Odd result on Wednesday as the Raptors extend their win streak to three games for the first time since 2010 following a 99-78 win over the Sixers.

Tale of two halves: It went from a Philadelphia team that I’m still not convinced missed a shot in the first half to one that couldn’t find the ocean with a beach ball down the stretch.

The Sixers went from a team that dropped 31 points in the opening 12 minutes, to one that scored just 22 in final 24, which contributed to a floor ...

Last Time They Met: Raptors 62, Sixers 97

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Probable Starters

TOR – Jose Calderon (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), James Johnson (F), Andrea Bargnani (F), Aaron Gray (C)
PHI – Jrue Holiday (G), Evan Turner (G), Andre Iguodala (F), Elton Brand (F), Spencer Hawes (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jerryd Bayless – (partially torn left oblique muscle) – out, Gary Forbes (sore left knee) – out
PHI – Andre Iguodala (left eye contusion) – game-time decision.

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Probable Starters

TOR – Jose Calderon (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), James Johnson (F), Andrea Bargnani (F), Aaron Gray (C)
CHA – D.J. Augustin (G), Gerald Henderson (G), Reggie Williams (F), Byron Mullens (F), Bismack Biyombo (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jerryd Bayless – (partially torn left oblique muscle) – out
CHA – Corey Maggette (right Achilles tendon strain) – out

Last Time They Met: Raptors 103, Wizards 107

Last Time They Met: Raptors 108, Wizards 111 (OT)

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Probable Starters

TOR – Jose Calderon (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Linas Kleiza (F), Andrea Bargnani (F), Aaron Gray (C)
WAS – John Wall (G), Jordan Crawford (G), Chris Singleton (F), Trevor Booker (F), Nene (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jerryd Bayless – (left hip pointer) – out
WAS – Rashard Lewis (sore left knee)- out, Andray Blatche (conditioning)- out, Nene (plantar fasciitis, left foot)-day-to-day, Trevor Booker (plantar fasciitis, left foot)-day-to-day

On it’s surface it will look like a valiant effort fraught with inevitability. The plucky Raptors did pretty well to hang for as long as they did with the Heat, who simply won out on the backs of their three superior talents.

From a primacy and recency standpoint however, it was a frustrating effort as two solid quarters were bookended by backbreaking runs that put the Raptors in a big hole early and buried them late.

According to head coach Dwane Casey, those Miami surges weren’t mutually exclusive.

“My philosophy ...

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Probable Starters

TOR – Jose Calderon (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), Linas Kleiza (F), Andrea Bargnani (F), Aaron Gray (C).
MIA – Mario Chalmers (G), Dwyane Wade (G), LeBron James (F), Chris Bosh (F), Joel Anthony (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jerryd Bayless – (left hip pointer) – out, J. Johnson – Upper respiratory infection (day-to-day)
MIA – Mike Miller – (sprained right ankle)

Last Time They Met: Raptors 89, Heat 95

Some quick hits on a solid 105-96 win for the Raptors over the Nuggets at ACC on Wednesday.

Bargnani Back?: This was a resurgent effort for Andrea Bargnani with 26 points on 50 per cent shooting from the field. He was aggressive going to the rim early, which helped get him to the line 12 times on the night. He also surpassed 6,000 points for his NBA career by the second quarter, becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to do so.

His only 3-point makes of the night came during ...

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Probable Starters

TOR – Jose Calderon (G), DeMar DeRozan (G), James Johnson (F), Andrea Bargnani (F), Aaron Gray (C).
DEN – Ty Lawson (G), Aaron Afflalo (G), Wilson Chandler (F), Kenneth Faried (F), JaVale McGee (C)

Key Injuries

TOR – Jerryd Bayless – (left hip pointer) – out, DeMar DeRozan (left ankle injury) – day-to-day
DEN – Andre Miller – (right shoulder separation) – day-to-day, Danilo Gallinari (left thumb fracture) – day-to-day, Rudy Fernandez (low back strain) – out

Last Time They Met: Raptors 81, Nuggets 96

The Raptors’ search for consistency continues as Monday’s disappointing 117-101 blowout loss to the Orlando Magic comes hot on the heels of two of their finest consecutive efforts of the season.

Injuries? To be sure. But the absences of DeMar DeRozan and Jerryd Bayless weren’t an excuse Saturday when the Raptors pushed the league-leading Bulls to the limit in an overtime road loss. The Raptors even had Bayless back briefly for this one, with the guard putting up six points and four assists in a hurry before a flare up ...