Day: March 11, 2022

RAPTORS-SUNS PREGAME NOTES

GAME #66 – TORONTO RAPTORS (35-30) at PHOENIX SUNS (53-13)
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022 – 9 P.M. (ET) – FOOTPRINT CENTER
TV: SPORTSNET – RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN


• The Toronto Raptors (35-30) continue a six-game road trip (March 6-16) Friday night against the Phoenix Suns (53-13) at Footprint Center. The Raptors are 3-5 since the All-Star break. Toronto will play six straight games (Mar. 9-18) versus Western Conference opponents. The Raptors are 12-11 against the West this year, after going 10-20 last season.
• The Raptors snapped a three-game winless streak (Mar. 3-6) Wednesday night with a 119-104 victory in San Antonio. Toronto shot .482 (41-85) from the field and .929 (26-28) from the free-throw line, after going .407 (110-270) from the field and .684 (54-79) from the free-throw line in its previous three games. The Raptors are a perfect 6-0 this season when they shoot 90 percent or better from the foul-line.
• All-Star Fred VanVleet returned to the lineup Wednesday night in San Antonio after missing five straight games (Feb. 28 – Mar. 6) with right knee soreness. VanVleet finished with a team-high 26 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes. He has now recorded 20+ points a career-best 30 times in 53 games played this season, something he did in 27-of-52 contests last year. VanVleet is averaging career highs of 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists this season.
• Pascal Siakam is averaging 21.5 points, and career bests of 8.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists, in 52 games this season. Siakam is one of just seven players in the NBA averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0
assists, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Dejounte Murray and Julius Randle. No Raptor has averaged 20-8-5 over the course of an entire season.
• Scottie Barnes scored 20 points and added eight rebounds in 34 minutes Mar. 9 at San Antonio. Barnes is now tied for second with Vince Carter (1998-99) and Marcus Camby (1996-97) having tallied 20+ points and 5+ rebounds in 14 games as a rookie this season. Damon Stoudamire (16) holds the franchise record.
• Toronto outrebounded the Spurs 47-36, including 13-7 on the offensive glass, Wednesday night. The Raptors (13.2) currently rank second in the NBA in offensive rebounds. Toronto is +17 (69-52) on the offensive glass through five games in March and has collected a league-best 69 offensive boards this month.
• Pascal Siakam tallied 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes Mar. 9 at San Antonio. Siakam has scored 20+ points in four consecutive games (Mar. 3-9), averaging 26.5 points and shooting .528 (38-72) from the field during this stretch. Siakam has recorded 20+ points in 33-of-52 games played this season, something he did 33 times in 56 contests last year.
• Scottie Barnes was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for February after averaging 15.2
points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 31.8 minutes in 12 games last month. Barnes is the 11th
player in franchise history to earn the honour.
PROBABLE STARTERS
F – SCOTTIE BARNES #4

MIN: 35.4 REB: 7.6 AST: 3.3 STL: 1.1 TO: 1.9 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 15.0
• Recorded 20 points (8-12 FG, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds and one assist in 34 minutes Mar. 9 at San Antonio.
• Ranks among the top-five rookies in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and minutes.
• Has scored 20+ points 14 times – most by a Raptors rookie since Vince Carter (23) during the 1998-99 season.
F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43

MIN: 37.6 REB: 8.4 AST: 5.0 STL: 1.3 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 21.5
• Finished with 20 points in 37 minutes Wednesday in San Antonio; added eight rebounds and three assists.
• Leads the Raptors with a career-best 20 double-doubles this season.
• Averaging 24.8 points and shooting .495 (45-91) from the field through five games in March.
C – KHEM BIRCH #24

MIN: 18.2 REB: 4.4 AST: 1.1 STL: 0.7 TO: 0.5 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 4.6
• Contributed four points and four rebounds in 17 minutes Mar. 9 at San Antonio.
• Has scored in double figures four times this season (Last: 11 – Mar. 1 vs. Brooklyn).
• Averaging 5.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 18.2 minutes in 16 games as a starter this season.
G – GARY TRENT JR. #33

