William Nylander put the Maple Leafs on the board with a goal at 18:32 of the third period and later scored the overtime winner at 1:06 of the extra frame. Tonight’s game is his second multi-goal and fifth multi-point game of the season. Nylander has four points (3-1-4) over his last four games. He has 13 points (5-8-13) in 12 games on home ice this season.
Zach Hyman registered the primary assist on Nylander’s third period goal. Hyman has registered six of his seven assists on home ice this season. He has seven points (2-5-7) in nine games during the month of February.
Auston Matthews collected the secondary assist on Nylander’s third period goal and later registered the primary assist on Nylander’s overtime winning goal. Tonight’s game is Matthews’ third multi-assist and eighth multi-point game of the season. He has 19 points (11-8-19) in 12 games on home ice in 2020-21. In 11 games during the month of February, he has recorded 21 points (12-9-21).
Justin Holl picked up the secondary assist on Nylander’s overtime goal. Holl has recorded five of his seven assists on home ice in 2020-21. He has a pair of assists in four games against Calgary this season.
Michael Hutchinson stopped 21 of the 22 shots he faced to earn his second win of the season.
The Maple Leafs went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-4 on the power play tonight.
Travis Dermott and Morgan Rielly were on the ice for a team-high 22 shot attempts for at 5-on-5. Dermott finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 75.9% (22 for, 7 against), while Rielly finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 51.2% (22 for, 21 against).
Auston Matthews won 63% (5 won, 3 lost) of his faceoffs against Calgary centre Elias Lindholm.
Jason Spezza and John Tavares were both 4-for-5 (80%) on offensive zone faceoffs tonight.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Saturday, February 27, 7:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
Monday, March 1, 10:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
Wednesday, March 3, 8:00 p.m. at Edmonton Oilers (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Thursday, March 4, 10:00 p.m. at Vancouver Canucks (TSN4, FAN 590)
Saturday, March 6, 7:00 p.m. at Vancouver Canucks (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Stats reflect official NHL stats at the time of distribution. Please consult official NHL game sheets (links above) to confirm no statistical changes were made.
TOR@MIA Miami Heat Bradley, Avery Out Injury/Illness – Right Calf; Strain Dragic, Goran Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Ankle; Sprain Herro, Tyler Questionable Injury/Illness – Right Hip; Contusion Leonard, Meyers Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Surgery Silva, Chris Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Hip Flexor; Strain Vincent, Gabe Probable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Soreness Toronto Raptors Harris, Jalen Out G League – Two-Way Lowry, Kyle Probable Injury/Illness – Left Thumb; Sprain
RAPTORS NOTES • The Toronto Raptors play the second of a back-to-back set Wednesday night when they visit the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena. This marks the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Raptors and the Heat split consecutive games in Tampa in January. Toronto is 1-4 on the second night of a back-to-back this season. This is the Raptors only home-road back-to-back in the first half. • Kyle Lowry missed his fourth straight game (Feb. 18-23), and seventh of the season, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia due to a left thumb sprain. Lowry injured the thumb in the first quarter Feb. 16 at Milwaukee. The Raptors are 6-1 this season without Lowry in the lineup and 18-3 dating back to the start of last season. • After a 7-9 (.438) record in January, Toronto has responded with an 8-4 (.667) record in the month of February, including a 4-1 mark against the top-3 teams in the East Conference; Philadelphia (1-1), Brooklyn (1 -0) and Milwaukee (2-0). After tonight, the Raptors will have already faced Miami, Milwaukee and Philadelphia three times and play their third and final game against Boston on March 4. This season Toronto will face Eastern Conference opponents three times and each opponent in the West twice. • The Raptors