It’s as if the Celtics gave Kevin Garnett his seat under the basket for this very reason. Jaylen Brown dunked so completely over Maxi Kleber in the second quarter that he straddled the Dallas forward, finally landing on his feet with a roar, directly in front of Sunday’s guest of honor. 547 more words
Celtics fall to Dallas on KG Day, 95-92 — Boston Herald
TORONTO MARLIES (26-20-3-1 – 56 Points) vs.
SYRACUSE CRUNCH (24-21-6-2– 56 Points)
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | FINAL | |
| TORONTO | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2-2 | 3 |
| SYRACUSE | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0-2 | 2 |
GAME SUMMARY | GAME SHEET | PHOTOS | SCRUMS
SCORING SUMMARY
Toronto: J. Anderson (20) SH (A. Biega, K. Rubīns), J. Duszak (7) (J. Anderson, C. Krys)
Goaltender: M. Hutchinson (35/37) W
Syracuse: R. Elie (14) (O. Somppi), D. Walcott (5) (F. Claesson, A. Green)
Goaltender: H. Alnefelt (14/15), M. Lagace (10/11) L
ON THE SCORESHEET
IN THE SHOOTOUT
OF NOTE
| RECORD WHEN Scoring first 20-5-1-1 Tied after 1 6-3-0-0 Tied after 2 5-2-0-0 On the road 14-10-1-0 March 2-5-0-0 Saturday 10-5-2-0 | MARLIES LEADERS *Amongst active players Goals 20 (J. Anderson) Assists 33 (J. Duszak) Points 40 (J. Duszak, B. Seney) PPG 6 (J. Anderson, A. Steeves) Shots 120 (A. Steeves) +/- +13 (B. Seney) PIMS 84 (R. Clune) |
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH GREG MOORE
On tonight’s game:
The whole effort, everything that the team brought today was impressive. Really proud of the group. These last three games we’ve put together, last game we didn’t get the result we wanted but they extended the way they played today. It was just a gutsy effort. It was fun to watch them dig one out.
On Michael Hutchinson:
That’s a tough spot for a goalie to be out that many games, he comes in and plays phenomenal. Made some huge saves for us, gave us a chance to win the game here in a tough building.
JOEY ANDERSON (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On rebounding from last night’s loss:
It was great. I thought last night we put forth a really great effort, didn’t get the result we wanted but we kept that going tonight. Guys were all pulling on the rope together and it was just a really good 60 minutes and a little more than that tonight. We had every guy pulling on the rope tonight and doing the little things we needed to do to win and Hutchy steps in after not playing for a while and was awesome for us and it was great to see that. It was a really good night for the guys to get this win.
UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time
March 17 vs. Hershey – 1:30 p.m.
March 19 vs. Chicago – 4:00 p.m.
March 20 vs. Chicago – 4:00 p.m.
March 22 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – 7:00 p.m.
March 23 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – 7:00 p.m.
2021-22 Matchups vs. Buffalo: Third of Four
2021-22 Record vs. Buffalo: 1-1-0
Toronto Season Record: 37-16-5
Toronto Road Record: 17-9-3
TV: Sportsnet RADIO: Sportsnet 590
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
March 10, 2022
Goaltender Erik Källgren has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies
(AHL) on an emergency basis.
March 8, 2022
Defenceman Mac Hollowell has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies
(AHL).
March 4, 2022
Defenceman Mac Hollowell has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies
(AHL).
February 25, 2022
Forward Nick Robertson has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies
(AHL).
LAST GAME
Score: Toronto 4 vs. Arizona 5 – OTL
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2022
TOR Goals: Engvall, Kerfoot, Matthews, Nylander
ARI Goals: Galchenyuk, Chychrun, Boyd, Fischer, Chychrun (OTW)
TOR Goaltender: Mrazek, 8/12, .667 SV%, Kallgren, 10/11, .909 SV%
ARI Goaltender: Wedgewood, 34/38, .895 SV%
TOR Power Play: N/A
TOR Penalty Kill: 1-for-1
Team Notes:
LAST GAME
Thursday, March 10
Vegas 1 at Buffalo 3
Goals: Krebs, Olofsson, Tuch
Goalie: Anderson (30 saves/31 shots)
PP: 1/4; PK: 4/4; Shots: Vegas 31 – Buffalo 24
CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 404)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Drake Caggiula (upper body, Nov. 26; IR) – 40 games
Malcolm Subban (upper body, Jan. 13; IR) – 24 games
Colin Miller (upper body, Jan. 17; IR) – 22 games
Zemgus Girgensons (undisclosed, Jan. 29; IR) – 17 games
Will Butcher (lower body, Jan. 30; IR) – 16 games
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
3/6: Activated F Vinnie Hinostroza off IR
UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday, March 17: Buffalo at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Friday, March 18: Buffalo at Calgary, 9 p.m.
Sunday, March 20: Buffalo at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Wednesday, March 23: Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 25: Washington at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
TODAY’S GAME
MAPLE LEAFS at SABRES
This is the third of four meetings between the Sabres and Maple Leafs this season.
Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Toronto 5-1 in Toronto on March 2.
Next meeting: Tuesday, April 12 in Toronto.
The Sabres are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games against the Maple Leafs; 4-5-1 at home.
This is the 221st game all-time between Buffalo and Toronto; Buffalo has a 118-74-28 series record.
The Sabres are 72-30-9 at home against the Maple Leafs all-time.
THIS DAY IN SABRES HISTORY
The Sabres are 7-8-4 all-time on March 13.
March 13, 1977: Don Edwards turns aside 32 of 33 Toronto shots and the Sabres get goals from five different scorers as they defeat the Maple Leafs,
6-1, in Buffalo.
March 13, 1991: The Sabres top the Jets, 6-2, on the strength of a Dale Hawerchuk hat trick and a 37-save performance by Clint Malarchuk.