MIN: 34.7 REB: 2.6 AST: 2.1 STL: 1.9 TO: 1.1 BLK: 0.3 PTS: 17.9
• Tallied 17 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist in 35 minutes Wednesday night in San Antonio.
• Ranks second in the NBA in deflections (204) and tied for second (1.86) in steals.
• Has recorded a team-best 104 steals this year after collecting 105 steals in his first three seasons combined.
G – FRED VANVLEET #23

MIN: 38.1 REB: 4.5 AST: 6.8 STL: 1.6 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 21.5
• Scored a team-high 26 points in 34 minutes Mar. 9 at San Antonio; added six rebounds, two assists & two steals.
• Ranks third in the NBA in three-point field goals (211) and deflections (203), despite missing 12 games.
• The Raptors are 12-4 this season when VanVleet scores 25+ points.

INJURY REPORT
OG Anunoby (Right Hand; Ring Finger – Fracture) – Out
Isaac Bonga (G League – On Assignment) – Out
Justin Champagnie (G League – Two-Way) – Out
Malachi Flynn (Left Hamstring; Strain) – Out
David Johnson (G League – Two-Way) – Out
UPDATED: Mar. 11, 2022
NEXT GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Denver Nuggets
Date: Saturday, March 12
Tip-Off: 9 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Ball Arena
Television: TSN
Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto
SERIES RECAP VS. DENVER
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2021-22 0-1 0-1 0-0
ALL-TIME 20-31 13-13 7-18
STREAKS Lost 2 Lost 1 Lost 4
LAST WIN: Mar. 24, 2021 (135-111)
LAST ROAD WIN: Nov. 18, 2016 (113-111 OT)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +27 (Mar. 23, 2007)
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -39 (Dec. 2, 2008)
LAST TIME VS. DENVER
GAME 55 – FEBRUARY 12, 2022
DENVER 110, TORONTO 109
TORONTO — Rookie guard Bones Hyland made a tiebreaking 3-pointer
with 2:16 to play, Nikola Jokic added a pivotal late block, and the Denver
Nuggets beat Toronto 110-109, ending the Raptors’ winning streak at
eight … Jokic had 28 points and 15 rebounds, Jeff Green scored 19 points
and Aaron Gordon had 13 as the Nuggets won for the third time in four
games … Hyland scored 11 points and Will Barton had 10 … Pascal
Siakam scored a season-high 35 points and had 10 rebounds, but the
Raptors lost for the first time since Jan. 26 at Chicago … Fred VanVleet
scored 25 points, Scottie Barnes had 17 and Gary Trent Jr. 11 … Barnes
scored to knot it at 103-all with 2:33 left, but the Nuggets scored seven of
the next 10 points, leading 110-106 after Barton’s basket with 28 seconds
left … VanVleet cut it to 110-109 with a 3 with 22 seconds remaining …
After a Denver timeout, Jokic was fouled but missed both free throws,
giving Toronto possession with 12.2 seconds to play … VanVleet missed a
3, and Jokic preserved the win with a huge block on OG Anunoby’s followup shot attempt … Jokic scored 18 points in the first quarter as Denver led
31-25 … Siakam replied with 13 in the second and the Raptors led 57-56
at halftime … Toronto took an 86-83 lead to the fourth … Denver outrebounded Toronto 50-35 as the Nuggets improved to 21-8 when they have
more rebounds than their opponent.
1 2 3 4 TOT
DENVER 31 25 27 27 110
TORONTO 25 32 29 23 109

2021-22 RECORDS
W-L EAST WEST
OVERALL 35-30 23-19 12-11
HOME 17-15 11-9 6-6
AWAY 18-15 12-10 6-5
OVERTIME 2-1 2-1 0-0

Kevin Durant: ‘It’s hard for you to chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by that much’ — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

76ers fans arrived early to jeer Ben Simmons. Many left before the Nets finished their 129-100 victory in Philadelphia last night.

