Webster: Scrimmages games to look & feel like real games

The Toronto Raptors are less than a week away from returning to the court for their first competitive basketball game since March 9.

Though the game won't count in the standings, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster told Sportsnet's Tim and Sid the NBA wants the league's scrimmage games to "look and feel" like traditional games.

"We're all using this as kind of a test run for the regular season," Webster said. "Whether it's the cameras, the stat keepers, so we're going to use it as a real test game."

The Raptors will play their first scrimmage against the Houston Rockets on July 24 in what will be a 40 minute game with four 10-minute quarters, according to Webster.

After the opener, the next two games against Portland on July 26 and Phoenix on July 28 will be full 48-minute games, Webster said.

The team is hoping to be able to broadcast the games for fans, and Webster said Sportsnet — and presumably TSN — are working on a deal with the NBA to get that done.

"This is not Summer League," Webster said. "This is us getting ready to win another championship."

The Raptors will play their first seeding game on August 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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- Aaron Rose covers the Toronto Raptors and Canadian basketball for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronbenrose or on Facebook @AllRaptors.