March 13, 2001: The Sabres acquire Donald Audette from Atlanta for Kamil Piros and a fourth-round pick in 2001 NHL Draft and acquire Steve Heinze
from Columbus for a third-round draft pick in 2001 NHL Draft.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson earned his 300th career NHL win career on Thursday, stopping 30 of 31 shots faced.
Anderson became the 39th goaltender in NHL history to win 300 career games and the sixth American-born goaltender to reach the 300-win plateau.
Anderson is now one of five active NHL goaltenders to win 300 games in their career.
Kyle Okposo has seven points (4+3) in his last eight games.
Buffalo Sabres: Media Notes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
25 of Buffalo’s last 27 games have been decided in regulation, including each of the last 13 contests.
Since Jan. 1, the Sabres have gone 11-for-39 on the power play (28.1 percent) and have scored at least one goal with the man advantage in eight of
those 13 contests.
GOING TO PLAY OUTSIDE
Today’s game marks Buffalo’s third appearance in an outdoor game as a franchise (2008 Winter Classic vs. Pittsburgh at Ralph Wilson Stadium; 2018
Winter Classic vs. NY Rangers at Citi Field).
The Sabres will become 12th team in NHL history to play in at least three regular-season outdoor games and the fourth to have three appearances as
the designated home team.
Buffalo is the first U.S.-based team to appear in a Heritage Classic.
Buffalo has earned a point in each of its previous two outdoor games.
Craig Anderson has won both of his previous two outdoor games: the 2014 Heritage Classic at BC Place (29 saves w/ OTT) and NHL100 Classic at
Lansdowne Park (28 saves w/ OTT).
Only Henrik Lundqvist (4-0-0) has more career outdoor wins among NHL netminders.
Kyle Okposo has appeared in two outdoor games in his career, including the 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field vs. the NY Rangers, where he recorded
two assists.
Seven Sabres have previously appeared in an NHL outdoor game: Craig Anderson (2-0-0 in 2 GP), Kyle Okposo (0+2 in 2 GP), Robert Hagg (2
GP), Vinnie Hinostroza (2 GP), Alex Tuch (1+0 in 1 GP), Anders Bjork (1 GP) and Zemgus Girgensons (1 GP).
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The Sabres are playing a regular-season home game away from the team’s home arena for the ninth time in franchise history today. Buffalo is 1-4-3 in
the eight previous games, with the lone win coming against the Anaheim Ducks in Helsinki, Finland as part of the 2011 NHL Premiere.
TAKING IT TO TORONTO
Rasmus Dahlin has eight points (2+6) in eight career games against the Maple Leafs and currently holds a five-game point streak against Toronto,
registering six points (2+3) in the five contests.
Dahlin has registered a plus-2 rating in each of his last three games against Toronto.
Kyle Okposo has six points (3+3) in his last five games against Toronto, including at least a point in each of the last four meetings.
Okposo has tallied three points (1+2) and holds a plus-3 rating in two games against Toronto this season.
Jeff Skinner has five points (3+2) in two games against Toronto this season, recording multi-point performances in both contests.
Victor Olofsson has five points (3+2) in five career games against the Maple Leafs, including at least a point in each of the last three games.
Mark Pysyk has seven points (4+3) and holds a plus-9 rating in his last six games against Toronto.
Pysyk recorded a hat trick on Feb. 3, 2020 at Toronto as a member of the Florida Panthers.
Tage Thompson has three points (2+1) in two games against Toronto this season.
In 34 career games (33 starts) against Toronto, Craig Anderson holds a record of 18-9-4, along with a .918 save percentage and 2.85 goals against
average.
Sabres Regular-Season Home Games Away From Home Arena
Season Date Opponent Result City
1992-93 March 3, 1993 Vancouver 5-2 loss Hamilton, Ontario
1993-94 Nov. 3, 1993 Pittsburgh 6-2 loss Sacramento, California
2003-04 Nov. 12, 2003 New Jersey 2-2 tie Rochester, New York
2005-06 Oct. 26, 2005 Washington 3-2 loss Rochester, New York
2007-08 Jan. 1, 2008 Pittsburgh 2-1 loss (SO) Orchard Park, New York
2011-12 Oct. 7, 2011 Anaheim 4-1 win Helsinki, Finland
2017-18 Jan. 1, 2018 NY Rangers 3-2 loss (OT) Queens, New York
2019-20 Nov. 8, 2019 Tampa Bay 3-2 loss Stockholm, Sweden
Pysyk recorded a hat trick on Feb. 3, 2020 at Toronto as a member of the Florida Panthers.
WHAT’S THE SKINNY?
Jeff Skinner has recorded 23 goals this season, marking the eighth 20-goal season of his 12-year NHL career.
Since Jan. 13, Skinner has recorded 22 points (12+10) in 24 games played, including 13 points (7+6) in his last 14 games.
Entering play Saturday, Skinner was tied for 14th in the NHL with 20 even-strength goals this season.
Since he entered the league in 2010-11, Skinner ranked 14th among all NHL skaters with 288 goals and was sixth in the league during that span with
231 even-strength tallies going into Saturday’s games.
Among all players to have played at least 10 career games for the Sabres, Skinner ranks eighth with .287 even-strength goals per game (72 EVG in
251 GP).
SETTING THE PACE
A number of Sabres players are on pace for or have already established new career highs in goals, assists and points this season.
With two goals on Nov. 26 in Buffalo’s 20th game of the season, Tage Thompson set a new single-season career high in goals (10) and points (15).
His previous career highs of eight goals and 14 points came in 38 games during the 2020-21 season.
Dylan Cozens has already eclipsed his 2020-21 totals in goals (4), assists (9) and points (13).
Cozens established new career highs in goals (5 goals in 21 GP), assists (10 assists in 38 GP) and points (14 points in 23 GP) in fewer games than
the 41 contests he played in as a rookie.
