In the dying seconds Monday, Jimmy Butler bounced a pass intended for a basket-bound Goran Dragic for what would have been the game-tying two points.
Instead, Fred VanVleet lunged with water-bug speed to deflect the ball, securing the win for Toronto.
The Raptors backup guard known affectionately as “Steady Freddy” had a career-high 36 points and made seven three-pointers in Toronto’s 107-103 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday.
But his defensive game was equally as impressive.
“What makes [his defence] unique is he doesn’t look very fast out there, right? He doesn’t move up and down the court that fast, but his lateral side-to-side speed and the way he can move his feet is incredible, and it’s deceiving,” coach Nick Nurse said.
“You’re seeing him bring the ball up the floor, running up the floor and you think ‘Well, he’s not that athletic or fast or quick or anything,’ but his side-to-side athleticism is outstanding. . . He’s just got great IQ, he anticipates, he’s a step ahead sometimes.”
WATCH | VanVleet leads Raptors to win over Heat:
Fred VanVleet scored a career-high 36 points, going 7-for-12 on 3 pointers for the Raptors in a 107-103 victory over the Miami Heat. 0:47
Pascal Siakam added 22 points, while Serge Ibaka had 15 and Kyle Lowry chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds as the Raptors (48-18) stretched their win streak to six games, and improved to 2-0 in the NBA’s restart after the COVID-19 hiatus.
Dragic had 25 points to top the Heat (42-25). Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., had 17 points, two nights after a big game against Denver that saw him score 20 points in the fourth quarter of a 125-105 win. Jimmy Butler, who’d missed Sunday’s practice sparking speculation he was in quarantine, had 16.
The Raptors, who were slotted into Monday’s matinee spot because of the holiday in most of Canada, led by 17 points midway through the third quarter thanks to a 20-7 run and a virtual parade to the free-throw line led by VanVleet. Toronto took an 84-79 into the fourth.
Olynyk’s three-pointer midway through the fourth put Miami up by three, but Siakam’s three sparked a mini Raptors run, and when Lowry dished off a short pass to Ibaka for a dunk Toronto was back up by six with 6:11 to play.
Free throws from Lowry and VanVleet had Toronto up by six with 1:35 to play, but a Jae Crowder three-pointer and Dragic layup made it a one-point game with 41 seconds to play.
VanVleet seals victory
Lowry missed on a hard drive to the hoop, giving officials an earful afterward about what he thought was a missed call. Marc Gasol missed on a free throw that would’ve put Toronto up by three, but VanVleet deflected Butler’s pass to seal the victory.
“We were switching everything and just kind of being prepared for a slipout,” VanVleet said of the play. “I saw Jimmy coming back, he likes to base cut there, so just trying to be another body at the rim, and then I saw Dragic make the cut, so just tried to beat him to the spot and I was able to get my hand on it.”
VanVleet’s previous career high was 34 points versus New Orleans on Oct. 22.
“[VanVleet] was making tough shots. You have to live with them,” Miami’s Bam Adebayo said. “A lot of them were highly contested. He’s been to the Finals. He made big plays in the Finals. He’s just been doing what he’s been doing.”
The Raptors had been stifled by the Heat’s defence in two low-scoring losses previously this season — 90-83 in Toronto on Nov. 29, and 84-76 at Miami on Jan. 2.
‘Down to the wire’
The Raptors’ defence was that much better on Monday, and great preparation for the playoffs, Siakam said.
“It’s good, going down to the wire,” he said. “All the games are not going to be easy, you’re not going to win by 10, 15 points ahead, or whatever. But when those games get [close], and you’ve got to get stops to win the game, that’s the important part. Just being that team that focuses on defence, and knowing how important our defence is to our game, it’s good for us.”
Siakam, who’d struggled against the Heat, perhaps took it personally, hitting a trio of three-pointers and 15 points in the first quarter. His alley-oop dunk from Norman Powell, followed by an Ibaka three-pointer, sent the Raptors into the second quarter up 23-17.
Miami had a brief lead in the second, but the Raptors regained momentum with an 11-2 run, punctuated by a Lowry block on Herro’s layup attempt, and capped by a Powell three. The Raptors led 48-44 at halftime.
Toughest opponents
The Raptors face the toughest opponents of the 22 teams in the NBA’s “bubble” at Walt Disney World. But their big 107-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers — in which they held the Lakers to a season-low 35 per cent shooting — in Saturday’s opener showed the Raptors aren’t concerned.
Toronto plays Orlando on Wednesday, then Atlantic Division rival Boston on Friday. After that, Toronto will have four seeding games left before the playoffs.
Milwaukee’s Mike Budenholzer and Oklahoma City’s Billy Donovan were named co-winners of the NBCA’s coach of the year as voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches on Monday. Nurse, who is a favourite for the end-of-season coach of the year award, was one vote shy of making it a three-way tie.
“Those guys obviously did a great job,” Nurse said before the game. “You can’t argue with the Bucks’ record and how great OKC did after everybody had lower expectations for them.”
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.
