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Raptors find another way to lose against subpar Warriors – Raptors Republic

Published

4 years ago

January 12, 2021

The 2020-21 Toronto Raptors are not as bad as their 2-7 record would indicate. In fact, they are inching toward an identity by playing small, defensive-minded groups that cause a lot of turnovers, run in transition, and shoot a lot of threes. They are finally close to settling on a rotation with Chris Boucher, Malachi Flynn, Yuta Watanabe, Stanley Johnson, and Terence Davis II coming off the bench. But if they don’t string together a full 48-minute effort soon, none of that is going to matter much and the Raptors are going to fall further and further down the standings.

Nick Nurse and the Raptors are rarely going to let a superstar take over the game. Instead, they’ll funnel a ton of attention towards that superstar, like they did on Sunday against Steph Curry, constantly trapping him and double-teaming him, forcing him to give up the ball and make role-players hit shots and make decisions. Unfortunately, the Warriors were doing exactly that in the first half, with players like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins (and even Draymond Green) hitting semi-contested threes, helping the Warriors pull ahead by 17 points at one point in the second quarter.

The Raptors found offense early by going at rookie center James Wiseman, who’s lack of vertical speed made it hard for him to stay in front of Pascal Siakam, who had his way getting past his man, seeing the defense collapse, and finding open teammates:

I love when both guys at the end of the score are on your fantasy team. pic.twitter.com/OsRMPFZk5O

— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) January 11, 2021

Give credit to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, though, who pulled Wiseman after just 17 minutes against the small-ball Raptors, who are capable of running slow big men off the floor. In fact, this game was a good representation of what makes Siakam so special: he is a walking mismatch. With the speed of a guard and the size and strength of a big man, teams that put traditional centers like Wiseman on him will need to reconsider quickly, especially if he has it going like he did against the Warriors (more on that later).

Down 10 at the half, the Raptors never gave up. They could have thrown in the towel like they have done several times this season. Instead, they looked more like last season’s Raptors, keeping it close in the third quarter for Kyle Lowry to come out at the start of the fourth and do what Kyle Lowry does: everything. He immediately got to the free-throw line, got to the basket, and hit threes, helping the Raptors pull ahead by one late in the fourth. But in an uncharacteristic brainfart, Lowry fouled Damien Lee with seconds left in the game, sending him to the line for two free-throws that would ultimately be enough to give the Warriors the win.

Fuck. https://t.co/94qrXcLSpD pic.twitter.com/Oso7zFGtsy

— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) January 11, 2021

It’s not a good sign for a team that when their star wing player finally shows up to play after a tumultuous start of the season, virtually no one else does. That was the case on Sunday night, as Pascal Siakam put together a third great performance in a row, scoring 25 points of 9-19 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds (5 offensive) and 3 assists. He largely kept the Raptors in it by being aggressive on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he was active on the boards and in the driving lanes instead of settling for pull-up jumpers, and did a great job of finding his teammates with all the attention is focused on him. Defensively, Siakam is turning into a terrorizing help defender, especially when the Raptors play small and leave him closer to the basket where he can deter shots.

Fred VanVleet and Chris Boucher also took care of business against the Warriors, but no one should be surprised about that, as they have been two of the two most consistent players to start the season. VanVleet did a great job staying in front of Curry without fouling, holding him to a historically bad shooting night where he went just 2-16 from the floor. On the offensive side of things, it appears that VanVleet is taking a legitimate step forward as a passer and at-rim finisher. He brilliantly maneuvered around screens to find open teammates spotting up and is finally being crafty at the rim where, although he got blocked four times against the Warriors, he was able to finish despite contact throughout the game:

Fred’s hip got the assist here pic.twitter.com/p9Qcznq8wN

— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) January 11, 2021

Boucher got in foul trouble early, holding him back from playing much in the second quarter and only 24 minutes on the night, but he was efficient finding his opportunities, scoring 15 points on just 10 field goal attempts. Boucher also had a game-high 6 blocks, and it seemed like whenever the action was funnelled to the middle, Boucher was there to snuff it away.

Aside from those three, though, no one had a particularly good game. The bench was outscored 36-23, and outside of Boucher, Toronto’s bench only scored 8 points. OG Anunoby has been disappointing to start the season.

Despite holding the Warriors centers mostly off the scoresheet, his help-defense was virtually nonexistent and he has not shown the ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot at all this season. Powell continues making mistakes on both sides of the floor, and when he isn’t shooting the three at a high rate, he isn’t helping the team very much. The bench is a mismatch of rookies and defensive-minded wings who struggle to score every night.

And so as promising as the comeback performance was on Sunday night, the Raptors are still playing sloppy basketball. Nine games into the season, though, the time for excuses is over. Look around the league and the Raptors look less ready to play than most teams n any night. They are defensive-minded, but they can’t get any defensive momentum because of all the fouls they commit. They run in transition, but they often fail to run their lanes and mess up the spacing, leading to a reset and a forced half-court opportunity. Their transition defense against the Warriors was worrisome, as guys were just not matching up when they ran back.

The Raptors have another opportunity to right the ship tonight against Damien Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. The strategy they employ will likely be similar to what we saw against the Warriors, but if they want their third win of the season, the execution will need to be a lot better.

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Red Wings sign Moritz Seider to 7-year deal worth nearly $60M

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.

Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.

He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.

Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.

Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.

Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.

The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.

Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.

Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.

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Veterans Tyson Beukeboom, Karen Paquin lead Canada’s team at WXV rugby tournament

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.

WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).

Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.

“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.

“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”

Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.

Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.

Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.

Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.

The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.

Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.

The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.

WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.

The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.

Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad

Forwards

Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);

Backs

Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).

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Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

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Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko working through rare muscle injury

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Anne Joseph

PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.

The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.

He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.

Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.

He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.

Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.

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

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