Kyle Okposo is on pace for 22 goals and 49 points this season, which would be Okposo’s highest totals since he registered 22 goals and 64 points in
his last season as a member of the New York Islanders in 2015-16.
Rasmus Dahlin is on pace for 11 goals, 41 assists and 52 points, all of which would surpass his previous career-high marks.
Despite missing 22 games this season, Henri Jokiharju is on pace for five goals, 16 assists and 21 points, all of which would be new career highs.
HEY NOW, YOU’RE A DAHL-STAR
Rasmus Dahlin currently leads the Sabres in assists (29) and is third on the team in points (37).
Dahlin’s 15 power-play points are also good for the team lead.
Since Nov. 21, 2021, Dahlin was tied for 11th among NHL defensemen in scoring entering play Saturday, tallying 29 points (6+23) during that span.
In less than four full seasons, Dahlin is already climbing up Buffalo’s record books. Among all Sabres defensemen in franchise history, Dahlin ranks…
17th in goals (26), one away from matching Richie Dunn for 16th all-time
14th in assists (118)
16th in points (144), one away from tying Dmitri Kalinin for 15th all-time
14th in power-play goals (10), two shy of moving into a five-way tie for 10th all-time
Eighth in power-play points (65)
Among Sabres defensemen to play at least 82 games for the franchise, Dahlin ranks fifth in both assists per game (0.46) and points per game (0.57)
and 11th in goals per game (0.10).
Including this season, Dahlin owns two of the three most productive seasons by a Sabres defenseman in the last 25 years (dating back to 1996-97).
Brian Campbell, .683 P/GP (2008-09)
Rasmus Dahlin, .678 P/GP (2019-20)
Rasmus Dahlin, .650 P/GP (2021-22)
SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Hits: Hayden (94), Hagg (87), Dahlin (77)
Blocked Shots: Hagg (88), Pysyk (81), Dahlin (66)
Shots: Thompson (183), Skinner (182), Okposo (129)
SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK]
1-10: 5-4-1 (11), 29/27, 7/27, 25/28
11-20: 3-6-1: (7), 28/40, 4/26, 17/26
21-30: 2-5-3: (7), 24/36, 3/23, 18/21
31-40: 2-6-2 (6), 23/35, 6/30, 20/31
41-50: 4-5-1 (9), 30/36, 7/31, 24/30
51-60: 3-6-0 (6), 22/35, 5/24, 15/20
OVERTIME RESULTS (1-7; 127-145 all-time)
Oct. 23 at NJD: L, 2-1 (GWG-Zacha)
Oct. 28 at ANA: W, 4-3 (GWG-Asplund)
Nov. 6 vs. DET: L, 4-3 (GWG-Seider)
Nov. 27 at DET: L, 3-2 (GWG-Raymond)
Dec. 17 at PIT: L, 3-2 (GWG-Carter)
Jan. 1 at BOS: L, 4-3 (GWG-Coyle)
Jan. 17 vs. DET, L, 3-2 (GWG-Larkin)
Feb. 10 vs. CBJ, L, 4-3 (GWG-Voracek)
SHOOTOUT RESULTS (2-1; 83-75 all-time)
Oct. 16 vs. ARI: W, 2-1 (GDG-Ruotsalainen)
Dec. 11 vs. WSH: L, 3-2 (GDG-Oshie)
Dec. 16 at MIN: W, 3-2 (GDG-Thompson)
RECENT MILESTONES
Craig Anderson won his 300th career NHL game on March 10 vs. Vegas
Tage Thompson played in his 200th career NHL game on March 10 vs. Vega
Being a former NBA player is currency when trying to transition into NBA coaching, and Jamahl Mosley didn’t have any. He was broke, by comparison, in more ways than one. Mosley played at Colorado for four years, but he wasn’t drafted nor did he ever suit up for an NBA team. His name didn’t resonate…
With a hunger and work ethic second to one, Jamahl Mosley puts his stamp on the Magic — Boston Herald
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons is out for at least a week because of a left knee injury.
Portland’s Anfernee Simon out at least a week with left knee injury — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
The NBA world loves Popovich.
LeBron, other current, former NBA players react to Popovich setting wins record — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
Nothing, however, has been usual for the Nets this season: They’ ve got a part-time superstar point guard, an MVP candidate who missed a month-and-a-half with a knee injury, a roster that was upended at the trade deadline when James Harden forced his way to Philly. Nets head coach Nash said star forward Ben Simmons has upgraded to doing“ light work on the court— a little…
Nets are running out of time with Ben Simmons still limited in practice — Twin Cities
Veteran forward Markieff Morris was formally cleared to return to the Miami Heat on Saturday, back in the mix for the team’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at FTX Arena. Because of the severity of the neck injury he sustained in his Nov. 8 run-in with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and because of a…
Markieff Morris cleared for return, back in Heat mix — Boston Herald
GAME #67 – TORONTO RAPTORS (36-30) at DENVER NUGGETS (40-27)
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022 – 9 P.M. (ET) – BALL ARENA
TV: TSN – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO
INJURY REPORT AT 5:30 P.M.
TOR@DEN
Denver Nuggets
Barton, Will Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Ankle; Sprain
Cancar, Vlatko Out Injury/Illness – Right Foot; Surgery
Gordon, Aaron Questionable Injury/Illness – Right Foot; Soreness
Hyland, Bones Probable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Soreness
Murray, Jamal Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Injury Recovery
Nnaji, Zeke Questionable Injury/Illness – Bilateral Knee; Soreness
Porter Jr., Michael Out Injury/Illness – Lumbar Spine; Surgery
Toronto Raptors
Anunoby, OG Out Injury/Illness – Right Hand; Ring finger fracture
Bonga, Isaac Out G League – On Assignment
Champagnie, Justin Out G League – Two-Way
Flynn, Malachi Out Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Strain
Johnson, David Out G League – Two-Way
VanVleet, Fred Questionable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Soreness
• The Toronto Raptors (36-30) continue a six-game road trip (March 6-16) with the second game of a backto-back set Saturday night against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. The Raptors have won two in a row and are now 4-5 since the All-Star break.
