 2 | 69 | 13.2 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .8 | .1 | 2.7 |
| Lorenzo Brown | PG | 26 | 0 | 212 | 31 | 28 | 12 | 5 | 55 | 8.2 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .5 | .2 | 2.1 |
| Jeremy Lin† | PG | 23 | 3 | 433 | 60 | 50 | 9 | 6 | 161 | 18.8 | 2.6 | 2.2 | .4 | .3 | 7.0 |
| Malachi Richardson | SG | 22 | 0 | 103 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 4.7 | .6 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.4 |
| Jordan Loyd | PG | 12 | 0 | 55 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 4.6 | .8 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 2.4 |
| Malcolm Miller | SF | 10 | 0 | 67 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 6.7 | .5 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 3.5 |
| Jodie Meeks | SG | 8 | 0 | 104 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 13.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .1 | .1 | 6.4 |
| Eric Moreland† | PF | 4 | 0 | 38 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9.5 | 4.3 | 1.0 | .3 | .3 | 1.8 |
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawhi Leonard | SF | 24 | 24 | 939 | 218 | 94 | 40 | 17 | 732 | 39.1 | 9.1 | 3.9 | 1.7 | .7 | 30.5 |
| Kyle Lowry | PG | 24 | 24 | 901 | 117 | 159 | 31 | 7 | 361 | 37.5 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 1.3 | .3 | 15.0 |
| Pascal Siakam | PF | 24 | 24 | 891 | 171 | 66 | 24 | 17 | 455 | 37.1 | 7.1 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .7 | 19.0 |
| Marc Gasol | C | 24 | 24 | 735 | 154 | 73 | 21 | 26 | 226 | 30.6 | 6.4 | 3.0 | .9 | 1.1 | 9.4 |
| Danny Green | SG | 24 | 24 | 684 | 87 | 26 | 32 | 11 | 166 | 28.5 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 1.3 | .5 | 6.9 |
| Fred VanVleet | PG | 24 | 0 | 592 | 40 | 62 | 18 | 6 | 192 | 24.7 | 1.7 | 2.6 | .8 | .3 | 8.0 |
| Serge Ibaka | C | 24 | 0 | 500 | 143 | 22 | 11 | 23 | 225 | 20.8 | 6.0 | .9 | .5 | 1.0 | 9.4 |
| Norman Powell | SG | 23 | 0 | 366 | 51 | 26 | 9 | 0 | 150 | 15.9 | 2.2 | 1.1 | .4 | .0 | 6.5 |
| Jodie Meeks | SG | 14 | 0 | 66 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 4.7 | .6 | .1 | .3 | .1 | 1.6 |
| Patrick McCaw | SG | 11 | 0 | 48 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4.4 | .3 | .4 | .2 | .0 | .5 |
| Malcolm Miller | SF | 10 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2.8 | .5 | .1 | .0 | .1 | .8 |
| Eric Moreland | PF | 8 | 0 | 28 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 | 1.8 | .4 | .0 | .0 | .3 |
| Jeremy Lin | PG | 8 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3.4 | .4 | .5 | .1 | .0 | 1.1 |
| Chris Boucher | PF | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .5 | 2.5 |
| July 18, 2018[7] | ToToronto Raptors Kawhi Leonard Danny Green | ToSan Antonio Spurs DeMar DeRozan Jakob Pöltl 2019 protected Toronto first-round pick |
| February 6, 2019[8] | ToToronto Raptors Cash considerations | ToPhiladelphia 76ers Malachi Richardson Draft rights toEmir Preldžić 2022 second-round pick |
| February 7, 2019[9][10] | ToToronto Raptors Marc Gasol | ToMemphis Grizzlies Jonas Valančiūnas Delon Wright CJ Miles 2024 second-round draft pick |
| ToToronto Raptors Cash considerations | ToBrooklyn Nets Greg Monroe 2021 second-round draft pick |
| Player | Signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| Fred VanVleet[11] | July 6, 2018 | 2-yr/$18.1M |
| Lorenzo Brown[12] | July 20, 2018 | 1-yr/$1.62M |
| Player | Signed | Contract | Former team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boucher[12] | July 20, 2018 | Two-way contract | Golden State Warriors |
| Jordan Loyd[13] | August 7, 2018 | Two-way contract |  Darüşşafaka |
| Greg Monroe[14] | August 10, 2018 | 1-yr/$2.2M | Boston Celtics |
| Jeremy Lin[15] | February 13, 2019 | $697,000[16] | Atlanta Hawks |
| Player | Reason | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Alfonzo McKinnie[17] | Waived | Golden State Warriors |
| Lucas Nogueira | Unrestricted Free Agent | Baloncesto Fuenlabrada |
| Kay Felder[18] | Waived | Raptors 905 |
| Deng Adel[18] | Waived | Raptors 905 |
| Kyle Collinsworth[18] | Waived | Raptors 905 |
| Eric Moreland[18] | Waived | Phoenix Suns |
| Malcolm Miller | Waived | Raptors 905 |
| Player | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pascal Siakam | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | November 12, 2018 | [19] |
| Nick Nurse | Eastern Conference Coach of the Month (November) | December 2, 2018 | [20] |
| Kawhi Leonard | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | December 3, 2018 | [21] |
| Kawhi Leonard | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | January 14, 2019 | [22] |
| Kawhi Leonard | NBA All-Star starter (3rd appearance) | January 24, 2019 | [23] |
| Kyle Lowry | NBA All-Star reserve (5th appearance) | January 31, 2019 | [24] |
| Kawhi Leonard | All-Defensive Second Team | May 22, 2019 | [25] |
| Kawhi Leonard | All-NBA Second Team | May 23, 2019 | [26] |
| Kawhi Leonard | NBA Finals MVP | June 14, 2019 | [27] |
| Pascal Siakam | NBA Most Improved Player | June 25, 2019 | [28] |
