But they’ve already had their share of experiences against the Heat and in Miami, with Saturday’s night’s triple-overtime duel being the latest and craziest.
Kyle Lowry would have loved it. The character that he helped the Raptors foster was on full display as they grinded away, possession after possession, in a game that seemed like it might never end.
And the grit of the organization he left Toronto to join was evident as well, as Miami had answers at every turn, seemingly more comfortable the tougher and more tense it got.
And it got tough and tense.
But for the second time in less than two weeks, the Raptors were in South Beach and once again, the Heat were without Lowry, the former Raptors star who hand-picked Miami as the place the 16-year veteran could best contend for another title.
Lowry missed his seventh straight game with the only reason given being ‘personal reasons.’ It’s believed he’s at home in Philadelphia and the details have been kept private.
“I think it’s always really important to realize basketball is second, third, if not around that area on people’s list of importance,” said Heat star Jimmy Butler, who was a big factor in Lowry going to the Heat in free agency, said on Friday. “You’ve always got to make sure the family’s good. … I miss him. We all miss him. We want him and his family to be OK.”
It’s long been expected that Lowry wouldn’t travel to Toronto to play his old team on Feb. 1 given there won’t be fans allowed at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors likely won’t have a chance to face their old teammate until the Heat play in Toronto on April 3.
How Miami has performed in the absence of Lowry and other key players in their lineup justifies Lowry’s decision. How the Raptors performed without Lowry proved that his influence is still being felt.
Lowry would have loved every minute of it.
And there were oh, so many minutes. It was the longest Raptors game in a decade and the first time they’ve won in triple overtime since 1998.
And they made history in a way that’s fitting: In a season where the Raptors starters have been logging some massive minutes, it was the first time since 1954 that all five starters played more than 50 minutes in a game, with Fred VanVleet clocking in at 54, Pascal Siakam at 57 and everyone else in between. They played 275 in total.
The Raptors didn’t make substation for the last 19 minutes of the game.
“Eight a.m. practice tomorrow,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse joked after the marathon was finally over.
The Raptors finally ended it when Siakam coolly knocked down a pair of three throws with 9.8 seconds to play in the third overtime period to — at last — give Toronto the 124-120 win.
The Raptors had chances to win the game at the end of regulation — though they were able to secure the tie thanks to a pair of clutch free throws with 2.9 seconds left — and at the end of both overtime periods, but finally got some separation when VanVleet made a pair of triples early in the third extra period and Toronto was able to survive what was a five-point lead with 2:17 to play, the first time either team had a lead of more than three points since the 5:15 mark of the fourth quarter.
“We tried everybody, everybody had their shot, nobody could find it, myself included, we played a lot of good basketball and then we just couldn’t make a bucket,” said VanVleet, who shot just 7-of-22 from the floor, though made five of his 14 threes, to go with eight assists. “So everybody had their chance once and it came back around to me again. And by that point, I’m gonna shoot those and if I miss ‘em we lose, if I make ‘em we win. And I made a couple and we were able to win.”
The Raptors were led by Gary Trent Jr., who had 33 points — his third consecutive game of 30 or more — and five steals while Siakam was a force on both ends as he ended up with 21 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks and four steals.
The Heat were led by Jimmy Butler who had 37 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his 52 minutes as the Raptors otherwise held the Heat to 40 per cent shooting and forced them into 23 turnovers.
The Raptors improved to 24-23 while Miami fell to 32-18
It was a significant win for Toronto, even if Lowry wasn’t in the lineup for the Heat who are otherwise one of the deepest teams in the league.
The Heat are in first place in the East despite Butler, Lowry and Bam Adebayo missing a combined 54 starts through the first 50 games.
It’s a stretch to say they’re ‘plug-and-play’ but they do have a style, and more importantly, the depth required to remain competitive almost regardless of who is on the floor.
“It was nip and tuck and certainly could have went either way several times but we kept hanging in there and kept fighting and kept figuring it out,” said Nurse.
Leading the defensive charge was Siakam, his highlight being when he turned away Heat centre Adebayo twice at the rim with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter and the Heat leading by two.
“He’s been at an All-NBA level,” said VanVleet. “We’ll worry about the accolades later and however people choose to view him and the narrative that’s based around him. I’m watching him every day, I’m watching him in practice, I’m watching him in shootaround, I’m watching him in the games, he’s been at an All-NBA level for a while now. We’re gonna need him to continue to do that, he carries a huge load for our franchise and he takes a lot of heat when he doesn’t play well, that’s the way it goes, but he’s been playing at a really high level on both ends of the floor, we’re gonna need him to continue to do that.”
The Raptors’ energy was evident from the tip. It’s amazing what two days in the sunshine can do. It meant that VanVleet — who missed the Raptors last two games with a sore knee — was back in the lineup and generally, the Raptors seemed to have more bounce.
No one more than Trent Jr., who has picked up his rhythm after missing six games with a sore ankle. He was averaging 22.5 points a game and shooting 43 per cent from deep before he hit the ground running in the first quarter. He knocked down his first three and then mixed up his offence with some attacks on the rim when the Heat tried to run him off the line. His best play was when he came back hard and picked Adebayo’s pocket before taking it the other way for a lay-up. He finished the first quarter with 11 points and the Raptors were up 28-27.