outscored the Sixers 54-30 in the paint last night. Miami (40.2) and Toronto (40.6) currently rank first and second, respectively, in the NBA in points in the paint allowed. In their two meetings last month (Jan. 20-22), the Heat had the scoring advantage in the paint 82-64. • Pascal Siakam tallied 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 42 minutes Feb. 23 vs. Philadelphia. Siakam has now recorded at least five assists in a career-high six straight games (Feb. 14-23). He is averaging 6.3 assists and has a 3.45 assists-per-turnover ratio (38-to-11) during this stretch. • Norman Powell is averaging a career-high 17.3 points and shooting a career-best .426 (72-169) from three-point range this season. In February, Powell is averaging 21.8 points and has scored 20+ points eight times, including a season-high 31 points Feb. 19 at Minnesota. • Aron Baynes led the reserves with 11 points in 30 minutes yesterday against the Sixers. Baynes has now come off the bench in each of the last five games (Feb. 16-23), averaging 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds. • Fred VanVleet recorded two steals and a career high-tying four blocks Feb. 23 vs. Philadelphia. VanVleet currently leads the NBA with 55 steals and has blocked 27 shots this season. He is one of just five players with 40+ steals and 25+ blocks, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo (40 stl, 41 blk), Robert Covington (45 stl, 31 blk), Matisse Thybulle (42 stl, 28 blk) and Andre Drummond (40 stl, 29 blk). • For the first time since the 2012-13 season the Raptors will not have at least one all-star. Toronto had at least player selected for seven straight seasons, with two Raptors going each of the last five years.
The Toronto Raptors announced their 2020-21 second half schedule on Wednesday. The Raptors will play 35 games in the second half, including 19 at home, starting Thursday, March 11 when they host the Atlanta Hawks at Amalie Arena. Toronto announced earlier this month the team will finish the season in Tampa, Florida because of ongoing border restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The longest homestand of the second half schedule is five games from Apr. 13-21, while the longest road trip is four games which occurs Apr. 29 – May 4. The Raptors will have eight back-to-back sets.
The second half schedule features four U.S. national television appearances with one game on ESPN and TNT and two on NBATV. The Raptors local television schedule will be released at a later date.
Each team will play 72 games in the 2020-21 season, facing each opponent in its conference three times (42 total games per team) and each opponent in the other conference twice (30 total games per team). In the first half, the Raptors will have played 37 games with 17 at home in Tampa.
RAPTORS 2020-21 SECOND HALF SCHEDULE NOTES
Atlantic Division
Brooklyn (H: 4/21, 4/27); New York (A: 4/11, 4/24); Total (H: 2, A: 2)
Central Division
Chicago (A: 3/14, 5/13); Cleveland (H: 4/26, A: 3/21, 4/9); Detroit (A: 3/17, 3/29); Indiana (H: 5/16); Total (H: 2, A: 6)
Southeast Division
Atlanta (H: 3/11, 4/13); Charlotte (A: 3/13); Orlando (H: 4/16); Washington (H: 4/5, 5/6); Total (H: 5, A: 1)
The Nuggets made history on Tuesday. Denver recorded just one turnover in its 111-106 win over Portland at Ball Arena. The team tweeted out after the game that it was the fewest in NBA history. The sole turnover was recorded by Jamal Murray. “I’m sick,” Murray said after the game after he found out about…
SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪ TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus CALGARY
ALL-TIME RECORD:
63-61-12-5 (141 Games)
ALL-TIME at HOME:
36-20-7-3 (66 Games)
2020-21:
2-1-0
LAST FIVE:
2-2-1
LAST 10:
6-3-1
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus CALGARY
GAMES PLAYED:
Joe Thornton (66), Jake Muzzin (33), Jason Spezza (30)
GOALS:
Joe Thornton (11), John Tavares (8), Wayne Simmonds (7)
ASSISTS:
Joe Thornton (44), Jake Muzzin (16), John Tavares (11)
POINTS:
Joe Thornton (55), John Tavares (19), Jake Muzzin (19)
PENALTY MINUTES:
Jason Spezza (33), Joe Thornton (31), Wayne Simmonds (23)
MAPLE LEAFS – FLAMES TEAM STATS
TORONTO
CALGARY
GOALS FOR (Rank):
72 (2nd)
49 (t-17th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):
54 (t-19th)
54 (t-19th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):
