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NBA releases seeding games schedule, Raptors to face Lakers first – Sportsnet.ca

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The NBA released the full schedule for the seeding games of its return-to-play plan on Friday, and when the league does return from its COVID-19-induced pause, the Toronto Raptors‘ first opponent will be the Los Angeles Lakers on Aug. 1.

After facing the Lakers, Toronto’s schedule for its remaining seven seeding games will unfold as follows:

• Game 2: Miami Heat, Aug. 3

• Game 3: Orlando Magic, Aug. 5

• Game 4: Boston Celtics, Aug. 7

• Game 5: Memphis Grizzlies, Aug. 9

• Game 6: Milwaukee Bucks, Aug. 10

• Game 7: Philadelphia 76ers, Aug. 12

• Game 8: Denver Nuggets, Aug. 14

The NBA plans to return to action on July 30 after it was forced to suspend the 2019-20 campaign on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under this format for the restart, the 22 participating teams will be the eight teams in each conference with the highest current winning percentages and the six teams that are currently within six games of the eighth seed in either conference.

After the seeding games conclude, the seven teams in each conference with the highest combined winning percentages across regular-season games and seeding games will be the first through seventh seeds for the playoffs for that conference.

If the team with the eighth-best combined winning percentage in a conference is more than four games ahead of the team with the ninth-best combined winning percentage in the same conference, then the team with the eighth-best winning percentage would become the final playoff team in each conference. If the ninth-ranked team trails by four games or less, a play-in tournament would determine the final seed.

With files from Associated Press

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Forward Jade Kovacevic is the first player signing announced by Northern Super League

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TORONTO – Jade Kovacevic, a veteran forward who has scored goals at home and abroad, is the first player signing revealed by the new Northern Super League.

The 30-year-old from Acton, Ont., has joined AFC Toronto, one of six teams scheduled to kick off the fledgling women’s pro soccer league in April.

“I’m so excited. It’s a dream come true for me,” Kovacevic said.

Kovacevic, who spent a year playing collegiate soccer at LSU and had overseas stints in Hungary and Italy, has been waiting a long time to play professionally at home. While she bided her time, the former Canadian youth international set scoring records in League1 Ontario and has given back to the sport by coaching youth.

She has also come back from a ruptured Achilles suffered in a game in May 2023.

“We’re thrilled to have Jade as our first signing,” AFC Toronto coach Marko Milanovic said in a statement. “She’s always trained like a professional, even without a domestic league to play in, and it’s that commitment, her goal-scoring ability and leadership that will help us establish our presence in the league.”

Kovacevic holds the all-time scoring record in League1 Ontario with more than 170 goals, earning five Golden Boot awards and four MVP crowns. Her League1 Ontario resume includes stints with FC London (twice), Vaughan Azzurri and most recently the North Toronto Nitros, where she doubled as coach of the club’s League1 reserves and League 2 program.

Bu she put coaching aside in March to focus on playing, with an eye to the new league coming on board.

“I don’t want to regret not doing something when I can’t do it any more,” Kovacevic said. “And I know I don’t have maybe as many years left in me as I wish I did and I want to take advantage of this opportunity. … I focused on my playing career, took this season as seriously as I could coming off of an Achilles rupture.

“And the stars aligned and the hard work paid off. I’m very very grateful to be sitting in this set.”

A cerebral forward, Kovacevic likes to operate on the shoulder of defenders, looking to make runs and anticipate passes.

“I like to think that one of my strong suits is being able to see things before they happen,” she said.

Born in Hamilton, Kovacevic spent 10 years in Flamboro before moving to Acton. She also played youth soccer in Georgetown and Oakville before joining the Toronto Lady Lynx.

“Jade’s leadership and her connection to the community will be an asset to AFC Toronto,” said NSL co-founder Diana Matheson.

Kovacevic spent one season at LSU where she was named to the2012 SEC (SouthernConference)All-Freshman Team and made Second-Team All-SEC. But she did not find the school a good fit and felt her football wasn’t progressing.

Plus she found she wanted to be closer to home. “Turns out I’m a big family girl,” she said.

Kovacevic found a home at Fanshawe College in London, Ont., loving both the school’s business program and football team.

“You were treated like a D1 athlete at Fanshawe and they put a lot of emphasis on making sure it felt like a professional environment,” she said.

Coming to classes of 15 to 20 students was also welcome after classes of 400 to 500 south of the border.

She had two stints on the Falcons soccer team, returning to do an advanced diploma after studying business marketing. In-between, in 2019, she spent half a season playing for Roma in the Italian second division.

“The time of my life,” she said with gusto. “I lived in the suburbs of Rome, about a 20-minute subway ride from Vatican City. It was just fantastic, I was there for six or seven months, helped the team grow a little bit, learned a little bit of Italian, fell in love with the lifestyle and the culture.”

But financially, it was not enough to support her. She had run into the same problem in an earlier three-month stint in Hungary in 2017 withGyori ETO, located about an hour outside Budapest.

Back home in Ontario, she settled in London where she began her own private coaching company during the pandemic. She also coached FC London’s youth sides while playing for the club.

“London has been incredible to me,” she said. “The fans there, the supporters of the game, FC London, they really helped feed the passion that I have for the game.”

Kovacevic represented Canada at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2010 in Trinidad and Tobago and the U-20 World Cup in 2012.

At one point she roomed with Canadian striker Adriana Leon. Kovacevic also grew up playing with and against current Canadian stars Kadeisha Buchanan and Ashley Lawrence.

And she would love to renew such acquaintances.

“I would love a shot at the (Canadian) senior level,” Kovacevic said.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

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Whitecaps, Timbers to face off in play-in match in Portland

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps will begin their post-season campaign with a play-in game against the Timbers in Portland on Wednesday.

The ‘Caps (13-13-8) ended the regular season with a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday and finished eighth in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings.

The eighth and ninth spots from each conference meet in a play-in game this week, with the winner going on to face the No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs.

Each eighth-place team was set to host the play-in game, but Vancouver announced Friday that its home stadium, B.C. Place, is not available, so the club will cede home-field advantage to Portland (12-11-11), the ninth-place team.

The ‘Caps and Timbers split their three-game series during regular-season play, with each side taking a win, a loss and a draw.

The first round of the MLS playoffs is set to begin next weekend.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2024.

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Real Salt Lake beats visiting Whitecaps 2-1 to set single-season club record for points

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SANDY, Utah (AP) — Diego Luna scored a tying goal in the 73rd minute and Real Salt Lake added another on an own goal for a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night to set a single-season club record for points.

Real Salt Lake (16-7-11) secured the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and will face Minnesota in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs. RSL reached 59 points this season, topping the 2012 team with 57.

Vancouver (13-13-8) will play the Portland Timbers on Wednesday in a wild-card game for a chance to play top-seeded LAFC.

Luna settled a long cross from Braian Ojeda before taking four touches to slot home a shot inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season.

RSL went ahead in the 83rd when Vancouver goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer misplayed a lofted ball that rolled into the back of the net.

Vancouver midfielder Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 58th to become the first player in club history to produce multiple seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.

AP MLS:

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