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Raptors top the Nets in a strange, disheveled game of basketball – Raptors Republic

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One night at my pool hall in Halifax, where I grew up, two regulars started hurling pool balls at each other from relatively close distances. That night was approximately half as chaotic as the Toronto Raptors’ 123-117 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

This is one of those where to start situations. Perhaps with Kevin Durant. His night was allegorical, perhaps, in terms of the NBA’s malleable reaction to the pandemic in general. First Durant was held out of the game due to being placed in the health and safety protocols, though he was never officially ruled out. Then Durant checked into the game in the first quarter (and promptly set to torching the Raptors — he finished a team-high +10 in the loss) as the league insisted he was cleared to play. Finally, after being whistled for a fifth foul, which was overturned in a challenge, Durant was forced to leave the building by being placed back into the health and safety protocols.

Durant made his thoughts public via twitter, saying that he should have been allowed to play.

Apparently, Durant had been in contact with someone whose tests were inconclusive, so he was allowed to play.(Why not start, though, nobody knows.) Then during the game, one of that unnamed person’s tests came back positive, so Durant was withdrawn immediately. Durant has continued to test negative leading up to the game. And several Nets, most notably James Harden, questioned the protocols after the game, wondering why the game was even played, as Durant’s teammates were clearly in contact with him before and during the game. The Nets were furious after the game about the situation.

So, more COVID scares for the Raptors. This has become a regular occurrence in the NBA, and world at large, and the Raptors have been on the fortunate side this season in terms of avoiding the virus. It is currently unclear if they will play the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow, although Nick Nurse said post-game that he hasn’t heard anything about a postponement, and the team did travel to Atlanta last night.

By the way, the last time Durant played against the Raptors? He didn’t start the game, but when he checked in, he immediately shifted the texture of the game. Then after dominating for a few minutes, Durant was forced out again. That was game five of the 2018-19 NBA finals. Pascal Siakam noted after the game the similarities in his perspective.

Beyond the Durant situation, the Raptors spent another night voicing their disagreement with the referees. Fred VanVleet and Nurse picked up a pair of technical fouls in the second quarter, which Nurse described afterwards as “a really unpleasant portion of the game.” The Nets ended up attempting more than double the number of free throws that the Raptors attempted, 29 to 14. Toronto was shaken by the officiating, and they responded poorly in that second quarter. They had some cause, though; Kyle Lowry and Norm Powell both received bloody faces from fouls that went uncalled. 

Despite it all — and this may be burying the lede somewhat — the Raptors pulled off what is probably their win of the season to this point.

Siakam had a historically dominant game in the post, albeit against Brooklyn’s malnourished defense. He finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, and zero turnovers. Those numbers perhaps understate his contributions. He was fantastic with his back to the basket. When the Nets allowed him to work against a single defender, he scored with absolute ease, no matter his defender. He hit fadeaways, drop-step layups, spinning hooks, and floaters. He use his time and was patient, staying on-balance. When the Nets sent a second defender, Siakam was fantastic at making the correct pass and hurting the Nets in other ways. His offensive output was immaculate.

Lowry was no slouch himself. He scored 30 points with 7 assists, and he took over in the fourth quarter. When the game was tight, and the Nets even took a lead with a few minutes remaining, Lowry was the best player on the court. He hit triples in transition and out of the pick-and-roll. He connected on mid-range pull-ups. He drove and dished to Siakam for multiple layups. Lowry focused on a spinning and distracting game, and he closed the door on the Nets.

That’s what it’s going to take to win basketball games this season. Focus, when so many disparate elements are screaming at players to pay attention to factors beyond basketball. Toronto didn’t cave. Their defensive game-plan was well-crafted and well-executed, as they blitzed Kyrie Irving and James Harden and forced turnovers from their teammates. Their offense was patient, putting pressure on the rim when Brooklyn had not a soul to defend it. The Nets are not a flawless team by any means, but they are a dangerous one, with three Hall of Famers, even if one was only available for half of the game. Toronto was the team whose foundations held strongest under the wave of weirdness. They earned a win on a bizarre night.

That bizarreness could, of course, impact the Raptors going forward. They will, as usual, have multiple COVID tests today before playing the Hawks, and if everything goes as planned, then great, the safety protocols are working effectively. But the Durant yo-yo was more than a distraction; his playing constituted a possible breach in the membrane of the bubble that the league attempts to create to separate its players from any exposure to the virus.

“It is what it is,” was the response of a few different Raptors after the game, most literally Lowry. But they seem to accept their realities.

That’s what this season is going to be, beyond just this night. And the Raptors won, despite it all. They now sit at 10-12, at sixth place in the East, and 8-4 over their last 12 games. They currently have a better offense, both in terms of absolute rating and relative positioning to the rest of the league, than they did last season. All basketball signs are pointing up.

Very little happened to the two regulars who tussled in the pool hall that night. I remember them both continuing to play there, if a little less often, in the following weeks and months. Remarkably, no one was seriously hurt. It was just a strange night. That has to be the hope for the Raptors. Take the basketball win and continue to build on it. Ignore the uncontrollables. That’s what a winning team has to do in this day and age.

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Whitecaps, Timbers to face off in play-in match in Portland

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps will begin their post-season campaign with a play-in game against the Timbers in Portland on Wednesday.

