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Game Recap: Toronto Raptors vs. Atlanta Hawks – RaptorsHQ

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The Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks had played just over a week ago, a game that appeared to be a runaway for the Raptors in the fourth before a late push by the Hawks tightened the final score to 122-117.

Since then, both teams have seen their top players, Pascal Siakam and Trae Young respectively, recognized as All-Star starters. While they are even in that regard, these two teams are close in little else. Going into this one, the Raptors sat at 32-14, good for third in the East and in the midst of a seven-game win streak. For Atlanta, only the Golden State Warriors had a worse record in the NBA.

Unlike their last meeting, this game reflected that disparity and the Raptors out-executed the Hawks from top-to-bottom and finished the game winning 130-114 for their eighth straight. The Raptors took care of the ball, winning the turnover battle and losing it only 13 times while the Hawks coughed it up 18 times. They also took advantage of sloppy Hawks defense, constantly dissecting their opponent for easy buckets. The most notable part of this one, however, came when Kyle Lowry made another entry in the Raptors history books.

Lowry has spent this season cementing his status as the greatest Raptor of all time, based on his overall body of work with the team. It is fitting that the team’s record books start reflecting his greatness and productivity. In the fourth quarter, he threw a very Lowry-esque touchdown pass to Terence Davis, who had just slipped behind the defense and proceeded to catch the perfectly placed ball and finish with ease, giving Lowry his record setting 3771st assist with the Toronto Raptors.

Lowry then turned around and, clearly well aware of what he had just accomplished, flashed a genuine smile that showed how much he appreciated the moment. We’ve seen a similar smile a few times before, specifically when it was clear the Raptors would beat the Milwaukee Bucks and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals, and when he hit a half-court buzzer beater in game one of the 2016 Miami Heat series to send the game to overtime. In a sport when guys are often told to “act like they’ve been there before,” it’s nice to see a guy just enjoy and appreciate the moments where he simply has not been there before.

The tone leading up to the game made it clear that the NBA remains shaken from Kobe Bryant’s death, the tragic event that rocked the sports world on Sunday. Perhaps no person influences today’s players more so than Kobe, and the responses from the players have magnified the impact that he had. The number of players who have personal relationships with Bryant is astonishing and a testament to Bryant’s commitment to the game.

Norman Powell, who wears number 24 and is fresh off of a summer working with Kobe, wore a hoodie with “Kobe and Gigi” on the back with the infinity symbol under their names to the game – a tribute to the lasting legacy Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who were both killed in the crash. Trae Young, the point guard for the Atlanta Hawks, was Gianna’s favourite player, and was devastated by Sunday’s events. He had an outstanding game on Sunday following the news, which he dedicated to Bryant.

Following a video tribute to Kobe and a moment of silence, the game was underway.

The disparity between the two teams was obvious from the jump. Defensively, the Hawks simply did not look connected, and the Raptors preyed on their lapses with cuts and ball movement on their way to 33 first quarter points. Marc Gasol, typically one to set the table rather than finish, led the Raptors with ten first quarter points. He hit two threes, and following a pump fake, took a few Spanish Steps and threw down a rare Statue of Liberty dunk. Unfortunately, Gasol would later leave the game as a result of the same hamstring that bothered him earlier this season.

In their most recent matchup, Trae Young gave the Raptors fits en route to a 42 point performance. In the first half, they bottled him up effectively, limiting him to only six points. If not for a hot start for Hawks centre John Collins, who had 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 6-of-6 from the free throw line, the Raptors’ lead would be even larger. Still, at halftime, the Raptors were up 68-56. Although Collins would cool off, tacking on only eight more for the rest of the game, he still led the Hawks in scoring with 28.

Pascal Siakam entered the third quarter in attack-mode, and carried the momentum that he built in the Spurs game into this one. He made a concerted effort to get to the rim, and was successful, with all 12 of his third quarter points coming in shots in the restricted area or on free throws that resulted from his drives. The third was the last we would see of Siakam, though it was enough for him to lead the Raptors with 24 points. Even though Trae Young was able to match Siakam’s 12 in the frame, the Raptors grew their lead to 14 by the end of the third.

Unfortunately, it was this quarter where Marc Gasol left, aggravating the hamstring injury that he sustained back in December against the Pistons. The Raptors have not lost since Gasol’s return, and the statistics suggest this is no coincidence. The Raptors are vastly better with Gasol on the floor, and another extended absence would sting a Raptors team that was finally healthy.

The Raptors went on a dominant run to start the fourth quarter. That run included Lowry’s record-breaking assist, and it virtually put the game away for good. This time, the Hawks would not mount enough of a comeback to make this one close, and the Raptors were able to coast to the finish.

It was great to see Lowry get hold of a prestigious record, and we wish Marc Gasol a speedy recovery. Here’s to hoping the Raptors can maintain this momentum into their next one against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Ravens win fifth straight game by beating Bucs 41-31

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.

The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.

Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.

Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.

The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.

Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.

Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.

It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.

Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.

Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.

It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.

Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Struggling Whitecaps, Timbers set to meet in MLS wild-card matchup

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.

With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.

The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.

The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.

An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”

Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.

There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.

“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.

Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.

“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”

Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.

“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.

“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”

The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).

The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.

Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).

The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.

To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.

“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”

A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.

The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.

“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)

Wednesday, Providence Park

HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.

ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.

POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

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No rugby, field hockey, badminton, triathlon or cricket at leaner 2026 Commonwealth Games

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.

Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.

The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.

There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.

The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.

It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.

“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.

Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.

More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.

The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”

Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.

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