Brooklyn Nets Durant, Kevin Out Injury/Illness – Right Achilles; Rehab Irving, Kyrie Out Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Sprain Martin, Jeremiah Out G League – Two-Way Musa, Dzanan Out G League – On Assignment Toronto Raptors Brissett, Oshae Out G League – Two-Way Gasol, Marc Out Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Tightness Hernandez, Dewan Out Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprain Ibaka, Serge Questionable Injury/Illness – Illness; Flu-like symptoms Powell, Norman Out Injury/Illness – Left Finger; Fourth; metacarpal – fracture Watson, Paul Out G League – Two-Way
I see that he battles. As I said this morning, he’s a confident guy, battles, finds ways to keep the puck out, kept them at two here tonight. Gives us a chance to win the hockey game, did his job in Montreal, this was the same. It’s worked out really well, obviously we’ve been able to get him three starts coming in here, so he’s been able to get comfortable and find his footing and find his place on the team and obviously, he’s responded very well.
On the decision to try Nylander-Matthews-Marner on a line together:
It was a combination of a little bit of curiosity and how that might play out and, also, I was happy with the line of Kerfoot, Tavares and Hyman so I thought the timing was right to try such a thing. In terms of how it went, I didn’t think it went very well, but I don’t know that it’s fair to judge on it on a night like this — Willy wasn’t himself tonight. It’s a tough night to judge such a thing. The good news is the Tavares line was going tonight.
On Nylander not being himself as a result of his prior illness:
I think he’s probably way over that, but he didn’t do anything for four days. He didn’t do anything at all. Willy is a guy that loves to be on the ice, loves routine, loves to touch the puck. It’ll take him a little bit to get back.
On what Hyman is doing differently to produce more this season:
It’s hard to say in terms of him not having it before, but just in terms in what I know of him now. He continues to be a force, a driver, he’s all around the net. He’s also been making plays and playing with lots of confidence with the puck as well. He’s been more than just a forechecker and a guy who stands at the net, he’s been doing a lot of other things on the rush and putting himself in good. When you work the way that he does and have the confidence that he does and as much as we’re using him, he’ll find a way for great things to happen.
On challenging the overtime goal:
I didn’t challenge that, that’s automatic from the NHL in that case just given that in the last minute and overtime, the NHL handles that. We certainly would have if we needed to.
On if he was confident while the play was under review:
I don’t have a lot of experience in this area, but I saw and – we have monitors on the bench, of course, so the players are watching it and the rest of our staff is watching it as are our video guys back in the room. They feel pretty confident; I think Jack Campbell felt pretty confident – he left the net. I think when you look at it, it’s pretty straightforward as it’s going to get for those calls.
On Campbell’s ability to play the puck:
Still trying to get a feel for that in terms of its impact, but I like his confidence to go out and get it. I think it was one of the games – maybe the Anaheim game – where it got away from him a little bit there. He’s got some confidence to go out and move it and that’s a very positive thing for the team to have. I know when we face goalies that can handle the puck well like that out of the net and they’re helping the breakouts and forechecks, it’s challenging.
On the Nylander-Matthews-Marner line combination tonight:
I think it could be very creative, overwhelming in terms of their skill set and also the fact that one of the reasons I became very confident to try is just the way that Auston and Mitch have been playing, skating, tracking, defending and all those types of things. I’m not overly concerned with about anything defensively, it’s just more offensively, making sure that they don’t overdo it or not overcompensate trying to find each other, especially trying to attack the middle. I expect there to be a bit of a feeling out process in that. Also I didn’t think any of the three were at their best today so it’s tough for me to judge that and whether we’ll stick with it or not. As I said, we have been curious about trying something like that, so the timing was right.
JACK CAMPBELL (35 SAVES)
On starting his Maple Leaf career with five of a possible six points:
The boys have played great. I was hoping it would be six out of six, but think we’ll take the five out of six and get ready for a big game against Dallas here at home Thursday. Good battle tonight, it felt like a playoff game out there. Both teams didn’t give each other much, but Kappy made a great play to seal the deal for us and we needed that. He stepped up and made a great play. We’ll take it.
On the video review in overtime:
I usually don’t get too emotional in the game, but the guy bumped me pretty good and the guy shot it five holes so I knew I would have saved that if he didn’t bump me. You never know how it’s going to be called but I tried to state my case a little bit and thankfully it got overturned and we won the game. It was good.
ZACH HYMAN (2 GOALS)
On if he got an explanation on his penalty call late in the third period:
I did get one. I wouldn’t ask for one. He’s doing his job, so it’s okay. We killed it — a big, huge kill and then we got a bounce there. [Campbell] played great, we got the win.
