Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet (23) talks with teammate Serge Ibaka (9) after Ibaka was called for a technical foul during the second half of an NBA conference semifinal playoff basketball game against the Boston Celtics, on Sept. 7, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press
The Toronto Raptors may not have a healthy Serge Ibaka when they face the Boston Celtics in a win-or-go-home Game 6 on Wednesday.
The Raptors centre arrived to his virtual media session with reporters on Tuesday wearing a walking boot on his left foot, saying he twisted the ankle in Monday night’s Game 5 loss. He said he was unsure about his status for Game 6.
“I will see how I wake up [Wednesday], because it’s different. When it happened last night, I felt like I could still play,” Ibaka said. “Then today, this morning, it changed a little bit. So let’s see [game day] when I wake up.”
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If Ibaka is limited – or can’t play it all – it’s a serious blow to the Raptors’ chances of staving off elimination in their roller-coaster best-of-seven series inside the NBA’s Orlando bubble. The defending NBA champions trail 3-2 after a lopsided 111-89 Monday night loss, in which they looked lethargic and struggled to score – other concerns the Raps must address before tip-off.
Others within the Raptors sounded optimistic that Ibaka will be in the lineup when his team battles to keep its season alive.
“Obviously we need him out there. I haven’t spoken to him about how he’s feeling or anything, but just knowing him personally I would be surprised if he wasn’t out there,” Fred VanVleet said on Tuesday. “Serge is probably the best I’ve ever seen at taking care of his body, recovering, following his routine. So hopefully he can get back feeling good today and be ready for us tomorrow.”
In this Eastern Conference semifinal series, Ibaka has averaged 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in 23.3 minutes off the bench. Through their nine playoff games, Ibaka has been the Raps’ leading rebounder with an average 8.2 for each contest.
Ibaka fell awkwardly under the basket early in Monday’s fourth quarter as the Raps tried to defend Brad Wanamaker driving to the hoop. The 30-year-old centre winced and grabbed at his foot while labouring to get up, but played for a few minutes longer. When head coach Nick Nurse subbed him out, cameras caught him leaving the gym for the training room.
“If he’s there, we’ll play him. I think there’s a good chance of that,” Nurse said of Ibaka. “If he’s not, then we’ll move on to the next guy, and see if we can get him ready to go.”
Nurse did not say for certain how the Raptors would fill Ibaka’s minutes if the big man from Republic of Congo is limited or can’t play at all.
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“I think we’ll certainly wait and see there. But just like always, we go to the next guy. Don’t know who that is yet,” Nurse said. “We’ve obviously played Chris Boucher some in this series. Could be Rondae [Hollis-Jefferson], could be somebody else, but we’ll just wait and see on that.”
It once again spotlights the need for more scoring from Raps starting centre Marc Gasol, who has averaged 5.4 points to go with his 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.4 blocked shots in 22.6 minutes in this series. Nurse said the coaching staff has discussed that with Gasol and highlighted for him in film study more chances to score.
“We don’t need a tonne. It’s not like we need 25 from him. But we need him to chip in with some, just because there’s opportunities there for him,” Nurse said. “Yeah, we certainly point ’em out, talk about ’em, show him on the film – just got out of the film session – and continue to encourage him and tell him those are shots he needs to take.”
The Raptors must solve the bizarre lack of energy they showed in two of the five games versus Boston. Unlike in a regular playoff series outside the bubble, they won’t get a spark from the crowd, or a change in city. Now the Raps also face the psychological twister associated with losing out in the bubble: the lure of getting to go home for the first time since mid-June.
“We know that we’re good enough to win and advance, but we’ve got to go out there and play and perform and prove it,” VanVleet said. “Can’t just rest on our laurels and feel like we’re a championship team. You’ve got to go out there and perform like one every night.”
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
