Raptors set to open NBA season

TORONTO — Kyle Lowry is happy to be playing basketball for real.

Lowry leads the Toronto Raptors into their season opener today against the Indiana Pacers at the Air Canada Centre. And the veteran guard couldn’t be happier.

“[Training] camp has been over for me,” Lowry said with a chuckle following Tuesday’s practice. “We’re all just happy the season is here and everything really counts now.”

Toronto has won two straight home openers to stand 12-8 overall. The Raptors are 11-9 in season openers, having won their last two and three of their last four.

Toronto is coming off a bittersweet 2014-15 campaign. The Raptors captured their second straight Atlantic Division title with a team-record 49 wins and finished fourth overall in Eastern Conference.

But the promising regular season ended abruptly as Toronto was swept 4-0 by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs.

In the off-season, Toronto GM Masai Ujiri added the likes of DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph and Bismack Biyombo hoping to improve the team’s defence. But Lowry said defensive play has always been an emphasis under head coach Dwane Casey, who’s entering his fifth season.

“All the camps with Dwane Casey are always [about] defence,” Lowry said. “I think this was the same as before but we just put in a different type of scheme.”

Toronto hits the ground running with a busy week. After hosting Indiana, it visits the Boston Celtics — and former Raptor Amir Johnson — on Friday night before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

Casey said his biggest concern heading into the regular season is Toronto maintaining the intensity it had during the exhibition season, where it won five of its seven games.

“Just hoping our defence carries over from the pre-season, to make sure we maintain that edge,” he said.