Raptors defend Joseph, Carroll after casino visit

After the Toronto Raptors' Cory Joseph and DeMarre Carroll came under fire for visiting a casino in the very early morning before an eventual 116-78 Game 5 blowout at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, teammates have come to their defence.

The two were reportedly spotted in a downtown Cleveland casino with a large group just before 2 a.m., with the criticism being they should've been either resting or preparing for the pivotal game later that night with a chance to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

When asked about the situation Friday, several Raptors players questioned why it was even a story in the first place.

"I don't remember the last time I was in bed before 2:30, 3 o'clock," All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan said. "I was in my room at 4 a.m. watching 'Batman vs. Superman' (the other night). Is that a story?"

Head coach Dwane Casey didn't pay much attention to it either, knowing his players weren't getting into any trouble, and that they had security with them.

"It wasn't like they were drinking, partying at a club," Casey said. "That was not my concern. My concern was getting our butt kicked."

It's easy to imagine most NBA players being night owls as it pertains to their sleeping patterns. Joseph acknowledged that, while he went to bed late, he still got an acceptable amount of rest.

"I got 10-11 hours of sleep," Joseph said. "I didn't do anything different in my routine."

"Our clocks are different," point guard Kyle Lowry added. "They got plenty of rest I'm sure. They were prepared to play."

Joseph and Carroll were both non-factors on offense Thursday, combining for eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. Then again, the team as a whole provided next to nothing in that department, converting just 39.1 of their field-goal attempts, nailing 3-of-17 from deep, and missing 14 shots at the charity stripe.