• Pascal Siakam recorded his team-leading 21st double-double of the season with 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 41 minutes Friday against the Suns. Siakam has now scored 20+ points in five straight
games (Mar. 3-11). He is averaging 26.2 points and shooting 50 percent (48-96) from the field, including .412 (7-17) from beyond the arc, during this stretch.
• Despite missing 12 games this season, Fred VanVleet (213) currently ranks third in the NBA in three-point field goals – behind only Stephen Curry (275) and Buddy Hield (217). VanVleet needs 25 threes in the final
16 games to surpass Kyle Lowry’s single-season franchise record of 238 three-pointers set during the 2017-18 campaign. VanVleet has made five-or-more threes in 19 games this season.
• Pascal Siakam is averaging 21.6 points, and career bests of 8.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists, in 53 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 finished with 15 points, six rebounds and a season high-tying five steals in 37 minutes Friday at Phoenix. Barnes recorded five steals in a game for the third time this season – the most by a rookie since Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons both did it three times in 2017-18.
• Toronto outrebounded the Suns 48-40, including 12-5 on the offensive glass, Friday night. The Raptors (13.1) currently rank second in the NBA in offensive rebounds. Toronto is +24 (81-57) on the offensive glass through six games in March and has collected a league-best 81 offensive boards this month.
• Gary Trent Jr. tied a season high with 42 points (13-21 FG, 8-11 3PT, 8-8 FT) – two shy of his career high in Friday’s victory at Phoenix. Trent Jr. also matched his career best with eight rebounds.
GARY TRENT JR. – SEASON SPLITS
GAMES PPG FG% 3PT% 30-POINT GAMES
ROAD 29 21.0 .441 .412 7
HOME 28 15.5 .389 .346 2
• 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.
F – SCOTTIE BARNES #4
MIN: 35.4 REB: 7.6 AST: 3.2 STL: 1.2 TO: 1.9 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 15.0
• Recorded 15 points, six rebounds and a season high-tying five steals in 37 minutes Mar. 11 at Phoenix.
• Ranks third among rookies in rebounds (7.6), fourth in scoring (15.0) and first in minutes (35.4).
• 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: 5.1 STL: 1.3 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 21.6
• Finished with 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 41 minutes Mar. 11 at Phoenix.
• Leads the Raptors with a career-high 21 double-doubles this season.
• Averaging 24.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists through six games in March.
C – KHEM BIRCH #24
MIN: 18.4 REB: 4.4 AST: 1.1 STL: 0.7 TO: 0.6 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 4.6
• Contributed four points and six rebounds in 26 minutes of action Mar. 11 at Phoenix.
• Has scored in double figures four times this season (Last: 11 – Mar. 1 vs. Brooklyn).
• Averaging 5.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 18.7 minutes in 17 games as a starter this season.
G – GARY TRENT JR. #33
MIN: 34.8 REB: 2.7 AST: 2.0 STL: 1.8 TO: 1.1 BLK: 0.3 PTS: 18.3
• Tied a season best with 42 points Mar. 11 at Phoenix; also tied a career high with eight rebounds in 40 minutes.
• Ranks third in the NBA in both steals per game (1.82) and total deflections (205).
• Leads the team with 104 steals this season; had 105 steals in his first three seasons (2018-21) combined.
G – FRED VANVLEET #23
MIN: 38.1 REB: 4.6 AST: 6.8 STL: 1.6 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 21.3
• Tallied 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes Mar. 11 at Phoenix.
• Leads the NBA in minutes per game (38.1) – has logged 40+ minutes in 15 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. 12, 2022
2021-22 RECORDS
W-L EAST WEST
OVERALL 36-30 23-19 13-11
HOME 17-15 11-9 6-6
AWAY 19-15 12-10 7-5
OVERTIME 2-1 2-1 0-0
NEXT GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Los Angeles Lakers
Date: Monday, March 14
Tip-Off: 10:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
SERIES RECAP VS. LOS ANGELES
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2020-21 1-1 0-1 1-0
ALL-TIME 20-29 11-14 9-15
STREAKS Won 1 Lost 1 Won 6
LAST WIN: May 2, 2021 (121-114)
LAST ROAD WIN: May 2, 2021 (121-114)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +33 (Dec. 2, 2016)
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -20 (Jan. 6, 2002)
LAST TIME VS. LOS ANGELES
GAME 65 – MAY 2, 2021
TORONTO 121, LA LAKERS 114
LOS ANGELES – Kyle Lowry had 37 points and 11 assists, Pascal
Siakam had 39 points and 13 rebounds and the short-handed Toronto
Raptors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114 … LeBron James had
19 points, seven rebounds and six assists before going back to the locker
room with 6:42 to play … It was the second game back for James after
missing 20 because of a sprained right ankle … Toronto ended a three-game losing streak despite not having Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Chris
