Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors’ 118-104 to the Detroit Pistons.
One — Empty: There are only two outcomes when you tune into a Raptors game. They either battle hard but come up short in some new and bitter way, or they are just completely gassed and get blown out in shameless fashion. Toronto’s three losses to the Pistons over the last month covers the entire spectrum from depressing to despondent. This entire season is lost, and the players know it. Having received no help whatsoever from the front office in the offseason and again at the trade deadline, the message was to roll over and tank, and you’re witnessing what that looks like.
Two — Angst: You know things are bad when even “Steady Freddy” is flipping out. Fred VanVleet was the only one keeping the Raptors afloat early on, sinking deep threes, slashing into the paint for kickout threes, and even converting a few difficult layups, but nobody joined in. The deficit grew to 21 points midway through the second quarter, and VanVleet couldn’t resist kicking the stanchion out of disgust. VanVleet tried his best to will the team back to life, but it mostly resulted in bricked layups and a jammed right knee. VanVleet taking twice as many shots as any other player is a huge red flag that things are broken, because that’s not his game at all.
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Three — Lost: It was a miserable night for Pascal Siakam, who battled foul trouble all night and couldn’t get anything easy to drop. Siakam picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter, and while he scored a pair of tough layups over the Pistons’ rookie center, it had absolutely no impact on the outcome of the game. Siakam isn’t always going to dominate, especially against beefy frontlines like the Pistons, but he also can’t completely bottom out like this. The Raptors are short enough as it is, and without Siakam they have nobody who can impact the rim. It’s not like there is someone off the bench who can even give you a fraction of what Siakam is paid to do.
Four — Hurt: Kyle Lowry was held to only 24 minutes and he might as well not played at all. Lowry clearly wasn’t fit, and what sense is there to ride a 35-year-old on a lingering foot injury? That reeks of desperation more than anything else. It’s not as if the result will be any different if he guts it out, and if he sits that opens more reps for rookie Malachi Flynn to find his footing. It’s not entirely clear why Lowry is still on the roster to begin with. The front office made three sell-now trades, but stopped short with their most valuable piece. And while the trade market obviously fell short of the Raptors’ expectations, there is even less value in making Lowry suffer through this lost year.
Five — Trying: OG Anunoby is trying his best to expand his game to meet the Raptors’ needs. It’s not really in is game to be a featured scorer, yet Anunoby is calling for the ball and trying to make something happen. These reps will help his development in the long run, and it’s worth suffering through his pubescent awkwardness to get the fully actualized version of Anunoby in a few seasons. One small improvement from yesterday was Anunoby choosing a short pull-up while driving against Mason Plumlee instead of forcing it against a bigger center as he did against Jusuf Nurkic on Sunday. Half of being a good offensive creator is to make the right reads on a consistent basis, and that requires repetitions to develop.
Six — Encouraging: Gary Trent Jr. had his most promising game since arriving at the trade deadline. It’s clear that he’s learning how to play within the team, and that the team is also learning how to play with him, but the skillset is there. Trent Jr. nailed two threes to start, which got him going, and he found ways to contribute over the rest of the night. Trent Jr.’s best play was on a cut to the basket, where he received the pass and whipped his body in a full rotation while hitting Anunoby in the corner with the extra pass before landing on his jump. He’s a smart role player who will slot in fine when things are right with the team.
Seven — Regress: It’s disappointing to watch Chris Boucher regress after such a brilliant start to his breakout year. He wasn’t going to score 20 points every night or block every three in the state of Florida, but the Raptors don’t need him to be a star. What the Raptors have needed more than anything this season is a solid defensive center who can contest shots without fouling while also collecting misses, and on both fronts Boucher has failed. Slotting him in as a power forward isn’t so bad if Aron Baynes and Stanley Johnson weren’t the other options at center, but some of this is also on Boucher. He is the only player who is consistently singled out by coaches and fellow teammates for his defensive gaffs, and these interactions are caught on the broadcast at least once per game.
Eight — Pop: It won’t change the outcome of these games, but Yuta Watanabe needs to see the floor more often just on the simple fact that he plays harder than anyone and because he is always active in rebounding, which is a huge weakness for the team. Watanabe’s minutes have been hard to come by since Boucher made the switch to power forward, and he’s too unwilling to shoot which makes him a liability offensively, but he deserves another shot. Nurse’s preference has been to deploy Aron Baynes for his bulk, but given the choice between Baynes’ inactivity and Watanabe’s hyperactivity, there isn’t much of a difference.
Nine — Weakness: The Raptors cannot be taken seriously until the front office signs a starting-level center. Even if it’s just a temporary option with a veteran stopping by on a buyout, every little bit will help. It’s not fair to ask Siakam and Anunoby to grapple with centers who are often 20 or 30 pounds heavier than them, and it’s a bad move long term to have two of the most important development pieces to be playing out of position. The fact that the defense falls apart when the two fill-in centers check out speaks volumes about just how dire the center position actually is.
Ten — Unacceptable: You could sympathize with the Raptors for being down on themselves this season given all the circumstances that have cut against them, but it’s still not an excuse for being checked out. Look at the Pistons — they’re in the second year of a rebuild and hold the second-worst record in the league, but they still battled as if they were in a playoff chase. There’s no excuse for not playing hard, not competing, not being focused, and for not executing the basics. There is a standard of professionalism that needs to always be maintained, and too many times the Raptors have failed to meet it this season.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
