Kyle Lowry scored 30 points and dished out seven assists as the Toronto Raptors got vengeance after a sleepy-looking Christmas Day performance against this same Boston Celtics team, beating them 113-97 Saturday evening at TD Garden.
The Raptors hadn’t won in Boston since Dec. 9, 2016, when the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas and Cory Joseph were still on the team. Additionally, this improves the Raptors to 6-10 against teams with records .500 or above and 2-6 against the top-six teams in the Eastern Conference.
Those two records still don’t look great, but Saturday’s victory was a major step in the right direction to correct things there, and should absolutely be seen as one of Toronto’s signature wins this season.
Here are a few takeaways from a thrilling, statement Raptors win in Boston:
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Nurse makes the adjustment
The Raptors were eaten alive on the glass on Christmas Day, as Boston out-rebounding Toronto 45-34.
A major reason for this disparity was Celtics backup centre Enes Kanter, who finished with 11 rebounds and chipped in 12 points as he appeared to bully his Raptors counterpart, Chris Boucher. The Canadian was greatly overmatched by the superior strength and offensive guile in the post that Kanter possesses.
Given how banged up the Raptors are at the moment, the thought coming into Saturday’s game was that there weren’t many adjustments to be made, especially at the centre position. However, Raptors coach Nick Nurse found a tweak that basically won the game for Toronto.
As usual, since Marc Gasol was forced out of the lineup, Serge Ibaka started Saturday, but with 8:16 left to go in the first quarter, Ibaka was subbed out earlier than he normally would’ve to get Boucher into the game. This was a deliberate call by Nurse because about four minutes later, Kanter checked in and Nurse then was able to sub Ibaka in at the same time as him.
This proved to be a trend throughout the night as Nurse continually would match Kanter’s minutes with Ibaka’s, something that proved to be genius. Not only did the Raptors have a much better game on the glass overall Saturday – they crushed the Celtics 53-31 and Kanter only ended up grabbing six rebounds – it helped them greatly offensively as it meant Ibaka was matching up with Kanter.
Ibaka finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds Saturday, largely thanks to the steady diet of pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop he and partner Kyle Lowry were forcing Kanter – one of the NBA’s worst defenders in space – into, allowing Ibaka to feast and, therefore, limit Kanter’s impact on the game overall.
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Lowry continues to reign above everything
With 3:57 left to go in the first quarter, Nurse won a key challenge, overturning a call that would’ve earned Lowry his second foul on the evening, something he didn’t want to happen because the Raptors had jumped out to a fantastic start to the game, and Lowry was the catalyst for it.
Up to the point of that challenge, Lowry had nine points and three assists, an early indication that he, once again, might be on one that night. Nurse appeared to sense that and called a very early challenge to try to put money where his feelings were, so to speak.
The gamble paid off. Lowry ended up finishing the quarter with 11 points as the Raptors closed out the opening frame with a 36-25 lead and never looked back. Lowry exploded for 30 points, bringing his scoring average since Gasol, Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell went down with injuries to 26.4 per game.
Lowry has always risen in times of need for the Raptors. Saturday night – and this injury-plagued period in general – is no different.
McCaw better than you’ve likely ever seen him before
This is likely sounding like a broken record, but maybe – just maybe – Nurse is onto something with Patrick McCaw?
McCaw had, by far, his best game as a Raptor Saturday, finishing with a season-high 18 points – just one point off his career best – and a career-high eight assists.
Coming into Saturday, Nurse and the Raptors discussed how they wanted McCaw to be more aggressive looking for his shot and to get the ball in his hands a little more to initiate offence for others.
“It gets Kyle and Fred [VanVleet] into the shooting slots a little bit,” said Nurse Friday at practice of needing McCaw to have the ball in his hands a little more. “It’s a different rhythm and a different pace, usually.”
Added VanVleet: “Patrick’s very, very talented and I think sometimes he’s just a little too passive. Hopefully getting the ball in his hands, getting him more rhythm and getting him more reps, letting him feel the game out, he can get a feel for the game.”
McCaw listened to what was being said, and the Raptors were better because of it.
Canadian kids impress for Raptors
McCaw was the obvious feel-good storyline to take away from Saturday’s game, but the play of Canadians Boucher and, especially, Oshae Brissett was not to be overlooked.
The two combined for 10 points and 10 rebounds and in a game that saw two players foul out (Ibaka and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson). That meant Toronto’s frontcourt depth was severely tested and needed contributions from unlikely sources.
On Saturday, while we’ve come to expect relatively solid play from Boucher, that unsung hero was definitely Brissett.
Playing the most (and most significant) minutes of his young NBA career, the Toronto native was instrumental in the Raptors holding onto their lead with rock solid defence and tenaciousness on the glass when the Celtics were threatening.
This was only the seventh game Brissett managed to get into, but it’s clear he was ready, a testament to his own work ethic. You never know when your number is going to be called.
Overcoming a tough whistle
Lastly, let’s very quickly discuss the officiating Saturday night.
In short: It was uneven.
