TORONTO — Here’s a Toronto Raptors lineup you’ve never seen before: point guard Patrick McCaw running the floor with Matt Thomas and Stanley Johnson on his wings, behind Oshae Brissett and Chris Boucher in an all-Canadian frontcourt.
Desperate times. About half of Toronto’s roster wore a neutral-toned blazer for Tuesday’s game, forcing Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to utilize some unorthodox maneuvers with the limited chess pieces remaining on his board. And with Terence Davis wallowing in a rookie slump, plus 33-year-old Kyle Lowry unsustainably playing nearly 40 minutes per game, those five represent Toronto’s defacto second unit for the time being.
So Nurse threw them out there at the end of the first quarter and watched his mad experiment play out. And all they did over the final three minutes of that quarter was beat the visiting and similarly stricken Portland Trail Blazers, 8-0. It went so well that Nurse ran the unit back out for the beginning of the second, before returning Lowry to the game after 90 seconds to restore order.
“It’s next man up, next man up” Lowry said after the Raptors fell to the Trail Blazers in the dying moments, 101-99. “We’ve got great guys. Young kids trying to go out there and prove their worth, go out there and execute and play.
“I love when these guys play like that. They played well, they got us the lead. They’re growing. And when you see the growth, it makes you excited as a veteran guy.”
To recap: the mercurial McCaw has, when healthy, fluctuated between promising play and maddening moments throughout a scattershot season, such as the blunder late in Tuesday’s game when he rifled an in-between pass at Lowry’s legs, leading to a crippling turnover.
Thomas was playing his first NBA game in six weeks, and only the 13th of his life after he spent the last two years shooting out the lights in Spain.
Johnson has been on the outside of Nurse’s rotations looking in all season and requested to play with Toronto’s G-League affiliate, Raptors 905, on Monday night just to get some extended run in a high-level game.
Brissett also played with the 905 on Monday, which he is contracted to do as an end-of-roster, two-way player.
Boucher — last year’s G-League MVP — actually had the most NBA minutes this season of the lot, averaging 13.2 per night over 33 games as a soon-to-be-27-year-old in what is essentially his rookie year. And he came into the night 10th on the Raptors in minutes played.
“Those guys were great — they were unbelievable in the first half,” Nurse said. “I think they scored 34 points off the bench. Jeez, we’ll take that every night of the week and we’d be in really good shape.”
It’s probably not wise counting on those 34 points every time out, particularly against stiffer defensive opposition than the Trail Blazers, who spent stretches of Tuesday’s game spectating. But some energy and production from that group is going to be necessary for a team trying to survive significant absences at the top end of its roster.
The Raptors’ lack of options offensively really caught up with them against the Blazers, as Lowry was forced to make 23 attempts (16 from beyond the arc) and Nurse was left drawing up isolation plays for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in crunch time. There are shots to be claimed in this offence, and it’s up to one of Toronto’s reserves to prove they deserve to be making them.
Credit Brissett for putting up his hand. He was terrific during that late first-quarter stint, following up a big put-back off a miss on the offensive end with an intercept at the other, before sinking a no-hesitation three after a pinballing series of passes he started in transition:
“He really stays within himself. He’s really just trying to hustle, play defence, rebound and play rhythm offence,” Nurse said. “If it comes to him, he’s going to take the shot if he’s open. And if he’s got the ball, and he doesn’t have something, he gets off it. I think it’s important to have some guys like that.”
Brissett says his focus coming off the bench is playing aggressively, which sounds easy enough but isn’t when you’re an undrafted rookie thrust into the chaos of a live NBA game. Things like crashing the offensive glass, boxing out beneath his team’s rim, making a quick, decisive decision when the ball hits his hands.
“I’m starting to get it a lot more, with all the film that we watch, before, after games, and how much attention coach puts on those things. That’s really my job,” he said. “I’ve got to go in there and focus on (the defensive) end, and then the offence will come. I can’t really mess up on the defensive end or I’ll be right back on the bench.”
But the success of players like Brissett and Boucher — they each had a dozen with three offensive rebounds against Portland — highlights the struggles other Raptors have had in similar moments. Davis, for instance, appears dangerously close to being out of Nurse’s rotations altogether after playing only eight minutes Tuesday.
“He’s not playing very well,” Nurse said. “It was probably five (minutes) too many.”
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Meanwhile, even amidst Toronto’s current straits, Malcolm Miller can’t get on the floor. Nurse gave him a few opportunities around Christmas, including a 17-minute stint during a three-point victory over the Dallas Mavericks in which Miller was a plus-29. But he’s since returned to the end of Toronto’s bench.
It’s not like he’s a focal point of Toronto’s offence, but it’s telling that Miller hasn’t scored a point in his last 14 appearances, including that brief stint when he was a rotation piece. The ability is there — he scored 13 points (going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the process) late in a blowout of the New York Knicks in November. But lately, Miller’s looked more timid and passive during his limited run, lacking the energy and aggressiveness Nurse generally looks for when awarding opportunities to players on his roster’s fringes.
“I did try to work him in there. He was kind of first off the bench there for about three games in a row,” Nurse said. “I’ve got to evaluate what I’m seeing out there and I didn’t quite see enough, and was hoping I could get a little more from another guy. And that’s it.
“You know me — if you go out there on these wildcard subbing things and produce, you may stay in the rest of the game. If you go out there and you’re impacting the game, you’re going to keep playing. That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
That’s why players like Brissett and Boucher are getting the run they are now. And it’s why you’re seeing funky lineups such as the one Nurse went to Tuesday. Part of its involuntary — the Raptors are running out of players and can only push Lowry so far. The other is which reserves are ready to seize the ample opportunities the Raptors currently have to award. And who’s going to help the Raptors get through this.
If it’s to be Brissett again Tuesday, it’ll happen in his third game in three nights. Same goes for Johnson and Thomas, who joined him in playing half an hour for the 905 on Monday. Brissett was asked if he’s feeling the weight of it all yet.
“I’m not even trying to think about that,” he said. “Just keep going tomorrow, stay focused, and try to play.”
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:
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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.
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.
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.