21/63 [33.3%] (t-1st)
16/74 [21.6%] (15th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):
52/66 [78.8%] (17th)
54/66 [79.4%] (15th)
SHOTS PER GAME (Rank):
29.5 (22nd)
29.3 (23rd)
SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME (Rank):
28.9 (t-9th)
30.3 (19th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):
807 (8th)
779 (11th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):
48.8% (t-20th)
51.1% (9th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):
52.1% (9th)
50.0% (t-15th)
MAPLE LEAFS – FLAMES NOTES
First Matchup between Clubs:
Nov. 5, 1972 (Toronto 2, Atlanta 2)
All-Time Record:
63-61-12-5 (141 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:
36-20-7-3 (66 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:
27-41-5-2 (75 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent at Home:
Dec. 6, 2017 (Toronto 2, Calgary 1 SO)
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
CATEGORY
LEADER
GOALS
18 (Matthews)
ASSISTS
21 (Marner)
POINTS
30 (Marner)
POWER PLAY POINTS
9 (Marner, Matthews, Rielly)
SHORTHANDED POINTS
N/A
PIMs
22 (Simmonds)
SHOTS
78 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%
58.7% (Spezza)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %
57.8% (Thornton)
BLOCKED SHOTS
35 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS
18 (Matthews)
HITS
35 (Hyman)
TOI PER GAME
23:47 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME
3:34 (Matthews)
SH TOI PER GAME
3:29 (Holl)
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
Frederik Andersen
– Leads the NHL in wins (11).- Tied for second among NHL goaltenders in saves made (411).- Has a 9-2-2 record with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in 15 career games against Calgary.
Travis Boyd
– Averaging 2.74 points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks fifth among Toronto skaters who have appeared in multiple games.
TJ Brodie
– Averaging 18:43 in even-strength ice time, which ranks second among Toronto skaters.- Fourth among Maple Leafs defencemen in points (0-5-5).
Justin Holl
– Ranks 33rd among NHL right handed defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (16:59) with a shot attempt percentage of 50.0%.- Tied for 28th among NHL defencemen who average at least 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time (16:59) with a goals for percentage of 51.8%.- Tied for 11th in the NHL in shorthanded ice time per game (3:29).
Michael Hutchinson
– Has a .922 save percentage at even-strength through two starts this season.
Zach Hyman
– Leads Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:20).- Has the second-highest on-ice goals for percentage (68.0%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto forwards.
Alex Kerfoot
– Has two goals and five assists in 12 games on home ice this season.- Ranks sixth among Toronto forwards in shifts per game (20.0).- Has seven points (3-4-7) in 10 games during the month of February.
Mitch Marner
– Second among NHLers in assists (21)- Tied for second among NHLers in points (9-21-30).- Tied for second in the NHL in even-strength goals (9).- Leads NHL forwards in time on ice per game (22:52).- Has played 39.7% of Toronto’s shorthanded ice time.- Has the highest on-ice goals for percentage (74.2%) at 5-on-5 among Toronto forwards..
Auston Matthews
– Leads the NHL in goals (18).- Fourth among NHLers in points (18-11-29).- Averaging 21:53 in time on ice per game, which is ranked fifth among NHL forwards.- Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (51.2%).- Tied for second in the NHL in shots on goal (78).- Leads the NHL in scoring during the month of February (12-7-19).
Ilya Mikheyev
– Ranks third among Maple Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:10).- Has an average of 15.2 shot attempts per 60 minutes of shorthanded ice time, which ranks second among NHLers who have played at least 40 minutes of shorthanded ice time (43:21). – Has started 38.4% of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest percentage among Maple Leafs.
Jake Muzzin
– Tied for 23rd among NHL skaters in shorthanded ice time per game (3:13).- Tied for 13th among NHL defencemen and ranks sixth among Maple Leafs in points (1-11-12). – Has started 48.0 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the lowest mark among Toronto defencemen.