The Raptors had 32 personal fouls called against them to Boston’s 17, and saw the Celtics take 19 more free throws.
As mentioned before, Toronto had two players foul out, Hollis-Jefferson – who had four before halftime – and OG Anunoby, Ibaka had five and two more, Lowry and Brissett, picked up four.
Still, complaining about officials, as cathartic as it can be, is ultimately meaningless, especially in this case as the Raptors managed to rise above it all and come out looking every bit the defending champions they are.
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.
MacKenzie Weegar wasn’t bitter or upset as he watched friends live out their dreams.
The Calgary Flames defenceman just hopes to experience the same feeling one day. He also knows the road leading to that moment, if it does arrive, will likely be long and winding — much like his own path.
A seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers at the 2013 NHL draft, Weegar climbed the ranks to become an important piece of a roster that captured the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season club in 2021-22.
Two months later following a second-round playoff exit, he was traded to the Flames along with Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk. And less than two years after that, the Panthers were hoisting the Stanley Cup.
“Happy for the city and for the team,” Weegar said of Florida’s June victory over the Edmonton Oilers. “There was no bad taste in my mouth.”
His sole focus, he insists, is squarely on eventually getting the Flames to the same spot. The landscape, however, has changed drastically since Weegar committed to Calgary on an eight-year, US$50-million contract extension in October 2022.
Weegar has watched a list that includes goaltender Jacob Markstrom, defencemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov and forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane shipped out of town since the start of last season — largely for picks, prospects and young players as part of a rebuild.
Despite that exodus, he remains committed to the Calgary project steered by general manager Craig Conroy.
“It’s easy to get out of all whack when you see guys trying to leave or wanting new contracts,” the 30-year-old from Ottawa said at last week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “I just focus on where I am and where I want to be, and that’s Calgary.
“I believe in this team. The city has taken me in right away. I feel like I owe it to them to stick around and grind through these years and get a Stanley Cup.”
The hard-nosed blueliner certainly knows what it is to grind.
After winning the Memorial Cup alongside Nathan MacKinnon with the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013, Weegar toiled in the ECHL and American Hockey League for three seasons before making his NHL debut late in the 2016-17 campaign with the Panthers.
He would spend the next five years in South Florida as one of the players tasked with shifting an organizational culture that had experienced little success over the previous two decades.
“There’s always going to be a piece of my heart and loyalty to that team,” Weegar said. “But now I’m in a different situation … I compete against all 32 teams, not just Florida. There’s always a chip on my shoulder every single year.”
Weegar set career highs with 20 goals — eight was the most he had ever previously registered — and 52 points in 2023-24 as part of a breakout offensive performance.
“I think my buddies cared a lot more than I did,” he said with a smile. “All I hear is, ‘fantasy, fantasy, fantasy.'”
Weegar was actually more proud of his 200 blocked shots and 194 hits as he looks to help set a new Flames’ standard alongside Huberdeau, captain Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman and Rasmus Andersson for a franchise expected to have its new arena in time for the 2027-28 season.
“You have to build that culture and that belief in the locker room,” said Weegar, who pointed to 22-year-old centre Connor Zary as a player set to pop. “Those young guys are going to have to come into their own and be consistent every night … they’re the next generation.”
Weegar, however, isn’t punting on 2024-25. He pointed to the NHL’s parity and the fact a couple of teams surprise every season.
It’s the same approach that took him from the ECHL a decade ago to hockey’s premier pre-season event inside a swanky hotel on Sin City’s famed strip, where he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the game’s best.
“From the outside — media and even friends and family — the expectations are probably a bit lower,” Weegar said of Calgary’s outlook. “But there’s no reason to think that we can’t make playoffs and we can’t be a good team (with) that underdog mentality.
“You never know.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept 17, 2024.
Jose Maria Celestino da Costa was named vice-president and head of soccer operations while Marianne Brooks was appointed vice-president of partnerships, Kelly Shouldice as vice-president of brand and content and Joyce Sou as vice-president of finance and business operations.
The new six-team women’s pro league is set to kick off in April.
“Their unique expertise and leadership are crucial as we lay the foundation for not just a successful league in Canada, but one that stands among the top sports leagues in the world,” NSL president Christina Litz said in a statement. “By investing in top-tier talent and infrastructure, the Northern Super League is committed to creating a league that will elevate the game and set new standards for women’s professional soccer globally.”
Da Costa will oversee all on-field matters, including officiating. His resume includes stints with Estoril Praia, a men’s first-division team in Portugal, and the Portuguese Soccer Federation, where he helped develop the Portuguese women’s league.
Brooks spent a decade with Canucks Sports & Entertainment, working in “partnership sales and retention efforts” for the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, and Rogers Arena. Most recently, she served as senior director of account management at StellarAlgo, a software company that helps pro sports teams connect with their fans
Shouldice has worked for Corus Entertainment, the Canadian Football League, and most recently as vice-president of Content and Communications at True North Sports & Entertainment, where she managed original content as well as business and hockey communications.
Sou, who was involved in the league’s initial launch, will oversee financial planning, analysis and the league’s expansion strategy in her new role.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
