The Raptors own the Magic Kingdom. Let’s just say it right now.
With their 110-104 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the defending NBA champions improved to 2-0 in exhibition play with one more game slated for Tuesday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns — before things get started for real on Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Going undefeated in games that don’t matter isn’t why the Raptors have committed to spending about 14 weeks in Florida, but it’s a nice start. Sunday’s game was played mostly by each team’s deep bench after the midpoint in the third quarter and the Raptors didn’t shoot it very well – only 38 per cent – but they made 17 threes to Portland’s seven, which always helps. Pascal Siakam had 18 points and three triples in just 25 minutes, while Serge Ibaka led all scorers with 19 points and had three triples (on five attempts) of his own.
Livestream the Raptors’ quest to defend their NBA title with select NBA playoff games on Sportsnet NOW.
Some takeaways:
1. Was that … Marc Gasol on the floor, playing basketball?
Why yes, yes it was. Technically Gasol hasn’t been out of action for nearly six months, it just seems that way. After being sidelined for the second time in the regular season with a hamstring problem on Jan. 28, Gasol did make it back to the floor for one game before the league went on hiatus on March 11, but Gasol has missed 24 of the Raptors’ 64 games and his return to action was delayed that much more when he was kept out of their first scrimmage for lack of a big to match with on the Houston Rockets.
That was not the case with the Trail Blazers, who are reintegrating bigs Jusuf Nurkic and Zack Collins from injuries of their own and also roll out Hassan Whiteside.
What could we expect from Gasol?
“He’ll be fresh,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said, jokingly, before the ball went up.
The man himself was pumped: “[It felt] really good [to play]. Really good. Really exciting,” Gasol said. “I know it might have been a scrimmage but I was geeked up the whole day. Excited about it, and happy to help the team.”
He didn’t really. His first action in more than four months was not the occasion to show how Gasol would translate his leaner, more muscled frame into on-court action.
He started in a “Jumbo” lineup alongside Serge Ibaka but there was almost nothing to evaluate. He was limited to 10 minutes by design, and didn’t play in the second half at all. There were no clever assists or signs that he was ready to assert himself more offensively in a way that the two-time all-star only rarely has as a Raptor.
“You always wanna play more but you know that you gotta build it up,” said Gasol, who scored three points – all on free throws – and had four rebounds. “We know when the important times come and when the big games come, you have to be ready to take those bigger minutes. So we’ve gotta build it up a little bit, and that’s okay.”
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There is time for all that. The playoffs are still nearly a month away.
“I mean, he’s looked good, he’s played well [in practice],” Nurse said before the game. “I’ve noticed some things, some more when we’ve played 1-on-1 contests, those tournaments, he’s played very well in those. He’s looked like he’s got a little better finish on his fallaway and some of those signature moves he used to do. They look good now, but we’ll just see what we see [in the game]. I think the speed and getting closer to a real game is [when we’re] really going to see if there’s a difference.”
So was that Gasol out there? Yes it was, but we still haven’t seen him yet.
2. Injuries were one of the Raptors’ pre-pandemic storylines. They were second in the NBA in man games lost to injury and had every significant rotation player other than OG Anunoby miss at least 10 games. So it was with some trepidation that Nurse relayed that versatile wing defender Pat McCaw – one of only two Raptors who didn’t play on Friday – wouldn’t see any minutes again.
“It’s a recurring thing that he’s already been out for,” Nurse said. “But, again, we’re still in the evaluating process about where we can go with it. It may be something he can play through.”
McCaw was out for the month of November after having arthroscopic surgery to remove a benign mass in his left knee. Something to monitor, obviously.
More concerning was watching Fred VanVleet immediately leave the floor after getting the wrong end of a knee-on-knee collision in the first quarter. He jogged off immediately, which was encouraging and he was on his feet on the bench in the second half, looking comfortable. He didn’t return to the game and these things can occasionally stiffen up overnight. His night was done after five minutes.
The expectation is he’ll be fine.
“There’s always a little immediate concern whenever anybody goes down … you don’t want to lose anybody in a scrimmage,” Nurse said. “He can play through a lot of pain, no doubt about it, but there’s no sense in going through now.”
A lot of the excitement around the Raptors chances to defend is the presumption that they’ll be an even better team than they were with all their pieces healthy and ready to go, really for the first time this season. Watching VanVleet go down – even if it’s not serious – or wondering about McCaw’s availability are reminders that just because the Raptors have already had their share, it doesn’t mean they’re completely out of the woods, injury-wise.
3. The Raptors’ success in developing basketball players may be as simple as not putting their players in a box when it comes to envisioning what they could become.