William Nylander
– Has the eighth highest points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (1.80) among Toronto skaters who have appeared in over five games.- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 52.5%, which is the second-highest percentage among Maple Leafs forwards who have appeared in at least five games.- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 56.2% at 5-on-5.- Averaging 2.19 takeaways per 60 minutes of ice time, which ranks third on the Maple Leafs.
Morgan Rielly
– Leads Maple Leafs in average time on ice (23:47).- Tied for third among NHL defencemen in points (2-14-16).- Has five assists in three games against Calgary this season.- Has nine points (1-8-9) in 10 games during the month of February.
Jason Spezza
– Has the fourth-highest points per 60 minutes rate (2.88) at 5-on-5 among Maple Leafs who have appeared in over five games.- Has won 60.5% of his defensive zone faceoffs, which is the fourth highest percentage among NHLers who have taken at least 75 defensive zone draws.
John Tavares
– Tied for 13th in the NHL in power play goals (4).- Tied for the fifth-highest faceoff win percentage (58.4%) among NHLers who have taken at least 275 faceoffs (291).- Has five goals and four assists in 12 games at home this season.- Has an on-ice goals for percentage of 56.2% at 5-on-5 in 2020-21.
Joe Thornton
– Has the highest 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage among Toronto skaters at 57.9%.- Has three goals and six assists in nine games this season.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
None
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Zach Bogosian
Two points from 200 NHL points
Travis Boyd
Three games from 100 career NHL games
Jake Muzzin
Two games from 600 career NHL games
Joe Thornton
Five assists from 1,100 career NHL assists
RECENT MILESTONES
Justin Holl
100th NHL game (Feb. 20 at MTL)
Auston Matthews
300th NHL game (Feb. 20 at MTL)
Jake Muzzin
200th NHL assist (Feb. 17 vs. OTT) 100th game as a Maple Leaf (Feb. 17 vs. OTT)
INJURY REPORT
Frederik Andersen (Lower Body)
Did not play on Feb. 22 vs. CGY.
Jack Campbell (Leg)
On injured reserve.
Zach Hyman
Did not play on Feb. 22 vs. CGY.
Jake Muzzin (Face)
Did not play on Feb. 22 vs. CGY.
Wayne Simmonds (Wrist)
On injured reserve.
Joe Thornton (Lower Body)
Did not play on Feb. 22 vs. CGY.
Man Games Lost: 50
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Feb. 17
Acquired forward Alex Galchenyuk from Carolina in exchange for forward Egor Korshkov and defenceman David Warsofsky.
Toronto: R. Clune (2) (C. Rosen, J. McKenna), J. Anderson (2) (A. Brooks, K. Agostino), J. Duszak, (1) (K. Agostino, A. Brooks), T. Gaudet (4) (S. Pooley, T. Kivihalme), J. Anderson (3) (K. Rubins, J. Duszak) Goaltender: A. D’Agostini (30/31)
Stockton: A. Gallant (1) (M. Simpson, R. Hamilton) Goaltender: G. Sparks (20/25)
ON THE SCORESHEET
Rich Clune put the Marlies on the board at 2:52 of the first period. He has two goals in two consecutive games.
Joey Anderson scored at 7:26 of the first period and 16:23 of the third period. This was his second career game-winning goal. Anderson has five points (3 goals, 2 assists) through six games with the Marlies this season.
Joseph Duszak scored at 15:49 of the first period and has the secondary assist on Anderson’s third period goal. This was his first goal of the season. Duszak has five points (1 goal, 4 assists) in six games.
Tyler Gaudet scored at 4:12 of the second period. Gaudet has seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) in seven games this season.
Calle Rosen recorded the primary assist on Clune’s first period goal. Rosen has points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games.
Jeremy McKenna registered the secondary assist on Clune’s first period. He has assists (2) in his first two AHL games.
Adam Brooks picked up the primary assist on Anderson’s goal and the secondary assist on Duszak’s goal, both in the first period. This is Brooks’ second multi-point game of the season. He has six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in six games.
