Raptors work their magic on Wizards, setting franchise record with 140 points - Toronto Sun | Canada News Media
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Raptors work their magic on Wizards, setting franchise record with 140 points – Toronto Sun

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It was a tough call post- game.

What was more warm and fuzzy? The feeling the Raptors had blowing away the Washington Wizards? Or the camouflage Canada Goose jackets waiting at every locker as the team heads to snow-locked Minnesota.

We’ll go with the new coats only because those can last. There’s little chance the Raptors run into another defence as indifferent as the Wizards … at least until they face them later in the year.

Washington’s defensive intensity was non-existent in this one and, combined with the Raptors ratcheting up their own turnover game, creating 28 Washington giveaways, resulted in the lopsided 140-111 win that transpired.

Not surprisingly, those 140 points tied the franchise record for most in any game but set the mark for the most in reguation time.

The only other time a Raptors squad scored 140 on an opponent was last season in a double-overtime win over this same Wizards franchise.

It was the type of game where you could make a case for just about any Raptor as player of the game as seven found their way to double-digit scoring totals.

Norm Powell had his third consecutive game of 20 or more points since returning from an 11-game injury absence. He had 28 in just less than 30 minutes for the game high.

Marc Gasol, himself just back in his second game since a 12-game absence had a season-best 20 points, including a career-high six three pointers in seven attempts.

According to head coach Nick Nurse, Gasol put a lot of time in working on his shot while he was nursing his hamstring injury.

“Marc went to work on his shooting mechanics and stuff while he was out,” Nurse said. “He did a lot of standstill, form shooting, but he did go to work on it, spent a lot of time doing it. It was an opportunity for him to try to do that with all time off, so give him credit. He’s reaping some of the rewards of that, I think.”
Gasol wasn’t much more forthcoming about the changes he made. He did suggest that looking at the basket played into it, but it was hard to tell if he was kidding.

Regardless, through two games since his return, Gasol is 9-for-11 from behind the arc and, if he sustains that, they will be putting him into the Basketball Hall of Fame at the end of the season whether he’s retired or not.

Powell, who had a shoulder injury keeping him out, couldn’t work on that, but he has a bounce in his step right now that is going to make him a regular on the nightly highlight reel until he stops feeling as fresh as he looks.

Meanwhile, OG Anunoby put together another contender for his best game of the year, holding Bradley Beal to just 14 points while scoring 18 of his own. After a bit of a dry spell from three, Anunoby is 5-for-12 in the past two games.

The game marked the official halfway point of the season for the Raptors who are only two games worse this year than they were a year ago when they were on their way to a championship.

“Do we know who we are?” Nurse said pre-game, taking over the question-asking for the assembled media. “Yeah, I think so. I think we’ve got a good team out there, man. We’ve got some guys who play to win and have some experience. If we can continue to be versatile, we’ll continue to improve and keep heading in this direction a little bit.”
Nurse said he’d like to use the remaining 41 games to work on that versatility.

For the second game in a row, he started a huge lineup with Kyle Lowry and four bigs around him. He liked the fact that they proved in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night that they can get back and set up defensively against a smaller and faster lineup. They did it a again against Washington, leading Nurse to hint that he may just stick with this starting lineup for a while longer.

But taking anything away from Friday night’s rout against an injury-ravaged Wizards team that doesn’t play defence would be foolhardy.

The Raptors right now just need to worry about themselves and staying consistent.

There’s not much in the way of elite-level competition on the schedule coming up, but there’s still plenty to work on.

“Being versatile, mixing lineups — small and big — continuing to develop some confidence in some of our younger guys, possibly trying to control minutes a little bit more here as we go. I wouldn’t say quite yet but maybe the last third or quarter of the season,” Nurse said of his plan for the remaining schedule.

“I think if we’re healthy now we’re able to do that (control minutes) in a matter that we can live with and get everybody not pushing up towards 40 (minutes), more like pushing down towards 30 (minutes)for most of the guys, with the odd game here and there depending on how the game’s going. And then lots of tweaking.”

It all continues tonight in Minnesota.

mganter@postmedia.com

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Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

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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.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

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.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

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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.

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Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

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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.

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