Boucher and Gary Trent Jr. available because of injuries or to rest …
DeAndre’ Bembry had 14 points off the bench and the Raptors led by as
many as 21 … Kyle Kuzma had 24 points for Los Angeles, Anthony Davis
chipped in with 12 and Andre Drummond had 19 points and 11 rebounds
… After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first quarter, the Raptors
led 72-59 at the half after blitzing the Lakers for 40 points in the second …
A rampaging Lowry had 13, including the final seven points for Toronto
going into the locker room, and Bembry chipped in with 11 … The Lakers
got back within 10 points early in the fourth quarter, but Lowry responded
with a personal 8-2 run … Lowry was 8 for 13 from 3-point range and 12
for 20 overall …Kuzma hit a 3 with 58.8 seconds to play to cut Toronto’s
lead to six before Bembry and Siakam hit free throws to seal it.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 32 40 27 22 121
LA LAKERS 38 21 25 30 114
GAME 66 – MARCH 11, 2022
TORONTO 117, PHOENIX 112
PHOENIX — Gary Trent Jr. scored 42 points and the Toronto Raptors
held off the Phoenix Suns, beating the NBA’s leading team 117-112 …
Trent was 8 from 11 from 3-point range and 13 of 21 from the floor … He
fell just short of his career high of 44 points set last season … He also had
eight rebounds … Pascal Siakam added 25 points and 10 assists for the
Raptors, and Scottie Barnes had 15 points … The Raptors improved to 36-
30, winning two straight after dropping three in a row … That coincides
with the return of Fred VanVleet, who missed five games with a knee
injury … VanVleet had 10 points and eight rebounds … Cameron Payne
had 24 points for the Suns, and Devin Booker had 22 … Booker missed
two 3-point attempts in the final minute and was held to three points in the
fourth quarter … Mikael Bridges scored 18 points for Phoenix, DeAndre
Ayton had 16 and Jae Crowder 13 … The Suns fell to 53-14 … Toronto
opened up a 96-82 lead through three quarters … But the Suns rallied with
a 20-6 run to tie it at 102 with 4:36 remaining … With 3:27 left in the third
quarter, Booker fouled Precious Achiuwa on a drive to the basket … Booker was assessed a flagrant foul (penalty one) … Achiuwa made two free
throws and Fred VanVleet made a 3-pointer to give Toronto its biggest
lead to that point at 83-71 … The Raptors led by 16 in the period.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 30 26 40 21 117
PHOENIX 24 28 30 30 112
NUGGETS LAST GAME STARTERS
POS. NO. PLAYER PPG RPG APG NOTABLES
F 50 Aaron Gordon
6-8, 235 14.5 5.7 2.5
Tallied 28 points (9-17 FG’s, 10-15 FT’s), 8
rebounds and 2 assists in 43 minutes vs. NOP
on 3/6 … Has scored 15+ points in 7 of the
last 18 games.
F 32 Jeff Green
6-8 235 10.4 3.2 1.3
Posted 11 points (3-5 FG’s, 5-5 FT’s), 5
rebounds and 1 assist in 29 minutes vs. GSW
on 3/10 … Has scored 14+ points in 7 of the
last 20 games.
C 15 Nikola Jokić
7-0, 284 26.1 13.9 8.1
Registered 23 points (9-21 FG’s), 12
rebounds and 9 assists vs. GSW on 3/10 …
Had a triple double in 11 of the last 25 games
… 7th all-time with 75 career triple doubles.
G 25
Austin Rivers
6-4, 200
6.2 1.7 1.2
Tallied 15 points (6-12 FGs, 2-6 3FGs), 4
assists, 3 steals and 2 rebounds vs. GSW on
3/7 vs. GSW … Shooting .332 from three this
season (63-190).
G 11 Monte Morris
6-2, 183 13.0 3.0 4.3
Posted 19 points (8-14 FG’s, 3-5 3 FG’s), 5
rebounds and 1 assist in 30 minutes vs. GSW
on 3/10 … Shooting 41.8% from three over
his last 12 games.
DENVER NUGGETS STAFF
Head Coach: Michael Malone (Loyola-MD) Assistant Coaches: David Adelman (Portland), Jordi Fernandez
(Inefc Lleida), Popeye Jones (Murray State), Ryan Bowen (Iowa), Charles Klask (Michigan State), John Beckett
(Eckerd College), Ognjen Stojakovic; Player Development: Stephen Graham (Oklahoma State), Boniface N’Dong
Special Assistant to the Head Coach: Andrew Munson (Iowa) Assistant Video Coordinator: Conor Griffin
(Washington) Video Room Associate: Jordan Bickerstaff (Whittier College) VP of Sports Medicine: Steve Short
(Dayton) Head Athletic Trainer: Dan Shimensky (Utah) Associate Head Athletic Trainer: Jason Miller (Iowa)
Director of Performance/Head Strength and Conditioning Coach: Felipe Eichenberger (N.W. Oklahoma State
University) Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach: Claus Antunes de Souza (Tulsa) Director of Sport
Science/Physical Therapist: Matt Tuttle (Syracuse).
NUGGETS 2021-22 RECORDS
RECORD HOME ROAD OT
OVERALL: 40-27 20-12 20-15 3-0 OVERALL: Loss 1
WESTERN: 25-19 12-7 13-12 3-0 HOME: Loss 1
EASTERN: 15-8 8-5 7-3 — ROAD: Won 5
PLAYER STATUS
JAMAL MURRAY – LEFT KNEE INJURY RECOVERY. OUT.
MICHAEL PORTER JR. – LUMBAR SPINE SURGERY. OUT.
VLATKO CANCAR – RIGHT FOOT SURGERY. OUT.
WILL BARTON – LEFT ANKLE SPRAIN. QUESTIONABLE.
ZEKE NNAJI – BILATERAL KNEE SORENESS. QUESTIONABLE.
AARON GORDON – RIGHT FOOT SORENESS. QUESTIONABLE.
BONES HYLAND – RIGHT KNEE SORENESS. PROBABLE.
