The Toronto Raptors’ playoff hopes are still alive – but to get there, they’ll have to vanquish a familiar face.
They’re set to host former Raptor DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls in their first-ever play-in game at Scotiabank Arena tonight, with hopes of moving on to a second must-win game, which would secure them the final playoff spot in the eastern conference.
Here are five things you need to know about tonight’s do-or-die game.
THE PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
The NBA play-in tournament is a three-year-old competition which gives the ninth and 10th seeds in the eastern and western conferences a chance to make the playoffs if they’re able to win two-straight single elimination games.
Prior to the tournament’s inception in the 2020-2021 season, only seeds one through eight in each conference made the post-season.
Now, the ninth and 10th seeds in each conference play each other in a single elimination game, while the seventh and eighth seeds also battle it out, with the winner claiming the seventh seed.
The loser then plays the winner of the ninth-10th seed game, and the team that comes out on top claims the eighth and final playoff spot.
Sitting in ninth place, the Raptors will need to win tonight at home against the Bulls, and then on Friday night on the road against Kyle Lowry and the Miami Heat.
If they can do that, they’ll make the playoffs and square off against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
“I think it should bode well for us to just be able to lock in on one thing,” said Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet, with a towel still draped over his head following practice on Monday.
“We have a couple of days to let the coaches come up with the schemes and the game plans, and we just try to go out and execute the best we can. It’s not exactly the playoffs but a similar type of preparation, getting ready for win or go home.”
DEMAR DEROZAN
For the first time since he was traded for Kawhi Leonard, former Raptors star DeMar DeRozan will face off against the team that drafted him in the post-season.
And after leading Toronto to five-straight playoff appearances to close out his Raptors career, DeRozan knows how boisterous the fans at Scotiabank Arena can be.
“The atmosphere is going to feel like it’s an Eastern Conference Finals game in a play-in game,” he told reporters on Sunday night.
“So it’s definitely going to be crazy. Driving to the arena, walking through the arena, you’re definitely going to feel it. That’s the beauty of that place, those fans. And any competitor would want to be a part of that.”
The Raptors drafted DeRozan ninth overall in 2009, and alongside Lowry, he helped lead the team to its first playoff appearance in five seasons in 2014, followed by its first-ever conference finals appearance in 2016.
DeRozan was a four-time all-star as a member of the Raptors and is still the franchise leader in points and minutes played.
“He’s still a great friend of mine,” Raptors forward OG Anunoby told reporters on Monday.
“Just a great teammate, we all looked up to him and he did a good job teaching us.”
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THE RAPTORS
The Raptors (41-41) were a slightly better regular-season team than the Bulls (40-42) this year, and they won the season series 2-1.
Toronto is widely favoured in tonight’s game, due in part to their home-court advantage, as well as their collection of young talent, namely defending Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, and playoff-hardened veterans like VanVleet and Pascal Siakam.
On the whole, the Raptors’ offense has also been much more impressive than Chicago’s this year.
Toronto has eight players that average more than nine points per game, while the Bulls have just five.
Defensively, the Raptors have strong rim-protection thanks to newly-acquired centre Jakob Poeltl, and a feared perimeter defender in Anunoby, who led the NBA in total and per-game steals this season.
He’ll likely be tasked with guarding DeRozan for most of the game, and the six-year forward says he knows it’ll be a challenge.
“[I have to make] him work for everything; make everything as difficult as possible,” he said.
“It’s definitely difficult against a player like him. He’s a great player with a bunch of different tricks and skills.”
Ultimately, the Raptors will need Siakam to create scoring chances for them in the half-court, where they struggle to put up points.
The team much prefers to get out and run in transition and use their athleticism to beat teams down the floor – but that becomes much harder to do in the post-season.
Another key for the Raptors will simply be to make their perimeter shots. The team was the third-worst three-point-shooting team in the league this year by percentage, but were able to win games when they got hot from the outside.
THE BULLS
Chicago’s strengths offensively come in the form of their all-star trio of DeRozan, Zach Lavine, and centre Nikola Vucevic.
But luckily for the Raptors, there aren’t many other scoring threats outside those three.
As a team, the Bulls were one of the worst offensive squads in the league this year, and were dead-last in attempted three-point shots, making them significantly easier to defend.
Still, if the game is close in the fourth quarter, DeRozan and Lavine are proven tough-shot makers, and Vucevic is one of the most skilled offensive big men in the NBA.
The Bulls’ real strength this year has been on defence. They employ two of the best guard defenders in the league in Patrick Beverley and Alex Caruso, who are sure to make VanVleet’s life difficult at the point of attack.
They’ve also got defensive-minded forward Patrick Williams, who averaged career-highs in steals and blocks in his third NBA season.
If Chicago’s defence can slow down the Raptors attack and keep the game close in the final minutes, they may have a chance to pull off the upset.
DeRozan says he knows that the Raptors defence will be focused on him throughout the game, but he’s confident he knows how to handle it.
DeMar DeRozan expects Toronto to again throw the kitchen sink at him defensively.
