Pascal Siakam was mid-sentence, speaking to the media in Toronto’s post-game locker-room Sunday, when DeMar DeRozan rushed in and wrapped Siakam in a big bear hug.
DeRozan had just played spoiler in Siakam’s return from injury — and exacted a bit of revenge against his old team. The 30-year-old scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half to lift San Antonio to a 105-104 victory over the Raptors, his team for nine seasons before he was traded to the Spurs in the 2018 off-season for Kawhi Leonard.
“It says a lot especially against a great team,” DeRozan said of the Spurs’ comeback win.
Serge Ibaka had 21 points and 14 rebounds to top Toronto (25-14), becoming the third Raptor in history to record a double-double in eight straight games, along with Chris Bosh and Donyell Marshall.
WATCH | WATCH | DeMar DeRozan drops 25 points against former team:
DeMar DeRozan dropped 25 points against his former team in San Antonio’s 105-104 victory in Toronto. 1:44
Normal Powell, who returned after sitting 11 games with a shoulder injury, finished with 20 points, while Siakam, who’d been sidelined with a groin injury for 11 games, had 15 points and scored the game’s first basket just 47 seconds in when he posted up DeRozan.
The Raptors are still missing Marc Gasol — who wore a T-shirt that read “There is no planet B” — and Fred VanVleet. Both are out with hamstring injuries.
Raptors spiral in 4th
The Raptors led for most of the night, and had cobbled together an 18-point advantage by midway through an entertaining third quarter that saw Kyle Lowry and Derrick White go crashing out of bounds battling for a loose ball. Lowry landed inches from his young son, and gave his son a quick kiss before running back onto the court.
The Raptors led 82-69 to start the fourth, but it was virtually downhill from that point.
“We stopped playing,” said Lowry, who had 16 points and 15 assists. “We stopped being aggressive. We stopped being assertive. They got more aggressive. They got faster and we missed shots too … A lot happened and it was all spiralling downhill.”
A pair of DeRozan free throws capped a 21-5 Spurs run that gave San Antonio a three-point lead with 5:31 to play. The Spurs would go up by nine before Lowry, Powell and Ibaka responded with back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game with 1:17 to play, whipping the Scotiabank Arena crowd into a frenzy.
But Marco Belinelli knocked down an open three with 28 seconds left, Siakam missed on a layup, then DeRozan sprinted downcourt chased by Lowry, who fouled his friend and old backcourt partner. DeRozan connected on his two free throws, but Lowry drained a long three with four seconds left to cut the Spurs’ lead to a point. LaMarcus Aldridge breathed a bit of hope into the Raptors when he missed two free throws, but there were no last-second heroics as Siakam’s long shot at the buzzer bounced off the glass.
DeRozan receives standing O
DeRozan arrived in Toronto playing some of the best basketball of his career — he’d scored 20-plus points in each of his 10 previous games, becoming the first Spurs player in history to do so.
It took him until 1:25 left in the first half to score on Sunday.
“You always want to start off fast, but they threw a different look at me that no one threw this year, kind of corralling me, trapping me, so it’s kind of like Floyd Mayweather: first couple of rounds you feel it out and attack after that,” DeRozan said.
It was his second game in Toronto since the blockbuster trade that also sent Jakob Poeltl to the Spurs. The Raptors beat San Antonio 120-117 last February in Toronto when Leonard stole the ball from DeRozan and scored on a go-ahead dunk. Leonard drained two free throws in the dying seconds while the Toronto crowd chanted “M-V-P!”
Raptors fans gave DeRozan a standing ovation during a tribute video Sunday night.
WATCH | Raptors hold moment of silence for victims of Flight PS752:
The Toronto Raptors held a moment of silence for the victims of Flight PS752, which was shot down in Iran, before the team’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. 0:47
“I don’t know anybody who gets two tributes in a row. Find somebody else,” DeRozan joked. “It’s amazing to be able to get that much recognition. It never gets old.”
DeRozan’s teammates were happy for him.
“He’s a great teammate, man,” Aldridge said. “He’s very unselfish, he wants to win, plays the right way. I was happy to see them give him that video [tribute] again because I feel like he definitely played his heart out, he gave everything he could to this city and I think he honestly deserves it. To come back here, play great and get a win, it just feels good.”
Siakam was clearly happy to be back on the floor, smiling widely when introduced in the Raptors starting lineup. He then went to work, connecting on his first four shots for nine points before the game was five minutes old. His three-pointer put the Raptors up by 12 midway through the quarter. Toronto took a 28-21 advantage into the second.
“I feel like I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit,” Siakam said on his second half. “I wasn’t able to get back into it. It’s just going to take a little bit, I’m sure. . . I felt I could have been way more aggressive.”
Powell’s three midway through the second saw Toronto go back up by 12, and the Raptors went into the halftime break up 51-43.
Toronto shot just 32 per cent from long distance in the first half, but San Antonio was even worse at 20 per cent.
The Raptors head to Oklahoma City on Wednesday then return home to host Washington on Friday.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