ON THE AIR
Tonight’s game will be televised on Altitude with Chris Marlowe and Scott Hastings on the call. Jason
Kosmicki, the voice of the Nuggets will call the game on Altitude Radio 92.5.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
2/25/22: Signed DeMarcus Cousins for the remainder for the season … 1/21/22: Signed DeMarcus Cousins to a 10-day contract … 1/19/22: Acquired Bryn Forbes via three team
trade with Boston and San Antonio in exchange for Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier … 1/19/22: Waived James Ennis III … 1/10/22: Signed James Ennis III to a 10-day contract … 1/10/22:
Waived Carlik Jones and Rayjon Tucker … 1/1/22: Signed Carlik Jones to a 10-day contract … 12/31/21: Signed Rajon Tucker to a 10-day contract … 12/30/21: Signed Davon Reed
to Exhibit 10 contract … 12/4/21: Signed Davon Reed to Exhibit 10 contract … 11/23/21: Recalled Vlatko Cancar from the G League … 11/18/21: Assigned Vlatko Cancar to the G
League … 11/17/21: Recalled Petr Cornelie from the G League … 10/16/21: Waived Nik Stauskas … 10/15/21: Waived Davon Reed, Tarik Black and Giorgi Bezhanishvili … 10/11/21:
Signed Giorgi Bezhanishvili … 10/11/21: Waived Matt Ryan … 9/29/21: Signed Michael Porter Jr. to a contract extension … 9/28/21: Re-signed Aaron Gordon … 9/18/21: Signed
Petr Cornelie to a two-way contract … 8/31/21: Signed Austin Rivers … 8/18/21: Re-Signed JaMychal Green … 8/11/21: Signed Jeff Green … 8/11/21: Re-signed Will Barton …
8/4/21: Drafted Bones Hyland.
STARTING TO ROLL….
The Nuggets are starting to find their stride as the season ramps up and playoff positioning begins. Denver took down Sacramento Kings 106-100 on the road on 3/9, winning
their third game in four nights and it marked their 10th win in the last 11 games. In those 11 games, the Nuggets are averaging 119.4 points on 49.3% shooting, 28.7 assists
per game, 26.9 free throw attempts a game and have a +7.0-score differential. If you go back further, to January 23rd, the Nuggets are 17-5 which marks the third
best record in the NBA in that span (Celtics 17-3, Suns 16-4).
THREE POINT KING THRILL
Will Barton is the longest tenured Nugget on the roster, spending eight seasons in Denver and he
has certainly left his mark on the franchise. Barton has gone from a second-round draft pick who
was knocked for his jumper to becoming the Nuggets all-time leader in three-point field goals.
Barton is just the second player in team history to eclipse 700+ threes in a career.
VINTAGE COUSINS
The Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic due to a non-covid illness for their home matchup against the Houston Rockets on 3/4 and DeMarcus Cousins stepped in and played
his best game in a Nuggets uniform. Boogie posted a season-high 31 points (10-14 FG, 3-4 3FG, 8-9 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in just 24 minutes,
leading the Nuggets to a 116-101 win. His 31 points in 24 minutes, were the fewest minutes in a 30+ point game in Nuggets NBA franchise history and the third
fewest minutes played in a 30+ point game in his career. Some other highlights from his big night:
• Third career game recording 30 points in 35 minutes or fewer, matching Freeman Williams for the most such games in the shot clock era (since 1954-55).
• 11th career game with 31+ points, 9+ rebounds, 4+ assists and 3+ steals.
• Scored 30+ points for the first time since 1/22/18 vs. CHI.
• Made a season-high 10 FGs and a season-high three 3FGs.
BOOGIE ON DOWN
DeMarcus Cousins time with the Nuggets has become exactly what the team was looking for to help solidify their second unit. The big man signed for the remainder of the
season on 2/25 and then dominated the Trail Blazers bench on 2/27, finishing with 19 points on 7-10 shooting, eight rebounds, six assists and one steal in just 18 minutes,
helping the Nuggets win 124-92. He is the only NBA player in the last 35 seasons to post those numbers while playing 20 minutes or less.
Additionally, the Nuggets have won 11 of 12 games when Cousins sees the court to begin his stint in Denver. In those 12 games for Denver, he is
averaging 9.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 14.6 minutes per game.
MR. 300
The Nuggets and the city of Denver are lucky to have Michael Malone. Malone has helped lead the Nuggets ascension
in the Western Conference since taking over in the 2016 and the wins have piled up. With their 128-110 victory over
the Sacramento Kings on 2/24, Coach Malone won his 300th game as the Head Coach of the Denver Nuggets,
becoming only the third coach in franchise history to have at least 300 wins.
REBOUNDING = SUCCESS
The Nuggets returned home to Ball Arena in their final home game before the All-Star break and they didn’t disappoint the home fans, beating the Orlando Magic 121-111.
Denver had all five starters score in double figures, winning 28 of the last 32 games when that has occurred. The Nuggets also outrebounded the Magic 52-42, moving to 22-8
on the season when they outrebound an opponent.
The 52 total rebounds were significant, as it marked the fifth straight game the Nuggets have grabbed 50+ rebounds (4-1). It is the longest streak with
50+ boards since April 1991 and the second longest all-time in franchise history (six games in a row, done November 1976).
TRAVELING DEFENSE
The Nuggets have played a Western Conference leading 31 road games as of 2/12 and
they added to their win total, taking down the Toronto Raptors 110-109 on February 12th
.
The Nuggets defense held strong in the second half allowing 52 points including a game
sealing Nikola Jokić block as time expired. For the game, they held the Raptors to 48.9%
shooting from the field.
Denver is quietly building an impressive road streak, the win against the
Raptors marked the 17th road game in which the Nuggets have held their opponent to under 50% shooting from the field. It marks the second longest streak in
franchise history, with the longest stretching 37 games done from 11/30/93-11/11/94.
TALE OF TWO HALVES
The Nuggets snapped their three-game losing streak with a 124-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on 2/6. The story of the game was how the Nuggets flipped in the second
half and looked like a new team from the first half. After allowing 75 points in the first half, Denver held Brooklyn to just 29 points in the second half. It was a season-low
allowed by Denver in the second half and the first time doing so since 12/9/13 at WAS. It also marked the 11th time in franchise history holding an opponent to 29
or fewer points in the second half.