When OG Anunoby was drafted — and certainly through most of his first two seasons as a pro — the thinking and the hope was that he would become an effective ‘three-and-D’ player – someone who could defending the two or three and offensively keep the floor spread and otherwise largely stay out of the way of the high-volume scorers. It’s a valuable job; the best at combining those two attributes can earn $20-million a year or more.
But add the ability to attack the basket to that mix? Toss in a player who can attack mismatches on offense as well as squelch them on defense? Now you’re cooking with gas.
Anunoby showed some remarkable progress against Portland. It caught his teammates’ eyes as he broke down the defense off the bounce and made plays over and over again.
“[His improvement] is dramatic,” Gasol said. “You can see it every day that it’s something he works at relentlessly. If you work on it, you have to use it in the games. I think OG, we need him to do that. He has to be someone that is aggressive, that plays on the catch. He’s not gonna get plays called a lot for him but whenever he catches it, somebody’s going to be closing out, he has to make a quick decision, either shoot it or drive it, and he’s doing a great job.
Anunoby has had the defensive chops almost since Day 1 and he’s showing signs of being a more and more reliable three-point threat – he was shooting 50 per cent from deep in the last seven games before the hiatus and had improved to a very respectable 38 per cent from three for the season.
But the best might be yet come. Anunoby has only just turned 23 and missed most of his second year of college at Indiana due to a torn ACL. In his second season with the Raptors, injuries and family issues limited his opportunities. He missed the Raptors’ entire championship run due to complications from an appendectomy.
So maybe we shouldn’t be shocked to see his growth still coming in leaps and bounds, but it’s eye-popping regardless.
Anunoby is massive – he plays comfortably at 250 pounds or more – but he has remarkable quickness. It looks like he’s used all those individual workouts to tighten up his ball-handling and improve his balance when he attacks the point (Anunoby falling awkwardly after his drives go wrong is a bit of a trademark.)
In the first half, he used his dribble three times to blow past Blazers defenders, draw the defense and snap the ball out to an open shooter. They weren’t cheapies either; this was Anunoby using the dribble to shift the balance of a defender, and then changing direction and exploding past once his man was over-committed — and then making the right decision from there.
That’s not a play Anunoby could’ve made last year or was even projected to make this year. But he’s making them and looking fantastic doing it.
It’s probably greedy to think the Raptors could have another player explode into superstardom from nowhere, as Pascal Siakam has, but Anunoby makes you believe.
4. The Raptors have loads of depth players, but in the playoffs it’s their depth in specific roles that might matter most. It’s been interesting that in two exhibition games Matt Thomas has played a healthy dose of minutes – 14 and 19, respectively – and has looked more comfortable than at any time in his rookie season.
He’s 6-of-10 from three through his 33 minutes, which is almost to be expected given that he’s shooting 46.7 per cent from long range this season. That would be second in the NBA if he had enough attempts to qualify among the leaders.
But Thomas’s confidence is shining through. He’s looking to push the ball past his defender off the catch if he’s being crowded at the line – as he inevitably is – and looks decisive when he gets into that next layer of defense looking to either score on some in-between looks or keep the ball moving. It’s not new, he says, it’s just new at the NBA level.
“That is definitely something I have done my entire life,” he said after leading all bench scorers with 16 points in 19 minutes. “But at the same time there is no substitute for experience. As the year progressed and then had this hiatus, I didn’t really slow down. I viewed it more as an off-season opportunity for me to really improve my game and my body. I’m just trying to do whatever the team needs from me to help this team get wins here.
“My role is still to come in and knock down shots. But like you said, with my shooting threat teams are going to fly by me and I have to be able to make a play and sometimes that’s driving a gap and finding a teammate or creating a play for myself.”
He has caught his coach’s eye, and if he can keep it up Thomas might find some minutes in the rotation even as it tightens when the games really matter.
“I think it was really noticeable when we came back from the break that he was not just shooting shots; he was becoming more of a playmaker even more than you’ve seen in these last two games,” said Nurse, who played Thomas at point guard with the second unit at times. “He was really almost becoming a scorer in some of our scrimmages, like, really hard to handle and again, just improving; a guy working on his skill work, getting confident.
“He’s developed some more range so that [he] even stretches the defense more so it gives him more space to operate with that. If they do press up on him he can go around them, and he’s just talented, you know, he really knows how to play and he’s figuring it out.”
VANCOUVER – As the Major League Soccer season ticks down, Vanni Sartini wants his Vancouver Whitecaps to make a declaration — the team is ready to compete.
