Toronto Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes could be close to a return.
Barnes was at Wednesday morning’s shootaround ahead of Game 3, and walked by reporters without a walking boot or a noticeable limp.
Asked if there was a chance Barnes could play Wednesday evening, coach Nick Nurse said “maybe.”
“Looks like he’s doing pretty good,” he added. “I think he’s recovering nicely.”
Barnes, a finalist for NBA rookie of the year, was still listed as doubtful.
WATCH | Barnes injured in Game 1 loss to Sixers:
Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes sprains ankle in Game 1 loss to Sixers
4 days ago
Duration 1:50
Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes left the game after spraining his ankle in Toronto’s 131-111 loss, in the first game of their NBA playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. 1:50
His return would be a huge boost for a Raptors squad trailing 2-0 in their opening round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Barnes, who averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the regular season, can play virtually every position.
“As I always say, the more quality guys we have available the better off you are, but certainly helps us defensively, offensive and defensive glass, gets Pascal [Siakam] and Fred [VanVleet] off the ball a little bit more as well, and run other sets and things like that,” Nurse said.
Nurse also said that Gary Trent Jr., who has been battling a non-COVID-19 illness, and Thaddeus Young (hyperextended left thumb) would play Wednesday.
Barnes was on pace for a triple double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, in Toronto’s 131-111 loss in Game 1 when Sixers centre Joel Embiid stepped on his ankle, sending him crashing to the floor in agony with about nine minutes to play.
“It would do a lot,” VanVleet said about having Barnes back. “He has been one of our better players this year. He’s obviously in our starting five. He brings a lot to the table with his size and his IQ and just the way he plays. He can break a defence down. Defensively he can switch and guard and rebound.
“We just got to let him heal up,” VanVleet added. “Don’t want to put the pressure on him, feeling like he has to rush back. So whenever he is ready, we’ll take him back for sure.”
WATCH | Chances of Raptors mounting a playoff comeback against 76ers:
Can the Toronto Raptors come back from an 0-2 deficit?
1 day ago
Duration 9:52
Hosts of CBC Sports’ North Courts Vivek Jacob and Jevohn Shepherd give their take on how the Raptors can mounting a come back against the 76ers after going down 0-2 in the series. 9:52
Barnes sat out Game 2, a 112-97 loss, in a walking boot.
The ailing Trent averaged 18 points against Philly in the regular season, but struggled in Game 2, with zero points and four fouls in just nine minutes before calling it a night.
“It’ll probably be that [Trent] goes out and starts again and we’ll see how he’s going,” Nurse said. “The biggest thing that’s affecting him physically is just being able to breathe and catch his wind and survive through that. So, hopefully some of that will be better, and if not, get him out of there like we did the last time.”
OTTAWA – American receiver Justin Hardy will miss the Ottawa Redblacks’ regular-season finale Friday.
Hardy, who leads the CFL in receptions (97) and is second in receiving yards (1,343), was listed off Ottawa’s depth chart Thursday. Hardy was named Wednesday as the Redblacks’ nominee for the league’s outstanding player award.
American Andrew Miller will start in Hardy’s place.
Ottawa (8-7-1) concludes its regular season hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-10). The Redblacks have already clinched third in the East and will visit the Toronto Argonauts (10-7) in the division semifinal Nov. 2.
Hamilton has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Incumbent Dru Brown is listed as Ottawa’s starting quarterback.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) — AC Milan’s weekend match at Bologna in Italy’s top soccer league has been postponed, Bologna officials announced Thursday following extensive flooding in the central Italian city.
The Serie A match had been scheduled for Saturday.
Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, large parts of which have been hard hit by torrential rains and bad weather for days.
The game was not immediately rescheduled.
“Following the flood that affected Bologna, intense work is underway to clean up the situation,” the city of Bologna said while announcing the game postponement on X.
BASEL, Switzerland – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov advanced to the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday.
Shapovalov used a strong service game to overcome the Spanish veteran for the win at the ATP 500 event in just under one hour 40 minutes.
The 25-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., fired 18 aces, including one to set up match point in the second-set tiebreaker, and won 79 per cent of first-serves and 63 per cent of second-serve points.
Shapovalov, a former top-10 player on the ATP Tour, entered this year’s Swiss Indoors ranked 95th and will appear in just his second quarterfinal of the season.
He improved to 3-0 against Bautista Agut, who he beat in July en route to a quarterfinal appearance in Washington.
Shapovalov will next face the winner of a match scheduled for later Thursday between defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal and France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
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