The Nuggets also handed out 37 assists, their second most this season, and are now 25-9 when having 25+ assists and 11- 4 when dishing out 30+
assists this season.
FIVE STRAIGHT TO END JANUARY
The Nuggets continued their winning ways on the road on their current six game road trip. Denver took down the Milwaukee Bucks 136-100 on 1/30, winning their fifth straight
game. It also marked their fourth straight win on the road, the longest streak since winning six in a row in February/March 2021. The Nuggets made 23 threes in the game,
tying for the third most made in team history and hade nine players knock down at least one 3FG. Denver is now 11-0 all time when making at least 20 threes in game.
They also dished out 39 assists, the 40th time in team history with that many (just 11th since 1991, 11-0 in those game). The Nuggets end January with
11 wins, their fourth straight year with 11+ wins in January. In the first 42 years in team history, Denver had a total of 11+ wins in January only six times.
NUGGETS FRANCHISE HISTORY – CAREER THREE POINT FG’S
RANK/PLAYER # OF THREES
COLUMBUS CREW (2) – TORONTO FC (1) POST GAME SUMMARY
SCORING SUMMARY
TOR – Jesús Jiménez 14’ (Alejandro Pozuelo, Jonathan Osorio)
CLB – Lucas Zelarayán 56’ (Derrick Etienne, Steven Moreira)
CLB – Derrick Etienne 65’ (Jonathan Mensah, Lucas Zelarayán)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CLB – Jonathan Mensah 29’ (caution)
TOR – Jayden Nelson 64’ (caution)
TOR – Ralph Priso 79’ (caution)
CLB – Luis Díaz 82’ (caution)
CLB – Artur 84’ (caution)
RECORDS (W-L-D)
Toronto FC 0-2-1 1 point
Columbus Crew 2-0-1 7 points
LINEUPS
TORONTO FC – Alex Bono; Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (Ifunanyachi Achara 12’, Ralph Priso 55’), Michael Bradley (C), Lukas MacNaughton, Kadin Chung; Noble Okello (Kosi Thompson 82’), Jonathan Osorio, Jayden Nelson (Jordan Perruzza 82’), Alejandro Pozuelo, Luca Petrasso; Jesús Jiménez.
Substitutes Not Used: Greg Ranjitsingh, Quentin Westberg, Shane O’Neill
COLUMBUS CREW – Eloy Room; Steven Moreira, Jonathan Mensah (C), Miloš Degenek, Pedro Santos; Artur, Darlington Nagbe, Yaw Yeboah (Luis Díaz 53’), Lucas Zelarayán, Derrick Etienne; Miguel Berry (Gyasi Zardes 68’).
Substitutes Not Used: Evan Bush, Jalil Anibaba, Will Sands, Marlon Hairston, Alexandru Mățan, Aidan Morris, James Igbekeme
BOB BRADLEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC
Once again, it seemed like there were lots of good things from your team today. But no reward. What did you think of the performance?
I thought we started well. Some good control. Some very good ways of moving the ball quickly, moving forward, creating some chances.
First goal, very well done by Ale and then Noble moving into the box. I thought as the half continued that we still had a couple of good chances to get the second goal. But I thought there were some periods, some moments as the half went on where the sharpness of our passing and the ability to move the ball quickly and have a little bit more control started to get a little bit away from us.
And then some of that continued into the second half. At that point you’re trying to just get a little bit more control. Hold onto the lead. We allow a ball then that gets whipped across — turned loose at the backside. And Zelarayán does a very good job finishing. And then disappointing on a second phase of a lateral free kick for the second goal. So that’s still an area where we’ve got to improve ourselves.
What was your take on that yellow against Jayden Nelson, which ultimately led to a free kick and Columbus goal? You guys looked like you might have been running out of gas a little bit in the second half. Was that a turning point? And what is your take on the call?
I need to see it again, and it’s far away from me. But at first I thought Jayden had actually gone through and won the ball and that in some way that happened first. So I was surprised by the call and the yellow card.
When we spoke to you earlier this week, you talked about one of the things you were looking for is for your team to do a little bit more to create chances, specifically through the middle, as opposed to through wide areas of the field. Just wondering in that regard what did you see from your team? Were you pleased in that aspect or not?
It’s still not as good as it needs to be. If you look at the sharpness of certain plays, the ball, then when you create a little bit of an advantage, the timing of certain passes and moves to get into the box and make more of it, I still think that’s something that we’ve got to work harder at.
What do you say to the group after a game like that where you had the lead and just couldn’t see it out?
I speak with this group in a way that says, always that, look, to become a good team is hard work. And we have still some new players. We have some young players. And so this is going to be something where we’ve just got to, week by week, keep making sure that we find ways to work through details and improve.
Along the way, yeah, you need points. You need points for confidence. You need points just to keep fans happy. But I really talk about the process. And so I said that I thought we started well. I thought that we had real opportunity in the first half to nail down a second goal. We didn’t.
I think in the second half we lost a little bit of football when we needed to bring subs on. I didn’t think it helped us enough. And that everybody’s got to understand that the work is going to continue. That’s just the way we’re going to become good. I totally believe we’re going to be a really good team.
But I knew that this group, given starting points, given a lot of different factors, that this is going to be hard work to get it there. So the idea that the season has started in a rough way, yeah, that part is disappointing, but it doesn’t change the ideas and the approach.
That’s two goals in as many games from Jesus. How have you sort of seen him integrate himself with this side? And what do you make of his burgeoning partnership with Pozuelo?
I think Jesus is a good player. And look, we know that when Ale has the ball at his feet, he’s clever, he’s creative. And so I want that to be something that we see regularly from different players on the field, from when Oso has the ball, when Noble is playing in the midfield, and Ralph.