Kenny Agostino had the secondary assist on Anderson’s goal and the primary assist on Duszak’s goal, both in the first period. Agostino has points (2-5-7) in five consecutive games. He had 49 points (27 goals, 22 assists) in 53 games last season.
Scott Pooley recorded the primary assist on Gaudet’s second period goal. Pooley has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in six games.
Teemu Kivihalme collected the secondary assist on Gaudet’s second period goal. Kivihalme has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in six games.
Kristians Rubins registered the primary assist on Anderson’s third period goal.
Joseph Duszak had the secondary assist on Anderson’s third period goal. Duszak has three points (1-1-2) through two games.
Andrew D’Agostini stopped 30 of 31 shots he faced. D’Agostini is now 4-2-0-0 on the season with a .933 save percentage and a 1.86 goals against average.
OF NOTE…
The Marlies are third in the AHL in goals for (24).
Toronto went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-2 on the power play.
Stockton had a 31-25 edge in shots in all situations. Joey Anderson, Joseph Duszak, Scott Pooley and Calle Rosen led the Marlies with three shots on goal.
The Marlies are 4-2-0-0 against Canadian Division opponents and 2-0-0-0 against the Stockton Heat.
RECORD WHEN…
The Marlies are 2-0-0-0 when leading after the first period and 3-0-0-0 when leading after the second period.
Toronto is 2-0-0 when outshot by their opponent.
The Marlies are 2-0-0-0 in Tuesday games and are 4-2-0-0 in February.
MARLIES LEADERS
Goals: T. Gaudet (4)
Assists: K. Agostino,T. Liljegren (5)
Points: K. Agostino, T. Gaudet (7)
PPG: A. Brooks (2)
Shots: K. Agostino,N. Robertson (18)
+/-: T. Gaudet, C. Rosen (+7)
PIMS: H. Elynuik (14)
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH GREG MOORE
On whether Toronto took their foot off the pedal as their lead grew: To be honest with you, I didn’t think we had our foot down on the pedal at any point to start the game. We were very fortunate to be up the way we were. The group knows it. They know they didn’t come out and play the way they needed to play. It’s a tough win to enjoy when the process and how we want to play is not there.
On Andrew D’Agostini’s play over six games: He’s having a lot of fun. He’s got a big smile on his face. He’s been our most consistent competitor in these games and that’s not to take away from our team, we’ve had some really good games up until today. The score could have very easily been flipped in the opposite direction. D’Agostini again gave us a heck of a chance to win a hockey game. We were opportunistic with our chances but for the most part, our group’s not very happy with the overall game and how we played tonight.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
February 19: Recalled defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer from loan to Wichita (ECHL)Signed defenceman Dakota Krebs to an ATO
UPCOMING GAMES: *All times Eastern Standard Time
February 24 at Stockton – 8:00 p.m. February 26 at Stockton – 4:00 p.m. March 1 vs. Manitoba – 7:00 p.m. March 3 vs. Manitoba – 7:00 p.m. March 5 vs. Stockton – 7:00 p.m.
Toronto FC announced today that defender Eriq Zavaleta has been re-signed to a new contract through 2021 with an option for the 2022 season.
“Eriq is another veteran who’s given a lot to the club,” said Toronto FC General Manager Ali Curtis. “This is a big year for Eriq. He comes to the training ground every day ready to work and is a great role model as an all-around professional for our young players.”
Zavaleta, 28, is entering his seventh season with Toronto FC and ninth in Major League Soccer (MLS). He was originally acquired in a trade with Seattle Sounders FC on January 26, 2015. Zavaleta has made 136 combined appearances, with two goals and two assists over six seasons for the Reds. Zavaleta is one of 12 players to have made 100 appearances or more and currently ranks eighth all-time in club history on that list. Zavaleta was part of the Reds 2017 Treble winning season (MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, Canadian Championship), and has been part of two additional Canadian Championship winning teams (2016, 2018) with TFC.
TRANSACTION: Toronto FC re-sign defender Eriq Zavaleta to a new contract.
