Looking to shake up his team in the midst of a three-game losing streak, Nick Nurse hinted he would be considering some lineup changes.
Maybe it was time to see what rookie point guard Malachi Flynn might be able to contribute to a flailing second unit, or second-year wing Terence Davis, who has been a ghost in the early going.
The crisis, it seemed, was what to do in the minutes Kyle Lowry didn’t play — given that, heading into Toronto’s matchup with the New York Knicks, his team had been outscored by 40 points in the 33 minutes his veteran point had sat.
“I think that the big key is can I find the right combination of guys out there when he goes off or is there a tinkering I can do with who’s out there without him,” said Nurse. “Things like that are where I’m at with it right now. I think you’ll see more of that tonight, different combinations of lineup.”
Nurse didn’t mention the biggest lineup change of all: the decision to sit Pascal Siakam, who Nurse referred to as the team’s “closer” during the fifth-year wing’s struggles down the stretch of Toronto’s loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
At the end of that game, Siakam was seen walking off the floor and down the tunnel after fouling out with 26 seconds left to play.
It wasn’t a good look, especially from a franchise cornerstone. Nurse said he hadn’t seen it in the moment but that it would be addressed.
The moment was addressed emphatically earlier in the day on Thursday, according to sources, when Siakam was informed that he would be in street clothes against the Knicks as a disciplinary measure for his walk off, even as his teammates were looking for their first win of the season.
Whether it was a case of using a hammer to kill a fly, or an admirable example of an organization establishing expectations of behaviour even if it meant sitting one of their best players, might depend on where you sit.
But one way or the other, it worked out as the Raptors got their W with an encouraging 100-83 win over a competitive, young Knicks team to improve their record to 1-3 before they head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans Saturday night.
It was a strange New Year’s Eve, but a happy one.
Norman Powell got the start in Siakam’s place, as Nurse and the Raptors chose to emphasize rules and culture in the big picture even while playing what Kyle Lowry had referred to as a “must win.”
Powell was part of a three-man gang on the perimeter for the Raptors, as he scored a season-high 17 points on 13 shots while Fred VanVleet put up 25 points and seven assists and Lowry offered 20 and four.
The Raptors held the Knicks to 36 per cent shooting and were able to pull away in the fourth as Chris Boucher gave them a spark in the final quarter with a key triple and a fastbreak dunk. A VanVleet three was part of an 11-0 run that gave the Raptors a 14-point lead with 5:44 left that the Knicks couldn’t overcome. The Raptors’ cause was aided by the Knicks shooting 3-of-36 from three. Among the culprits was Knicks second-year forward RJ Barrett of Mississauga, who scored just 12 points and was 0-of-8 from deep against his hometown team.
His teammates’ showing gave Siakam lots to cheer about on the sidelines and he was active in doing so. If he was upset about being sat out he didn’t let it show. According a source, Siakam was frustrated at not being able to play and help his team, but understood the decision.
It was all in sharp contrast to the mood earlier, when the impression was that things were not all right. First-year Raptor Alex Len said that he could sense the tension as the team dealt with a rare three-game losing streak.
Nurse echoed the sentiment before the game: “They don’t like to lose. They’re invested in this thing and they don’t like the feeling that they’ve had, again, considering all three games we’ve held a double-digit lead and played very well in stretches.”
Whatever is to be made of the decision to sit Siakam, replacing him with Powell certainly seemed to pay off in the early going. Powell was shooting just 4-of-23 before he got the start. Maybe Nurse was hoping it would spark him, given that Powell averaged 18.7 points a game in 26 starts last year.
Powell knocked down his first three shots and had seven points before the game was four minutes old.
And the Raptors managed their minutes without Lowry reasonably well also. In the first quarter they only gave up a point in the two minutes Lowry was out, and in the second quarter broke four minutes — not that New York was all that impressed.
They came back from down seven in the second quarter to go into the half tied 42-42 as the young Knicks, coached by Tom Thibodeau, showed their defensive teeth and continued to get production in all aspects from Julius Randle, who had 13 points on seven shots even as the Raptors limited New York’s shooting as a team.
Regardless of the Siakam situation, Nurse was looking for solutions coming into the game and wasn’t shy about where he would look for them.
He gave significant minutes to Davis in the first half for the first time this season, which created the awkward spectacle of Davis – who is facing seven charges for an alleged domestic assault in the off-season – getting minutes in the absence of Siakam.
Not seeing the floor was the rookie Flynn or sharpshooter Matt Thomas, but Yuta Watanabe did make his Raptors debut. Then out of nowhere came 11 third-quarter points from Len, playing in place of Aron Baynes, who took a hard knock in a collision with Randle. Len spotted up for three corner triples and made them all. Those timely contributions and eight more third-quarter points from Powell allowed the Raptors to take a 71-64 lead into the fourth quarter and Toronto didn’t look back.
The longer-term question is what effect the unusual decision to sit out an all-NBA player will have on the relationship between Siakam and Nurse and the rest of the organization.
It certainly sets an unusual precedent. The only other comparable disciplinary action by the team during Masai Ujiri’s tenure running the team came when Serge Ibaka was suspended for one game on Dec. 29, 2017 after getting into an altercation with one of the team’s support staff on the bus following a road loss in Oklahoma City.
Siakam was not suspended – he doesn’t lose a game cheque – but it was still a significant gesture given what was clearly a moment of frustration for the 26-year-old, who is in the first year of a four-year maximum extension worth $136 million.
The team could have fined him or taken him out of the starting lineup or dealt with it behind closed doors or done nothing at all.
All would have been more common approaches. But as one source put it, the Raptors and Nurse chose to emphasize culture and rules, even potentially jeopardizing a much-needed early season win.
Would Lowry be treated the same way? It’s hard to imagine.
But Nurse made his call. He made a number of them, and the Raptors got a needed win and were able to make a point all in the same night.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby plans to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for at least three more years.
The Penguins announced on Monday that they re-signed the 37-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., to a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of US$8.7 million. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season.
Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1 with him entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million deal that carries an $8.7-million salary cap hit.
At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas last Monday, he said things were positive and he was optimistic about a deal getting done.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race.
Crosby has spent all 19 of his NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and 1,004 assists in 1,272 career games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
