Ninety seconds into Monday’s game against the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry readied himself at the free-throw line to boos from his transient “home” crowd in Tampa Bay. The 90% shooter missed. By the third quarter, when the Celtics had flipped a 13-point first-half deficit into a 23-point lead, calls for Boston’s seldom-used 7-foot-5 center Tacko Fall came from the 3,740 allowed in attendance.
“We’re going to be here in Tampa. It’s not our home,” Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said on a conference call after his 2019 NBA champions dropped to second from the bottom in the standings.