Kevin Durant: ‘It’s hard for you to chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by that much’ — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

Stephen Curry overjoys young fan who cried when Curry missed previous Warriors-Nuggets game — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

Unhappy with how the NBA rescheduled its game against the Nuggets, the Warriors didn’t send their top players to Denver on Monday.

Stephen Curry overjoys young fan who cried when Curry missed previous Warriors-Nuggets game — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports

COYOTES 5, MAPLE LEAFS 4 (OT)

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (37-16-5 – 79 Points) vs.
ARIZONA COYOTES (18-35-4 – 40 Points)
THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022
1 2 3 OT FINAL
ARIZONA 2 2 0 1 5
TORONTO 0 1 3 0 4

SCORING NOTES

  • Pierre Engvall scored for Toronto at 4:55 of the second period. Engvall posted his 10th goal of
    the season. Engvall has recorded a point in three-consecutive games (1G, 2A).
  • Alexander Kerfoot scored for the Maple Leafs at 3:38 of the third period. Kerfoot posted his 10th
    goal of the season. Kerfoot also registered the primary assist on Engvall’s goal and the primary
    assist on Nylander’s goal. Kerfoot has posted 32 assists this season.
  • Auston Matthews scored for Toronto at 8:07 of the third period. Matthews posted his 44th goal
    of the season. Matthews has recorded eight points (7G, 1A) points through his last four games.
  • William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs at 8:17 of the third period. Nylander recorded his
    23rd goal of the season. Nylander also posted the secondary assist on Kerfoot’s goal. Nylander
    registered his 31st assist of the season. Nylander has recorded four points through his last two
    games (2G, 2A).
  • Timothy Liljegren recorded the secondary assist on Engvall’s goal. Liljegren posted his 14th assist of the season. Liljegren has registered an assist in four-consecutive games (4A) marking the longest point streak of his NHL career.
  • TJ Brodie recorded the primary assist on Kerfoot’s goal. Brodie posted his 15th assist of the season. Brodie has recorded five assists through his last three games.
  • Michael Bunting registered the primary assist on Matthews’ goal. Bunting posted his 27th assist of the season. Bunting is currently on a seven-game point streak where he has recorded 12 points (3G, 9A).
    GOALTENDER NOTES
  • Petr Mrázek stopped 8 of 12 shots during tonight’s game.
  • Erik Källgren relieved Mrázek during the second period and stopped 9 of 10 shots in tonight’s overtime loss. Källgren made his NHL debut.
    SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
  • The Maple Leafs were 1-for-1 on the penalty kill tonight.
  • This is the second game this season where Toronto did not receive a power play opportunity (the first being Feb. 26, 2022 at DET.)
    OF NOTE…
  • The Maple Leafs are 6-5 in overtime this season.
  • Alexander Kerfoot recorded three points (1G, 2A) during tonight’s game tying a single-game career-high which he has marked on seven occasions during his NHL career. Kerfoot registered his third three-point game of the season.
  • TJ Brodie recorded a single-game career-high seven shots during tonight’s game. He surpassed his previous career-high of six shots marked on Dec. 30, 2011 at OTT.
  • John Tavares recorded a single-game career-high seven hits during tonight’s game.
  • Timothy Liljegren posted a single-game career-high five shots during tonight’s game.
  • TJ Brodie was on the ice for a team-high 32 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5.
  • Ondřej Kaše finished the game with a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 100 percent (6
    for, 0 against).
    SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)
    1st 2nd 3rd OT TOTAL
    ARIZONA 7 (6) 9 (6) 5 (5) 2 (0) 23 (17)
    TORONTO 8 (8) 11 (10) 18 (17) 1 (0) 38 (35)
    SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)
    1st 2nd 3rd OT TOTAL
    ARIZONA 12 (10) 14 (11) 9 (9) 3 (0) 38 (30)