Fans hoping to attend a Giants home game during spring training won’t find any tickets available at Scottsdale Stadium or on the team’s website. A team spokesperson told the Bay Area News Group the Giants offered tickets to spring training season-ticket holders last week and then placed a small number of remaining tickets for home…
Eduardo Rodriguez threw to live hitters for the first time this spring on Tuesday at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, a significant step for the Red Sox left-hander after missing the 2020 season due to myocarditis. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was impressed with how Rodriguez looked during his live session, saying he saw much…
RAPTORS NOTES • The Toronto Raptors play the second of consecutive games against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each had 23 points as the Raptors beat Philadelphia 110-103 on Sunday for their season-high fourth straight victory. After starting the 2020-21 season with one win in seven games, the Raptors are above .500 for the first time. • The Raptors have won 16 straight games at home against the Sixers. Since 2013-14, Toronto is 25-5 vs. Philadelphia during the regular season. • This is Toronto’s fifth and final ‘series’ in the first half where a team scheduled to play twice in one market, has those games scheduled to be played consecutively. The Raptors are 7-2 in ‘series’ games, which includes sweeps over Charlotte (H) and Milwaukee (A) and splits with Miami (H) and Indiana (A). Toronto also swept consecutive games with Orlando, however it was a home-and-away set. • Fred VanVleet is averaging career highs of 20.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds this season. He leads the NBA in total steals (53) and deflections (117), and is tied for second with 39 loose balls recovered. VanVleet could become the first undrafted all-star since Ben Wallace in 2006. Toronto has had at least one all-star selected for seven straight seasons, with two Raptors going each of the last five years. • The Raptors (8-3) have the best record in Eastern Conference in February. Toronto is averaging 116.4 points and shooting .473 (452-956) from the field, including .401 (159-397) from three-point range this month. The trio of Fred VanVleet (22.5), Pascal Siakam (22.0) and Norman Powell (21.5) lead the Raptors on the offensive end, combining to average 66.1 points in February. Two of Toronto’s three losses this month have come on the second night of a back-to-back set. • Pascal Siakam recorded 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists Feb. 21 vs. Philadelphia. Siakam has now recorded five or more assists in a career-high five straight games (Feb. 14-21). He is averaging 6.2 assists and has a 3.10 assists-per-turnover ratio (31-to-10) during this stretch. Siakam has dished out double-digit assists twice this season, including a career-high 12 Jan. 8 at Sacramento. • Kyle Lowry missed his third straight game (Feb. 18-21), and sixth of the season, Sunday vs. Philadelphia due to a left thumb sprain. Lowry injured the thumb in the first quarter Feb. 16 at Milwaukee. The Raptors are 6-0 this season without Lowry in the lineup and 18-2 dating back to the start of last season. • Chris Boucher led the reserves with 17 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, in Sunday’s victory over the Sixers. He also matched a career high with five three-point field goals. Boucher has scored 15+ points 12 times this season and leads the NBA with seven double-doubles off the bench.