The ‘Caps (13-13-8) ended the regular season with a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday and finished eighth in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings.

The eighth and ninth spots from each conference meet in a play-in game this week, with the winner going on to face the No. 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs.

Each eighth-place team was set to host the play-in game, but Vancouver announced Friday that its home stadium, B.C. Place, is not available, so the club will cede home-field advantage to Portland (12-11-11), the ninth-place team.

The ‘Caps and Timbers split their three-game series during regular-season play, with each side taking a win, a loss and a draw.

The first round of the MLS playoffs is set to begin next weekend.

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

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Real Salt Lake beats visiting Whitecaps 2-1 to set single-season club record for points

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SANDY, Utah (AP) — Diego Luna scored a tying goal in the 73rd minute and Real Salt Lake added another on an own goal for a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night to set a single-season club record for points.

Real Salt Lake (16-7-11) secured the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and will face Minnesota in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs. RSL reached 59 points this season, topping the 2012 team with 57.

Vancouver (13-13-8) will play the Portland Timbers on Wednesday in a wild-card game for a chance to play top-seeded LAFC.

Luna settled a long cross from Braian Ojeda before taking four touches to slot home a shot inside the far post for his eighth goal of the season.

RSL went ahead in the 83rd when Vancouver goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer misplayed a lofted ball that rolled into the back of the net.

Vancouver midfielder Ryan Gauld opened the scoring in the 58th to become the first player in club history to produce multiple seasons with at least 10 goals and 10 assists.

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Juan Soto’s 3-run homer in 10th sends Yankees past Guardians 5-2 and into World Series for 41st time

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Juan Soto’s arrival last winter was supposed to be that move that pushed the New York Yankees back to the top.

They’re one step away.

Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the Yankees advanced to their 41st World Series — and first in 15 years — by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Saturday night.

Baseball’s biggest brand is going back to October’s main stage.

Soto, who was acquired in a seven-player trade from San Diego in December, pushed the Bronx Bombers into position with one big swing.

This was why he came, for this moment and for so many more.

“We’re right where we belong,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who pulled off the deal for Soto.

The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against either the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series is on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

In the third consecutive tight game in three nights at Progressive Field, Austin Wells walked with one out in the 10th and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, whose soft toss to the bag was dropped by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio for an error.

Hunter Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and had Soto in a 1-2 count before New York’s stylish outfielder sent a shot over the wall in center. Soto danced down the first-base line and paused to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.

“I was just saying to myself, `You’re all over that guy. You’re all over that guy. He ain’t got anything,’” said Soto, who moved alongside his manager, Aaron Boone, as the only New York players to homer in an extra-inning, series-clinching win.

Luke Weaver got the final three outs with Lane Thomas flying out for the last one, which was caught by Soto.

“We get to play for a world championship,” Boone said. “That’s pretty sweet.”

The 25-year-old Soto is eligible for free agency this winter, and Yankees fans chanted “Re-sign Soto!” during the postgame festivities. He’s expected to get a contract upwards of $600 million, and his heroics in Game 5 may have raised his price.

Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer and was named ALCS MVP as the Yankees took care of the Guardians in five games. It wasn’t easy.

New York won the first two at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or any major drama. However, it was a different story in Cleveland as all three games at Progressive Field were nail-biters.

The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 on two, two-run homers in their last two at-bats, and the Yankees held on to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.

“This was a rollercoaster and we were able to just keep punching back,” Stanton said. “We know there’s much more work to do and it’s only uphill from here and we got to get it done.”

Cleveland just didn’t have enough and a surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise remains without a title since 1948, baseball’s current longest drought.

“There’s only one team that gets to win the last game of the year, and unfortunately it’s not going to be us,” Vogt said. “But we accomplished a lot as a group. We got better. We worked extremely hard. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. We just didn’t get quite as far as we wanted to.”

The Yankees are back in the World Series, back where their fans expect them to be every year.

The club’s 82-80, fourth-place finish in the AL East last season led to some “soul searching as an organization” during the winter, according to Boone, who has been widely criticized but is one of just three managers to take New York to playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.

While the team’s core stayed mostly intact, getting Soto in a blockbuster trade on Dec. 7 — New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star — accelerated the team returning to title contender.

“That was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.

Stanton’s 446-foot rocket into the left-field bleachers tied it at 2 in the sixth and chased Tanner Bibee, who had struck out New York’s dangerous DH in his first two at-bats and held the Yankees scoreless for the first five innings.

It was Stanton’s fourth homer in this series — his third in three days — and his 16th in the postseason, moving him into fourth place on the club’s career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18).

Before the game, Boone was asked what makes Stanton so good.

“He can hit it harder than anyone, first of all,” Boone said. “So there’s the physical nature of what he does that’s different than just about everyone in the world.”

But Boone went on to compliment Stanton’s discipline at the plate, “his approach, his process, how he studies guys.”

“There’s something that he does when he gets familiarity with people on top of being very physically gifted,” Boone said.

The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth off Carlos Rodón on Steven Kwan’s RBI single with two outs. But Cleveland missed a big chance for more, leaving the bases loaded when Lane Thomas grounded out on the first pitch to him from Mark Leiter Jr.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (elbow strain) had another successful live batting practice session. The reliever remains on track to join the Yankees on their World Series roster. Boone said Cortes would throw again early next week. Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts.

___

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