His teammates joined the fight in the second quarter as Toronto sprinted out to a 23-9 run. If the Raptors could frame those eight minutes, they would. There was no point guard on the floor, but it didn’t matter. OG Anunoby and Scottie Barnes (22 points, nine rebounds) got things started with a pair of threes; Anunoby (20 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, three steals) made a steal and advanced the ball with a tough pass to a sprinting Precious Achiuwa, and then Dalano Banton got his six-foot-nine frame on the floor to pick up a loose ball.
That didn’t lead to a bucket, but when a flurry of Raptors blocked out the sun as Gabe Vincent was shooting, they turned the rebound into another Barnes three, another steal — Miami’s fourth turnover in as many minutes — led to another Raptors break and Toronto was up 11 on their way to a 15-point bulge.
But the Heat have one of the league’s most dominant players in Butler, and he wasn’t about to let Miami get blown out on their own floor. Butler scored 13 points — seven at the free-throw line — as the Heat finished the quarter on a 17-7 run that was punctuated by a dunk in transition by Adebayo set up by — you guessed it — Butler as Toronto’s lead was trimmed to 59-53 to start the second half.
All Butler needed was a little bit of help. It finally arrived late in the third quarter as the Heat got out on a 20-6 run that started late in the third quarter and picked up steam in early in the fourth when Max Strus — one of the lethal members of the Heat’s collection of three-point bombers — hit three straight threes to help pull Miami within two with 10 minutes left in regulation.
And that’s the way it stayed for the next 20 minutes. There were some questionable calls — a turnover for travelling by Anunoby near the end of regulation that looked like he’d been pushed by P.J. Tucker, but was more likely due to Anunoby catching the edge of his sneaker and his ankle buckling after the Heat had gone up two after Tucker hit a three that was set up by Butler.
The Raptors still had a chance to win at the end of regulation, only for Anunoby to miss a good look from three with six seconds left. But Barnes got his hands on the rebound, got fouled and made both free throws to force the first overtime.
It only got tenser from there, but the Raptors were up for it, and got the win and made some history along the way.
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.
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — Patton Kizzire ended a long victory drought Sunday in the Procore Championship, closing with a scrambling 2-under 70 for a tournament-record, five-stroke victory in the FedEx Cup Fall opener at Silverado Country Club.
Kizzire had gone 176 events without a victory after winning tournaments in Mexico and Hawaii in a two-month span in late 2017 and early 2018.
“I’m going to enjoy this win,” Kizzire said. “It’s just so sweet to get through the ups and downs. That’s life. You just got to stay positive. That’s what led me to here, to right now.”
The 38-year-old former Auburn player earned a PGA Tour card for the next two years after entering the event 132nd in the fight to earn a card with a top-125 finish in the standings. He also gets spots in the Masters and PGA Championship and The Sentry at Kapalua.
Kizzire finished at 20-under 268. On Sunday, he repeatedly misfired off the tee for a second consecutive day, but stayed steady with his approach shots and had three birdies, an eagle and three bogeys.
“I knew that it would be difficult not to get ahead of myself with a four-shot lead heading into today,” Kizzire said. “I wrote down in my yard book, ‘I am here, I I am now.’ Kept going back to that. That helped me be disciplined and stay present. That’s what really helped me come out on top.”
David Lipsky was second after a 71.
Patrick Fishburn (71) was third at 14 under. Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton, Ont. (72), Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont. (71) and Greyson Sigg (72) were another stroke back.
Sahith Theegala, the winner last year, closed with a 72 to tie for fifth at 12-under 276.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., finished tied for seventh at 12 under. He carded a 1 over on his final round. Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., finished tied for 13th at 9 under. He shot a 4 under Sunday. Roger Sloan of Calgary finished tied for 37th at 6 under.
Unlike in 2023 when Theegala was followed by a large gallery on his way to winning, Kizzire and Lipsky played the final round in front of a small crowd at the picturesque course in the heart of the Napa Valley wine country.
For the second straight day, Kizzire had to make up for his erratic tee shots. He missed 11 fairways and hit three drives into bunkers but got out of trouble and limited the damage each time.
Lipsky also had issues off the tee trying to battle winds that had been mostly absent for the first three rounds.
“It was really tough out there,” Lipsky said. “The wind was swirling and it was strong and the greens were so firm. Where they put some of those pins is really tough to get close.”
After Lipsky made birdies on Nos. 1 and 4 to get within two shots, Kizzire responded with an eagle on the par-5 fifth. Kizzire hit his second shot past the green, then holed a soft wedge shot coming back from 50 feet to get to 20 under.
Kizzire bogeyed No. 11 after another errant tee shot, while Lipsky birdied to get within two strokes again. Kizzire then made a birdie save after driving into a greenside bunker on No. 12, and had another birdie on No. 13.
Kizzire was ahead by five strokes after a birdie on No. 15, then missed a short par putt on No. 16. He had a chance to get the stroke back on No. 17, but pushed his putt to the right of the hole and settled for par.