    TORONTO 22 (22) 23 (20) 35 (32) 2 (0) 82 (74)
    ON HOME ICE
  • The Maple Leafs are 20-7-2 at home this season.
  • Toronto’s all-time record is 39-54-8-3 in 104 games against the Arizona Coyotes and 22-27-2-3 in 54
    games played in Toronto.
  • Toronto is 17-8-3 against the Western Conference this season and 6-3-3 against the Central Division
    this season.
    RECORD WHEN…
  • Toronto is 12-12-3 when the opponent scores the first goal of the game.
  • The Maple Leafs are 4-8-3 when trailing after one period and 4-13-1 when trailing after two periods.
  • Toronto is 22-11-4 when outshot by their opponent.
  • The Maple Leafs are 4-3-1 in Thursday games.
    MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
    Shots 7 (Brodie)
    Shot Attempts 11 (Matthews)
    Faceoff Wins
    Faceoff Win Percentage
    Hits
    Blocked Shots
    Takeaways
    TOI
    Power Play TOI
    Shorthanded TOI
    Shifts
    5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage
    8 (Matthews)
    75% (Nylander – 3 won, 1 lost)
    7 (Tavares)
    2 (Kerfoot, Matthews, Lyubushkin)
    2 (Kerfoot, Bunting, Tavares)
    25:22 (Brodie)
    N/A
    1:24 (Brodie)
    33 (Rielly)
    100% (Kaše – 6 for, 0 against)
    UPCOMING GAMES:
    March 13 Leafs at Buffalo Tim Hortons Field 4:00 pm ET
    March 15 Leafs vs. Dallas Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
    March 17 Leafs vs. Carolina Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
    March 19 Leafs at Nashville Bridgestone Arena 7:00 pm ET
    March 23 Leafs vs. New Jersey Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET
    March 26 Leafs at Montreal Bell Centre 7:00 pm ET
    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.
    For Maple Leafs notes, transcripts, audio clips and media guides, please visit MapleLeafs.com/pressbox.
    POSTGAME QUOTES:
    HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE
    On Källgren’s NHL debut:
    “He was great. He was calm, cool, collected and big saves. He looked to be confident for a guy going in for his first start in those circumstances with no heads up. I thought he looked excellent. He didn’t get tested a lot and then when he did he was really good and obviously nothing he can do at all on the
    winning goal but he kept us alive with that save in overtime just before that. He gave us a chance to win the game the other way with Will’s breakaway so great showing by him. He should be proud of himself.”
    AUSTON MATTHEWS
    On tonight’s game and Källgren’s debut    :
    “We gave ourselves a chance and he gave us a chance in there so we battled back and got a point but obviously not good enough from the start and we didn’t get playing until the third period.”
    ERIK KÄLLGREN
    On what was going through his mind as he stepped into the game tonight:
    “Not much to be honest. I tried to keep the head clear and just go out there and embrace the moment. It
    was a big moment for me to play my first minutes in the NHL so just tried to have fun.”
    PETR MRÁZEK
    On his play tonight:
    “Well it started with the first goal, early on with a bad rebound there and that set the game. I think I didn’t
    help the team get through the first period where it easily could have been 0-0.”
    On if there was any added pressure tonight:
    “No, I don’t think there were any nerves. We don’t think about those things, we just treat it like another
    game and like I said it was an easy first save, block save should go in the corner and the game would be
    different.”

The good, the bad from James Wiseman’s return to the court — Monterey Herald

https://gfycat.com/ifr/goldensickargentinehornedfrog

STOCKTON — Warriors sophomore center James Wiseman was expected to be rusty in his first live game action in 11 months. But as a recent No. 2 overall, he was also expected to show some flashes of top-flight talent, too. Expectations were, indeed, reality in the center’s return to the court Thursday. There was some rust,…

The good, the bad from James Wiseman’s return to the court — Monterey Herald