“They try to do everything in their power to make sure I don’t beat them,” he said. pic.twitter.com/OXDRYNHqOt
“I’m going to deal with it. I know how to deal with it now. But playing against [Raptors coach Nick Nurse] and playing against those guys, they try to do everything in their power to make sure I don’t beat them,” DeRozan said on Sunday.
“I’m aware of it for sure, and for my sake I definitely have my own theory around how I’m going to deal with it.”
START TIME, JURASSIC PARK, WEATHER
Tonight’s game between the Bulls and Raptors tips off shortly after 7 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.
And fans without a ticket into the building can still cheer on the team from “Jurassic Park” outside the arena, where the hugely popular playoff tailgate parties are held each year.
Fans will be required to register for a free mobile pass to be granted access to the tailgate area.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) says that passes for tonight’s game are currently available, with each fan having access to a maximum of four passes.
The mobile passes will only be available on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors mobile apps and can’t be downloaded from the Scotiabank Arena website, as was the case last year.
“Fans in attendance will enjoy exclusive giveaways, fun activations, special guests, a live DJ and more,” a press release states. Gates open at 5 p.m.
For fans planning to attend, the forecast is calling for summer-like weather for the duration of the game.
Clear skies and temperatures in the high-teens are expected well into the evening.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mountain West Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said Thursday the forfeitures that volleyball teams are willing to take to avoid playing San Jose State is “not what we celebrate in college athletics” and that she is heartbroken over what has transpired this season surrounding the Spartans and their opponents.
Four teams have canceled games against San Jose State: Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State and Wyoming, with none of the schools explicitly saying why they were forfeiting.
A group of Nevada players issued a statement saying they will not take the floor when the Wolf Pack are scheduled to host the Spartans on Oct. 26. They cited their “right to safety and fair competition,” though their school reaffirmed Thursday that the match is still planned and that state law bars forfeiture “for reasons related to gender identity or expression.”
All those schools, except Southern Utah, are in the Mountain West. New Mexico, also in the MWC, went ahead with its home match on Thursday night, which was won by the Spartans, 3-1, the team’s first victory since Sept. 24.
“It breaks my heart because they’re human beings, young people, student-athletes on both sides of this issue that are getting a lot of national negative attention,” Nevarez said in an interview with The Associated Press at Mountain West basketball media days. “It just doesn’t feel right to me.”
Republican governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming have made public statements in support of the cancellations, citing a need for fairness in women’s sports. Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee in this year’s presidential race, this week referenced an unidentified volleyball match when he was asked during a Fox News town hall about transgender athletes in women’s sports.
“I saw the slam, it was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so hard, hit the girl in the head,” Trump replied before he was asked what can be done. “You just ban it. The president bans it. You just don’t let it happen.”
After Trump’s comment, San Diego State issued a statement that said “it has been incorrectly reported that an San Diego State University student-athlete was hit in the face with a volleyball during match play with San Jose State University. The ball bounced off the shoulder of the student-athlete, and the athlete was uninjured and did not miss a play.”
San Jose State has not made any direct comments about the politicians’ “fairness” references, and Nevarez did not go into details.
“I’m learning a lot about the issue,” Nevarez said. “I don’t know a lot of the language yet or the science or the understanding nationally of how this issue plays out. The external influences are so far on either side. We have an election year. It’s political, so, yeah, it feels like a no-win based on all the external pressure.”
The cancellations could mean some teams will not qualify for the conference tournament Nov. 27-30 in Las Vegas, where the top six schools are slated to compete for the league championship.
“The student-athlete (in question) meets the eligibility standard, so if a team does not play them, it’s a forfeit, meaning they take a loss,” Nevarez said.
Ahead of the Oct. 26 match in Reno. Nevada released a statement acknowledging that “a majority of the Wolf Pack women’s volleyball team” had decided to forfeit against San Jose State. The school said only the university can take that step but any player who decides not to play would face no punishment.
OTTAWA – Travis Green might not have liked the end result, but he’s counting on his team learning from the effort.
Green’s Ottawa Senators were handed a 3-1 loss by the New Jersey Devils Thursday night in a game that highlighted the importance of sticking with things.
“I thought both teams played pretty well,” said Green. “I thought we had a lot of the game that I liked, but I thought there’s a few moments where it got away. We got away from our game, and they stuck with their game a little longer.
“There’s always momentum back and forth for one team to create some chances. It’s a fine line between winning and losing in the league, especially when you’re playing, two good teams are playing.”
Jacob Markstrom’s 30 saves also played a part, with the Devils goaltender only getting beat with 65 seconds left in regulation as the Senators were on the power play with an empty net.
Brady Tkachuk tipped a Claude Giroux shot to spoil Markstrom’s shutout bid.
“Outstanding,” said Devils coach Sheldon Keefe of his goaltender. “Just terrible that he doesn’t get the shutout that he deserves in this one here.
“You feel for him when they make that (penalty) call. You can just kind of feel like it’s going to give them a little extra life. But he was outstanding for us, no question.”
The two teams were scoreless after the first period, where each had to fight for every opportunity. Noah Gregor rang a shot off the crossbar for the Senators, but otherwise, neither team was able to generate much offensively.
