Giannis Antetokounmpo’s final play of Thursday night’s loss to the Toronto Raptors might have been the most telling play of the night.
It started with Khris Middleton bringing the ball up in transition. All night the Raptors swarmed Middleton, the Milwaukee Bucks’ two-time all-star. Every time he got the ball they seemed to attack him, forcing him to make the right pass over and over again. Late in the fourth quarter, things were no different. As he drove through the lane the Raptors defence collapsed around him, forcing him to wisely pass the ball over to Antetokounmpo. Against other teams, the 6-foot-11 two-time MVP would have gone up cleanly and dunked the ball with ease. But not against the Raptors. All that attention Toronto had just paid to Middleton quickly shifted over and OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet’s pesky hands got in the way of an easy layup.
Instead of finishing with ease, Antetokounmpo let his emotions get the best of him. After 37 minutes of frustration, he leaned in to Anunoby’s chin with his shoulder tried to go through the Raptors’ 6-foot-7 defensive stopper. Anunoby fell to the floor emotionless, of course. The ball went straight up and straight down. No bucket and a flagrant foul.
See, the thing about the Raptors is they’re pesky. They run what might be the most aggressive and frustrating defensive scheme in the NBA. So when you’re a star, even a star as talented as Antetokounmpo and Middleton, Toronto is going to get on your nerves.
“Their activity, their length, they’re scrambling, lots of double teams and trapping,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Toronto’s defence. “They were very active, and we weren’t as good as we need to be offensively in the first half.”
The Raptors make you make decisions in a hurry. They send pressure from every angle, constantly creating chaos for opposing offences. It’s how they force an NBA leading 16.8 turnovers per game.
On Thursday, they played textbook defence against Antetokounmpo. Of course, that makes sense considering Raptors coach Nick Nurse happened to write the textbook in the 2019 playoffs. Toronto sagged off of Antetokounmpo when he pulled up for a jump shot and swarmed him anytime he got deep in the paint. Against Middleton, it was constant double teaming to stop him from getting off his deadly jumper.
“Just makes you uncomfortable; you cannot get into your rhythm,” Antetokounmpo said of the Raptors defence. “Being able to get to your spot and rise up or get to your spot and get a bucket gives you rhythm, gives you energy then you find the right pass, you play harder defensively, but just like whenever you’re in office. They just make you, they make you feel uncomfortable. Whenever you get the ball there’s somebody coming. Whenever you drive the ball somebody is coming to catch the spin. Whenever Khris has the ball in pick-and-roll they’re double teaming. So it’s just hard.”
It helps, of course, having some elite defenders as the first line of defence against the Bucks superstars. Anunoby spent nearly five minutes or 18.59 partial possessions covering Antetokounmpo and didn’t surrender a single point, according to NBA Stats. Actually, he didn’t surrender a single point to anyone he covered all night.
DeAndre’ Bembry’s night was very much the same. He spent the plurality of his evening on Middleton and didn’t surrender a single point in over five minutes or 19.53 partial possessions as Middleton’s primary defender, per NBA Stats.
“He’s got a good feel for what’s going on out there,” Nurse said of Bembry who made his first start of the season against Milwaukee. “He knows who he’s guarding and he can apply some heat.”
Part of being that aggressive is knowing you’re going to get burned once in a while. On some night, against some superstars, that pressure is going to create open shots either at the rim or behind the arc. It’s not always a recipe for success, but when it works, it can be really really frustrating for opposing teams.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
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.”
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.
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.
