It’s going to be a big weekend for basketball fans in Vancouver.
The Toronto Raptors will host Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers at Rogers Arena on Saturday, September 29th, 2018.
Pre-season games in B.C. have become an annual tradition for Canada’s only NBA team. Prior to hosting a game in Victoria last year, the Raptors played the Golden State Warriors inside Rogers Arena in 2016, the L.A. Clippers in 2015, and the Sacramento Kings in 2014.
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Fans will notice that this year’s Raptors squad looks very different than last year. After firing their head coach Dwane Casey, the team proceeded to trade away the face of the franchise.
In July, the Toronto Raptors sent DeMar DeRozan to the San to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi Leonard. Toronto also acquired Danny Green in the trade, while the Spurs got Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 protected first-round draft pick.
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It was a bold move by GM Masai Ujiri and one that may pay off for years to come. Leonard is easily a top-5 superstar in the NBA when he is healthy.
Now he has an entire country cheering him on.
Tickets for Saturday’s game are still available to purchase through Ticketmaster and StubHub.
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