76ERS-RAPTORS: Philadelphia is 20-11 this season and in first place in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors are 16-15 on the season, sitting fifth in the East. It’s the third of three meetings between the two teams during the First Half of the 2020-21 season. The season series is tied 1-1. Dec. 29, 2020: Philadelphia defeated Toronto, 100-93, at home. o JOEL EMBIID led the 76ers with a stat-stuffing night, including 29 points (14-16 FT), 16 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. TOBIAS HARRIS also tallied 20-plus points with 26 (11-20 FG), adding 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Feb. 21, 2021: Philadelphia fell to Toronto, 110-103, on the road. o BEN SIMMONS led the 76ers with 28 points (9-11 FG, 10-14 FT) and added nine rebounds and five assists in the loss. Toronto’s CHRIS BOUCHER tied a career high with five three-pointers as he scored a bench-high 17 points, while FRED VANVLEET and PASCAL SIAKAM tied for the team high with 23 points each. RAPTORS TAKE FIRST OF TWO: The 76ers fell to the Raptors, 110-103, in the first of consecutive meetings at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Toronto won the second half, 58-48, en route to the seven-point victory. BEN’S BACK: Ben Simmons returned to the lineup, following a two-game absence, and led the team in scoring with 28 points (9-11 FG, 10-14 FT). He also added nine rebounds and five assists in his 39 minutes of action. o It was Simmons’ fifth 20-point game of the season, and his second consecutive game leading the team in scoring. Each of his 20-point games have come since Jan. 23 at Detroit. In 12 games over that span, he’s averaging 19.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists, while shooting .623 from the field and .711 from the free-throw line (NBA.com/stats). o For the season, Simmons is one of five players (two in the East), averaging 15-8-7 in points, rebounds and assists. The only other Eastern Conference player with such averages is Washington’s RUSSELL WESTBROOK, and the others are Western Conference All-Star starters LUKA DONČIĆ, LEBRON JAMES and NIKOLA JOKIĆ (NBA.com/stats). o Simmons’ .572 mark from the field for the season ranks 11th in the NBA, while his .671 mark from the free-throw line represents a career high (NBA.com/stats). 25… AGAIN: Joel Embiid turned in his 17th double-double of the season with 25 points (12-14 FT) and a season-high-tying 17 rebounds (now done three times). He also added a pair of blocks shots in his 36 minutes. Embiid is tied with Miami’s BAM ADEBAYO and Phoenix’s DEANDRE AYTON for 10th in the NBA with 17 double-doubles, while his average of 11.3 rebounds per game ranks eighth in the league (NBA.com/stats). o Embiid has now scored 25-or-more points in 14 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 20 vs. Boston. The only 76er ever with a longer such streak is Hall of Famer ALLEN IVERSON, who had three streaks of 15 such games and a franchise-best 27- gamer (Elias Sports Bureau). o During the streak, Embiid is averaging 34.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks over 14 contests. He’s the only player in the league posting 30-10-3 per game over that span (NBA.com/stats). o Embiid has tallied 34 rebounds over the last two games, posting a season-high 17 in each outing. It’s the eighth time in his career he’s collected 17-or-more rebounds in consecutive games. The only other 76ers to do so since the 1990-91 season are SAMUEL DALEMBERT (one streak), CLARENCE WEATHERSPOON (once), ARMEN GILLIAM (once) and Hall of Famers DIKEMBE MUTOMBO (once) and CHARLES BARKLEY (once) (Stathead). o He connected on 12 of his 14 free-throw attempts, giving him 249 for the season, which is second in the NBA only to Atlanta’s TRAE YOUNG (254). Embiid leads the NBA in both free throws made (10.0) and attempted (11.7) per game (NBA.com/stats). Embiid’s average of 10.0 free throws made per game is currently the seventh-best mark in NBA history, per Stathead. No 76er have ever averaged more than 10 free throws per game for a full season. DANNY SWIPES: DANNY GREEN totaled a game-high five steals, adding nine points via three three-pointers against the Raptors. The five steals matched a career high for Green, the fourth time he’s tallied five takeaways in a game. The three other occasions all came while with San Antonio (Dec. 28, 2014, Nov. 25, 2013 and March 16, 2012), per Stathead. Green leads the team with 70 threes and is third with 36 steals. He’s one of nine players in the league with at least 70 threes and 35 steals, joining New Orleans’ LONZO BALL, Indiana’s MALCOLM BROGDON and JUSTIN HOLIDAY, Utah’s MIKE CONLEY, Golden State’s STEPHEN CURRY, Milwaukee’s KHRIS MIDDLETON, Charlotte’s TERRY ROZIER and Toronto’s FRED VANVLEET (Stathead).
BARCELONA (AP) — Pau Gasol is going home, announcing Tuesday that he will sign to play with FC Barcelona again and rejoin the franchise with which he started his professional basketball career more than 20 years ago. The Spaniard has previously said he wants to play in his fifth Olympic Games but that he needs […]
