TORONTO – “Not sure on the starters tonight. We’re thinking of mixing it up.”
That was Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse before the start of Wednesday’s decade-ending 117-97 demolishment of the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night.
And in a decade that saw this franchise go from a league-wide afterthought to NBA champions, why wouldn’t there be one more surprise from these Raptors?
Approximately 30 minutes before tip-off, Nurse revealed that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would be making his first start of the season for the Raptors in place of OG Anunoby.
An odd choice at first glance, but consider this for just a moment: Coming into Tuesday’s contest, Anunoby had quietly struggled over his previous five games, averaging only 7.8 points per game on poor 39.5 per cent shooting and an abysmal mark of 10.5 per cent from deep.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, those figures drop to a horrendous 6.0 points per game on 36.7 per cent shooting from the floor and 1-of-13 from three-point range if his relative outburst in Indiana last week is not included, when he went for 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
Pretty good reasons to boot Anunoby out of the starting lineup, if looking at it purely from a statistical standpoint.
But when you consider the fact Anunoby is only 22 years old and viewed as one of the cornerstones of this franchise, would it not do better for the young man’s confidence to let him work his way through a shooting slump rather than reprimand him for his spotty performance of late?
So then, what was the justification for relegating Anunoby to the bench and going with Hollis-Jefferson on the final night of 2019?
“You guys know, I like to mix it up a little bit, haven’t been doing it all that much this year,” said Nurse after the game. “I thought maybe get both of them going, both Rondae and OG. [Cavaliers forward Kevin] Love with the big matchup, maybe a little bit more of a banging type guy for Rondae to start on.”
OK, so this was purely matchup-based and in no way an attempt to send a message to Anunoby over his recent shooting struggles?
“No, not at all.”
And how did Nurse think the decision turn out?
“Seemed like it worked out OK, they both played really well tonight I liked the energy from both of them,” said Nurse.
Given the results from both men, it’s hard to argue with that assessment.
Anunoby finished the game with 12 points and seven rebounds and four assists on 5-for-8 shooting, and Hollis-Jefferson had 14 points and five rebounds while shooting 5-for-9 from the field.
This success, facing a lowly team like the Cavaliers notwithstanding, appeared to stem from the fact Nurse played both Anunoby and Hollis-Jefferson in their natural positions of the three and four, respectively. Ever since Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell all went down in Detroit two weeks ago, Nurse has been starting Anunoby at power forward, something he’s capable of, but maybe not entirely at ease with.
“Out of position sometimes is out of position and getting him back there, getting him more comfortable,” said Nurse. “Again, I thought both of them were more focused, way more energetic, they were down and guarding, they were rebounding. When you’re like that, other good things, like your shooting and making strong moves seems to follow.”
This was especially the case for Anunoby, who first entered the game with 4:42 left in the first quarter and only took another two minutes and 12 seconds for him to get his first bucket of the game, a layup coming off a post-up designed for him.
Then, with 1.8 seconds left in the frame, Anunoby took an inbounds pass from teammate Kyle Lowry and let fly from near the top of the key on another play that looked to be made for him. Splash! Anunoby hit his first three-pointer since the start of the second half in Toronto’s emotional win over the Boston Celtics last Saturday and appeared to finally put to rest a dreadful 2-for-19 run from three-point range over his dismal last five games.
And from there, Anunoby’s offensive game appeared to fall into place as he hit one more three-pointer near the beginning of the second quarter and finished 2-for-3 from outside, and looked strong cutting and driving to the basket for finishes at the rim, while also making good reads and finds as a playmaker.
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It’s hard to say for certain that Anunoby’s shooting slump has officially been busted, but Tuesday’s performance can be seen as a step in the right direction.
The same can be said for Hollis-Jefferson – also given the honourable distinction of wishing the Scotiabank Arena crowd a “Happy New Year” just before tip-off – who enjoyed his best performance since the Raptors’ epic 30-point comeback against the Dallas Mavericks.
“I haven’t started in a while. So it just felt good to be out there,” Hollis-Jefferson said.
In fact, he hasn’t started since Feb. 13, 2019, when he was still a member of the Brooklyn Nets.
Hollis-Jefferson said he likes to meditate before games and his routine got a little disrupted when he heard he was going to start, but other than that there’s not much difference between starting and coming off the bench.
“You never know. Anything can happen. Things change and you’ve just got to be ready, man,” he said.
This applied to Anunoby as well, who had to adjust to coming off the bench for the first time since last season, and he handled it without any difficulty.
“You expect a guy to play no matter what position he’s in,” said Fred VanVleet of Anunoby coming off the bench. “He did a good job of coming in ready to go, he played pretty much identical to the way he’s been playing, he just made shots.”
“Being ready” is one of the oldest clichés in sports but that doesn’t discredit its importance. For his final act in a very memorable 2019, Nurse decided to throw one last curveball, and both the direct actors involved and team responded well. A good omen for 2020, as there is likely even more experimentation to come within the starting lineup.
“Mixing up the starting lineup here for a little bit is something you’re probably going to see,” said Nurse. “I’m just going to see what it looks like and feels like depending on who we’re playing a little bit and go from there.”
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.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