“The time of hiding ourselves, I think it’s over,” the coach said after the ‘Caps earned a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
“We need to really say that we are here to try to be at the ball until the end and trying to shoot for the highest position. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to make it, but we have the quality to do it.”
With seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the ‘Caps (13-8-6) sit in fifth spot in the congested Western Conference, just two points out of fourth.
Saturday’s loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.
Vancouver has been on a hot streak since returning from the Leagues Cup break and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in its last four outings across all competitions. The team has not allowed a goal in those matches.
“It’s the fact that we play really well,” Sartini said of the clean sheets. “We have the ball a lot, we finish our attack most of the time in their box. So it’s really hard for the other team to attack us. And then when they attack us, in the rare times that they arrive in the final third, we’re very solid.”
Recent additions have bolstered the team’s ranks, including the club’s newest designated player, Stuart Armstrong. The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder scored his first MLS goal Saturday.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute.
Midfielder Pedro Vite dished a short pass to ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld, who tapped it toward Armstrong. The former Southampton FC player then blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps’ jersey.
He was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.
“I think everyone was happy. Also for the first goal, but also that it was an important three points,” said Armstrong, who signed with the ‘Caps on Sept. 3.
“It kind of felt a little bit like last week, when we had a lot of chances and we didn’t get the three points. So today, I think everyone was just relieved to have that two-goal cushion.”
Vancouver was the dominant team from the outset Saturday and did not relent, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.
Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for Vancouver, while Gauld contributed a pair of assists.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made nine saves for the Quakes.
Gauld and Picault teamed up in the 22nd minute when Gauld curled a cross in and the Haitian striker headed it down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm’s way.
The duo connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past Daniel for his ninth MLS goal of the season.
San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. An official quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.
Daniel kept San Jose’s deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.
First, the Brazilian ‘keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.
“I think we created a lot of chances again,” Gauld said.
“We probably should have put the game out of their reach sooner. But we’d be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. Three clean sheets in a row in the league, I think it’s a big thing for us. And it gives us a good platform to go forward.”
NOTES
Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld’s second assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Not good enough. That was Arne Slot’s verdict after his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday.
A shock 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League ended Slot’s perfect record since succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of last season.
“We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three (or) four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession,” said the Dutchman, who suggested his team should not be losing to the likes of Forest.
“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback, especially if you face a team … we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for Champions League tickets, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”
Slot won his first three games in charge, including a memorable 3-0 victory against Manchester United before the international break.
But that run came to an end after Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 72nd with a curling effort from the edge of the box and beyond goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool’s defeat leaves Manchester City as the only team with a 100% record in the league after a 2-1 win against Brentford kept the defending champion at the top of the table.
United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak.
Unstoppable Haaland
Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for City after scoring twice against Brentford.
The Norwegian’s double came after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock.
Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham.
“He’s been really, really good. Yeah, I would say he’s the best (he’s been), but it’s only four fixtures (this season),” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million.
Haaland’s first goal after 19 minutes evened the game following Wissa’s opener, which stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd. Haaland turned and swept a shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken after a slight deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
He was then too strong for Pinnock when shaking off the defender and running through for his second in the 32nd.
He was inches away in the 81st; the shot came back off the post after beating the keeper.
Rashford snaps run
Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as United beat Southampton.
Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win came after back-to-back defeats for United.
Rashford hadn’t scored since March in United’s win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag’s team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute.
Ten Hag said it could be a turning point for the forward.
“For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming. Like a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” he said.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the offseason, headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 35th.
It could have been a different story if Cameron Archer converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Newly promoted Southampton was reduced to 10 men when Jack Stephens was sent off in the 79th for a high challenge on Garnacho.
Villa comeback
After three straight defeats to start the league, Everton looked set for its first win when leading Aston Villa 2-0.
Goals from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Sean Dyche’s team in control until Ollie Watkins struck twice to even the game.
Jhon Duran completed Villa’s comeback and sealed a 3-2 win in the 76th to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table and the only top flight team without a point.
Late drama
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage time penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester.
Leicester led 2-0 at Selhurst Park after goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.
But Mateta sparked Palace’s response with a goal in the 47th, a minute after Mavididi doubled Leicester’s advantage.
Conor Coady fouled Ismaili Sarr in the box right near fulltime and Mateta was cool enough to convert.
West Ham left it even later to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Danny Ings struck in the fifth minute of added time after Raul Jimenez’s goal looked like earning Fulham the win.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, the manager of the month for August, was frustrated as his team was held to 0-0 at home by Ipswich.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