Our attacking ideas, those things are important. But certainly so far you see that there’s a good understanding between Ale and Jesus. And it’s something we have to try to keep building upon.
Couple of first career MLS starts for Lukas MacNaughton and Kadin Chung. What did you think of their performance in the back?
I think they both did a good job. Obviously we played a little bit in training with three. That is not Kadin’s main spot. But he’s been there in training, and I thought he responded really well. I thought the understanding between Kadin, Michael and Lukas was good. I thought they handled situations in a good way.
I thought we were able, in a lot of moments, to play from the back when we needed to. I thought both stepped on the field in their first starts and did well.
I know it’s early, but is there any update on Jahkeele? And also can you just update us on, I understand Mavinga had a knock in training and O’Neill was also not 100 percent?
Shane was not 100 percent. And he was on the bench just in an emergency but didn’t feel that he was far enough along and therefore we did not use him.
Chris, yes, in training, sliding to block a shot. So, sore from that. We’ll see how he responds to continued treatment. And I don’t yet have a report on Jahkeele.
Just wondering about the substitution early in the second half for Perruzza for Achara. Was that tactical or was Achara injured?
That was tactical. I thought that we still, with Ralph in there and then Oso in there, with Ale, I thought we could do a better job of connecting more passes in there. And that it was going to allow us to establish greater control.
LUKAS MACNAUGHTON – DEFENDER, TORONTO FC
Obviously not the result you guys would have wanted. But first start in MLS for you. Just wanted to get your perspective on how you felt you did in your first career start in the league?
I think maybe it was you that asked me last time, how was it moving to the MLS. But I thought there were moments that were great. But I thought also there were moments, as a team and individually, that need to be a lot better, especially in the second half. It became a quite open game — a lot of transitions, a lot of balls given away. Just a little bit of sloppiness when we were up one, we can stay tidy, close out the gaps and keep it a clean sheet.
So on a personal level I think there are some positives. But always a lot of room to improve.
Lukas, it’s only minutes after the game, but can you say what the mood of the team is now after three games? You guys haven’t won yet, though, you’ve had a depleted lineup and you guys certainly played well at times. Do you have a sense what the players are feeling right now?
We’re obviously disappointed. You go into halftime 1-0 you expect to win the game, especially when you’re playing well and you’re creating chances, and we had a chance, one or two at least, to go 2-0 up. And if we do that it makes the game quite easy.
We’re disappointed, but like I said there’s moments that were very, very good. And so we don’t think that it’s not like we’re playing horrible football. It’s not like we’re creating chances, it’s not like we’re getting dominated in the last three games. We’ve had very good games.
We’re disappointed, but we’re not demotivated. We know if we keep working, it’s going to come in, and it’s going to come together very well.
We talked a lot about transition defending after the Red Bull game, and the two goals today were very different. What did you see on those two plays? How did they work out?
The first ball comes across, and Jayden goes out to block the shot. And everybody knows in the league that guy has got a fantastic shot. It goes in, I think. I think the keeper doesn’t really see much.
And then the second one, we don’t win the first ball and it drops the second ball and they’re on top of it; they won it.
And I think that’s kind of the theme of the second half. The second balls, the transitions, they were a little bit quicker and they get those chances. Unfortunately we don’t finish ours. They put away theirs, and that’s it.
That’s quite a shiner you’re sporting there. Can you say what happened on that play?
I went up for the header and I just got his elbow. I don’t know how that’s not a yellow card, but that’s how that happened.
-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-
TORONTO MARLIES (25-20-3-1 – 54 Points) vs.
UTICA COMETS (34-11-6-0 – 74 Points)
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | FINAL | |
| TORONTO | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 |
| UTICA | 0 | 1 | 2 | – | 3 |
GAME SUMMARY | GAME SHEET | PHOTOS | SCRUMS
SCORING SUMMARY
Toronto: C. Douglas (8) (J. Duszak, K. Rubīns), J. Duszak (6) (R. Clune, A. Suomela)
Goaltender: J. Woll (26/29) L
Utica: A. Greer (17) (N. Okhotiuk, R. Russo), N. Foote (11) (F. Gauthier), F. Gauthier (5) SH (A. Greer, R. Russo)
Goaltender: A. Schmid (23/25) W
ON THE SCORESHEET
OF NOTE
| RECORD WHEN Scoring first 19-5-1-1 Leading after 1 14-3-2-1 Leading after 2 19-4-2-1 On the road 13-10-1-0 March 1-5-0-0 Friday 4-4-0-0 | MARLIES LEADERS *Amongst active players Goals 19 (J. Anderson) Assists 33 (J. Duszak) Points 40 (B. Seney) PPG 6 (J. Anderson, A. Steeves) Shots 120 (A. Steeves) +/- +13 (B. Seney) PIMS 84 (R. Clune) |
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH GREG MOORE
On tonight’s game:
Today was a good response for our group in how we played, what our objective was in the game. There was a real consistent effort in the game today from everybody. Joe Woll was great in net today, made some huge saves early, let us find our legs and get into this game. Really tough building to play in and obviously a top opponent in the league. We managed things a lot better. I liked our process today.
On playing with a depleted lineup:
We feel on any given night we can beat whoever we’re playing, if we’re playing the right way. Today was one of those nights that we didn’t get the results we wanted but really proud of the team in how we competed and how we found our way through a really challenging game in a tough barn.
On Joseph Woll:
He looked really confident today, made a lot of saves look easy. One of his strengths is his athleticism and he had to reach for a few to bail us out.
UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time
March 12 at Syracuse – 7:00 p.m.
March 17 vs. Hershey – 1:30 p.m.
March 19 vs. Chicago – 4:00 p.m.
March 20 vs. Chicago – 4:00 p.m.
March 22 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – 7:00 p.m.
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
The view from left field 