And in the case of the Toronto Raptors’ 117-111 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday evening, that certainly appeared to be the case.
“It’s a good win, on the back end of a back to back,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. “Again, it’s just wanting to see some progress with this group and figure some things out. I think the thing we figured out tonight was we didn’t have our best juices flowing, just no other way to say it than that, but it’s a long game and you hang in there and you figure out a way to get ‘em flowing.
“Then you start playing really good defensively. Again, it’s a learning thing and continue to make progress with this team.”
Led by another brilliant performance from Pascal Siakam, who has looked more like his old All-NBA self in his last four games, the Raptors managed to pull off a come-from-behind victory Wednesday after a sluggish first half on the second night of a back-to-back against a good Bucks team.
For the third straight game, Nurse opted to go with a starting five of Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Siakam, Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby.
Granted, three games isn’t much of a sample size, but considering how this season has gone for the Raptors, three contests in a row with the same starting five may as well be a trend.
In the past, Nurse has alluded to a more fluid, shuffled starting lineup according to the opponent, but considering that this smaller five-man unit – that came into Wednesday’s action a plus-10 in 66 minutes played together – was one that probably features the team’s five best players outright, it makes sense that Nurse would like to keep rolling with this group.
And as it turns out, it was the right decision.
This starting group was excellent yet again, combining for 102 points on 48.6 per cent shooting with Siakam leading the way with 33 points, five rebounds and six assists on 13-for-23 shooting.
However, no matter how brilliant the starters may play offensively, it means nothing if the team is unable to get stops and at least some production from its second unit.
Those two aspects of the game nearly sunk the Raptors on Wednesday, but thanks to some second-half adjustments, Toronto was able to walk away with a big win, extending their winning streak to four and improving their record to 18-17 on the season, the first time they’ve been above .500 since Nov. 11.
As well, the win moved the Raptors to within two games back of fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Bucks were without their best player, and former two-time MVP, in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was forced to miss the game with a non-COVID illness, but that doesn’t diminish the accomplishment the Raptors managed to achieve.
On the second night of a back-to-back and facing a very good Bucks team that are fighting for the top spot in the East – even without Antetokounmpo – this game had “expected loss” written all over it for the Raptors, and they simply didn’t allow that to happen, even if things didn’t start the way they wanted.
The Raptors allowed the Bucks to shoot 61.4 per cent from the field and go 13-for-21 from deep in the first half as they hung 77 points on the Raptors in the opening 24 minutes. To make matters worse, Toronto’s bench got severely outscored, 29-7, as only Chris Boucher (three points) and Justin Champagnie (four) scored among the Raptors reserves in the opening half.
Thankfully for the Raptors, they were nearly as hot as the Bucks were in the first half as they put up 68 points of their own, shooting 54.3 per cent from the field. And that strong first-half play was necessary for Toronto as it – as seen previously before this seen – turned things around completely in the second half.
Despite taking that comfortable 77-68 lead at the half, the Bucks squandered their big cushion as the Raptors went on a 7-0 run about five minutes into the third quarter to tie the game up at 85-85 that saw Siakam score five points alone during this spurt. A few minutes later, Siakam made a nice spin move along the base line and laid the ball up and in to give Toronto a lead, 87-86.
Toronto would grow this advantage afterwards to take a 92-88 lead into the fourth quarter as Siakam went off for 10 points in the frame.
More importantly, unlike the first half, the Raptors played a strong defensive quarter, holding the Bucks to just 11 points and 3-of-22 shooting from the floor.
And with this continued defensive momentum that kept up in the fourth quarter, along with continued strong play from Siakam, the Raptors were able to put the game to bed, even as things got a little dicey near the end.
“It was about as two different results defensively in a game that you can have, said Nurse. “I think the first half, when you start not doing some things well and most of it just usually stems from a readiness standpoint.
“We just weren’t running back hard enough to get set, weren’t quite getting out to shooters, we were kinda there, but not quite the way the game plan was set up. [We] just weren’t moving and active enough. There was plays right in front of us and we were kinda right there and could react very well and then it all changed. We got into them, we started getting some deflections, started swarming and flying, we started standing in more on their drives, rebounding well. We just started doing everything better and I think it just came down to some readiness and some energy that we found.”
More encouragingly, in the second half, the Raptors’ bench managed to outscore Milwaukee’s 8-5 and, most importantly, played some strong minutes on the defensive end, bringing lots of energy, with Precious Achiuwa’s six-point, five-rebound fourth quarter – that even saw him drill a three – standing out in particular.
“I thought his effort was great and I think that’s really all we’re asking,” said Nurse. “I think he’s going to make effective plays, he’s so big and athletic, if he’s amped up and playing hard, he’s going to impact the game.
“He was doing a little bit of everything and he throws in a big three. That was kind of a big momentum three there that kind of got us going, too.”
Ideally, you’d like the see the Raptors play a complete game, but showing guts on the road in a tough building to play against a very tough team – again, even without Antetokounmpo – on the second night of a back-to-back that saw the team’s All-NBA player look every bit the part, while the team’s starting unit, in general, looked like one of the best in the entire league the club put the clamps down in the second half to set up the win?
It’s hard to be anything but impressed.
Wednesday night’s Raptors victory isn’t like any of the 17 others the Raptors had earned before. This is a team that’s starting to learn what it takes to be successful.
“You learn that it’s a long game and you’re not always going to be at your best,” Nurse said. “You really want to, you gotta learn that this is a defence-first process and did a good job of not over-reacting to that first half.
“I thought we got into the locker room and I actually said, ‘We’re pretty fortunate, it’s a nine-point game, there’s a lot of ball to be played here, I think our offence is fine, we’re going to score.’ It’s just a matter of can we flip it around and start to do some of the things we need to do defensively and we did.”
So, could Wednesday be considered a signature win?
It just might.
More importantly, it was a win, and that seems to be something the Raptors are getting good at doing again.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