The Devils capitalized in the second as a power play expired with Erik Haula redirecting a Johnathan Kovacevic shot past Anton Forsberg, who made 32 saves.
Less than four minutes later, Nathan Bastian took advantage of a Giroux giveaway and beat Forsberg low blocker for his first of the season with the Devils short-handed.
“I liked our second period a lot,” Keefe said. “We took hold of the game and didn’t give up much, and when we did, I thought it was really from the perimeter, only a couple there.”
The Devils tightened up defensively in the third and were able to make it 3-0 when Paul Cotter was left alone in the slot.
“I think for stretches of the game we played the right way and kind of get in on the forecheck and play that way,” said Senators centre Nick Cousins. “It seems like when we get down a couple goals, we kind of change our game, which isn’t a recipe for success in this league.
“I think we’ve just got to keep doing the right things over and over again, even when it’s 2-0.”
With the Senators just four games in and still learning and adjusting to a new system, Green understands there will be growing pains along the way.
“We’re also trying to define our game,” he said. “I think we’re getting there. Both teams play fast. It was a fast skating game. There wasn’t a lot of room to move out there for either team.”
In his short tenure behind the Senators bench, Green has seen his team play very different styles of games and knows there will be nights like this along the way, but learning from them will be key.
“There’s going to be a lot of nights where you kind of got to earn everything you get,” admitted Green. “It’s not going to be freewheeling. Good teams don’t play freewheeling hockey.
“You learn when you win, you learn when you lose games that you don’t play well. You learn when you lose games that you had a pretty good game but you still lose and you’ve got to find a way. Good teams find a way to win those games.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens fell 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. They also lost their top minute-muncher in the process.
Matheson logged 7:35 in ice time during the first period but did not return for the second because of an upper-body injury. When or how Matheson sustained the injury was not clear. The Canadiens said he would be re-evaluated on Friday.
The game was tied at 1 before he exited, forcing the Canadiens to play with five defencemen for 40 minutes.
“Mike is one of the biggest parts of our D core, and I think losing him — he’s playing against top line, playing power play and we want him on the ice — definitely losing him was a big loss,” teammate David Savard said. “We got to figure out a way to get the two points, even if a player goes out.”
The 30-year-old Matheson of Pointe-Claire, Que., led all Canadiens defencemen with 62 points and a 25:33 average ice time last season.
With his absence, rookie sensation Lane Hutson played a whopping 30:05 in only his seventh NHL game. The next closest player? Kaiden Guhle at 23:09.
Head coach Martin St. Louis was impressed with how the 20-year-old Hutson handled the challenge.
“Lane doesn’t take a shift off,” head coach Martin St. Louis said. “I love the consistency of his compete level, and he drives possession. For a guy who played 30 minutes, I think he gave everything he could to try and help the team.
“I’m not surprised. I know it’s challenging at this level, losing Mike definitely made him play many minutes, chasing the game made him play many minutes, but I just love his compete level.”
Canadiens fans have been clamouring for Hutson — a five-foot-nine, 162-pound defenceman with world-class skill — to take Matheson’s spot on the No. 1 power play.
The Canadiens, however, went 0-for-3 with Hutson running the show after Matheson went down. In the first instance, Kirby Dach took a hooking penalty early in the man-advantage to end it. On the second, the Canadiens failed to generate any zone time.
The third came in the final minutes, but the Kings buried an empty-netter.
“It wasn’t a lack of opportunity, lots of ice time, lots of shifts,” Hutson said. “It was good, it was fun, but obviously you want to be on the other side of it, winning.
“Means a lot (to get that opportunity), but obviously, you want to get more out of that opportunity. It’s a lot of ice, and you want to keep taking steps in the right direction.”
‘IMMATURE EFFORT’
The Canadiens fell to a Kings team that had lost three straight games and was coming off a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Under those circumstances, the Canadiens were brutally honest with themselves after the game.
“Definitely disappointed,” captain Nick Suzuki said. “It was an immature effort from us, especially with them playing yesterday and getting in late, so I think we gave them too much life, and let them feel comfortable in the game. It’s on us to be a lot better than that.”
Before the game, St. Louis stressed the need for a good first period against a fatigued Los Angeles side. That’s not what he saw Thursday night.
“I think we had 14 turnovers in the first period. It’s unacceptable. It gives them life,” he said. “Then you’re chasing the game for the second half of it — we didn’t play to our standard.
“I’m really disappointed. Really disappointed.”
BIG SAVE DAVE
Kings goalie David Rittich played his second game in two nights — an unusual occurrence in this day and age of the NHL. He made 25 saves after allowing four goals on 14 shots in Toronto.
“We always believe in him anyway, but he performed today pretty well and bounced back,” defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov said. “It’s probably like most important for himself, that’s huge, and for the team. He played outstanding today.”
LONG ROAD
The Kings are opening the season on a seven-game road trip because of renovations at Crypto.com Arena. They’ve collected six of a possible 10 points so far.
“Pretty much worse (than expected),” forward Phillip Danault said. “We’ve been on the road for three weeks … It’s good team-bonding, whether we should do it again I’m not sure, but it has turned out well let’s say with six points out of 10.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
