TORONTO — Pascal Siakam had 31 points and 13 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors clinched a playoff spot Tuesday with a 118-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Scottie Barnes added 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Chris Boucher added 18 points, and Gary Trent Jr., finished with 14 for the Raptors (46-33) in their 12th win in 15 games.
Fred VanVleet had 12 points, while Precious Achiuwa chipped in 11.
With their victory and the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 120-115 loss in Orlando, the Raptors can finish no worse than sixth in the East.
Trae Young had 26 points to lead the Hawks (41-38), who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.
The Raptors will host playoff games at Scotiabank Arena for the first time since the thrilling 2019 NBA championship run.
The 2020 season ended in the Disneyworld bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Raptors were exiled to Tampa, Fla., for the following season due to Canada-US border restrictions, and health and safety rules in Ontario. They didn’t make the 2021 playoffs anyways, tumbling down the Eastern Conference in March amid a COVID-19 outbreak to finish 12th.
Neither team dominated through the first three quarters of the see-saw battle. After briefly leading by seven points in the first half, Boucher’s three-pointer with 2:28 left in the third gave the Raptors a nine-point cushion, their biggest lead to that point. They took an 89-83 advantage into the fourth.
Boucher connected on back-to-back threes to start the fourth quarter for a 10-point lead — the first time either team had been up by double digits. But the Raptors went stone cold. Young followed up his three-pointer with a layup to cap a 10-0 Hawks run that tied the game at 102-102 with 4:29 to play.
Barnes scored on a putback, and VanVleet connected from long distance — just his second three on a horrible 2-for-12 three-point shooting night — and Toronto was back up by five with 1:03 to play, bringing the capacity crowd of 19,800 to its feet. Barnes laid it in with 22 seconds to play, running back down the court with a hand raised in victory.
Bogdan Bogdanovic drained a three-pointer but it was too little too late for the Hawks, who were relegated to the play-in tournament with the loss.
The Raptors were missing starter OG Anunoby for the second straight game with a thigh contusion.
“Much improved, but still pretty sore,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
The Raptors were coming off a 114-109 loss to Kyle Lowry and the Miami Heat that snapped their five-game win streak.
Neither team led by more than seven points through the first half. Toronto was briefly up by five in the first quarter, but Young’s jumper capped a Hawks’ 11-0 run to put Atlanta up by six. The Hawks led 31-27 to start the second.
Achiuwa drove to the hoop for a huge dunk that brought the Raptors players off the bench and put them up by six points. Siakam’s stepback shot with 9.7 seconds left in the half sent Toronto into the break with a 56-52 lead.
The Raptors host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday in what could be a playoff preview, and then Houston on Friday. They end the regular season on Sunday against the Knicks in New York.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
