Toronto Raptors Team Report - November 4

(Basketball News) - Chris Bosh scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Toronto to a 95-88 win over Houston at the Air Canada Centre. Jalen Rose added 17 points and Vince Carter had 16 for the Raptors, who won their season- opener for the third straight year.

Rafer Alston, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, added 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the win.

Toronto has won its last four home openers and is 5-5 all-time on opening night.

Sam Mitchell made his head coaching debut with Toronto after the team dismissed Kevin O’Neill at the end of last season. Mitchell, a former NBA player, spent the last two years as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. He also briefly served as the top assistant under Bernie Bickerstaff with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats.

The Raptors led 71-68 after three quarters, but scored the first five points of the fourth, capped by Donyell Marshall’s three-pointer, to make it an eight-point contest. Houston tried to stay close and it climbed within 78-74 on Yao Ming’s layup midway through the period.

Toronto then scored six of the next eight points, culminated by Bosh’s jumper, to claim an 84-76 advantage in the final minutes. The Rockets never got closer than five points again.

The Raptors continue their season-opening three-game homestand on Friday against the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons.

Last year, the Raptors dropped three of four to the Pistons and has dropped eight of 10 and nine of the last 12 matchups. Toronto has also lost seven of its last nine at home to Detroit.