Toronto Raptors to play pre-season games in Vancouver and Montreal

TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors will play pre-season games in Vancouver and Montreal in October.

The Raptors, who are coming off their first playoff appearance in six seasons, face the Sacramento Kings at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Oct. 5 and the New York Knicks at Bell Centre in Montreal on Oct. 24.

“We are honoured to play host to the Kings and Knicks as part of NBA Canada Series,” president and GM Masai Ujiri said in a release. “Coming off an exciting 2013-14 season, we look forward to continuing to build our fan base across Canada.”

This will be the Raptors’ second pre-season visit to Vancouver. They beat the Phoenix Suns, 129-78, in 2010 in front of a crowd of 18,123.

The Raptors and Knicks have played twice in front of capacity crowds of 22,114 at Bell Centre, in 2010 and 2012. The Raptors won both.

The Raptors have played pre-season games in 11 Canadian cities outside of Toronto since 1995.

Seven Canadian players have been drafted into the NBA in the past three years, with eight currently featured on NBA rosters.

News from © The Canadian Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.