On what made the difference tonight in getting the two points:
I think we battled. Down 2-1 going into the third, we battled back and tie it up and then got a huge goal from Kappy in OT. They’re a good team, they were on a back-to-back, so we knew we had to try to outpace them at the end there and got one back and then one in OT so it’s a huge win for us.
On what has led to his production increase this season:
I’m doing the same thing I’ve been in years past, I think I’m just being more patient and more confident with the puck, I guess. Just going to spots where you can score in front of the net. I think most of my goals are around that area. Just being open and trying to create space for myself and get open and when you get it, put it in.
KASPERI KAPANEN (OVERTIME GOAL)
On what led to his overtime-winning goal:
Well, I think everyone here knows that’s my go-to move. That’s been working for me and I decided to try it and hopefully it’d go in. It did.
On the mood on the bench prior to Arizona’s goal being disallowed in overtime:
We need these points; we need these extra points. Obviously, we didn’t want that goal to go in. We saw that there was a little something going on there. Lucky enough, they called it back and we were able to win. At this point in the season, in the standings, these are big points for us.
JOHN TAVARES (1 ASSIST)
On Arizona’s ability to take away offensive opportunity tonight:
Yeah, they play a well-structured game, I think. That’s the kind of hockey they play and they’re very comfortable in those situations. I think knowing their circumstances as well — playing last night and whatnot — that they’re going to be on the right side of things. Just stuck with it and great job by the PK, [Campbell] coming up big and great to see Kappy get rewarded. I thought he had the puck a lot and skated well. Good to see him get the winner.
Zach Hyman put the Maple Leafs on the board at 14:23 of the first period and later scored the second Toronto goal of the night at 1:33 of the third period. Hyman has points (2-2-4) in three consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his third multi-goal game and seventh multi-point game of the season. He has 16 points (7-9-16) in 17 games on home ice this season. In six games during the month of February, he has recorded six points (2 goals, 4 assists).
Kasperi Kapanen scored the overtime winning goal at 3:43 . Kapanen has four points (1-3-4) over his past five games played. He has 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) in 15 games played since January 1. His overtime goal is the second of his career.
Tyson Barrie registered the primary assist on Hyman’s first period goal. Barrie has registered 16 of his 27 assists on home ice this season. In two games against the Coyotes, he has recorded a goal and an assist. Fifteen (3-12-15) of his 32 points have come in 24 games against Western Conference opponents.
Alex Kerfoot had the secondary assist on Hyman’s first period goal and later had the secondary assist on Hyman’s third period goal. Kerfoot has assists (3) in two consecutive games. Tonight’s game is his third multi-assist and fifth multi-point game of the season. In eight career games against the Coyotes, he has registered seven points (2-5-7).
John Tavares registered the primary assist on Hyman’s third period goal. Tavares has points (5-3-8) in five consecutive games. He has 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in 11 games against Pacific Division opponents this season.
Jack Campbell stopped 35 of the 37 shots he faced to earn his second win as a Maple Leaf.
The Maple Leafs went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play tonight.
Tyson Barrie was on the ice for a team-high 22 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Barrie had a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 48.9 percent (22 for, 23 against).
Alex Kerfoot and John Tavares started 22.2 percent of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
Auston Matthews was 4-for-6 (67%) in the faceoff circle when taking draws in the defensive zone.
John Tavares won 63 percent (5 won, 3 lost) of his offensive zone faceoffs and was 6-for-9 (67%) on the draw when matched up with Arizona centre Derek Stepan.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Thursday, February 13, 7:00 p.m. vs. Dallas Stars (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
Saturday, February 15, 7:00 p.m. at Ottawa Senators (Sportsnet, TSN 1050)
Sunday, February 16, 7:00 p.m. at Buffalo Sabres (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
Tuesday, February 18, 7:00 p.m. at Pittsburgh Penguins (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
Thursday, February 20, 7:00 p.m. vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (TSN4, TSN 1050)
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The 2020 Blue Jays season gets its official send-off on Wednesday when pitchers and catchers report to the newly named — and vastly renovated — TD Ballpark. Read More
Gordon Hayward apparently has proven his worth to his employers. The Boston Celtics want the forward to remain with the team over the long term, an NBA source confirmed to BostonSportsJournal’s Brian Robb on Tuesday. Hayward’s contract will expire after next season, but he can opt out of his four-year, $128 million deal this summer…
Kyle Clifford (41), Jake Muzzin (30), Jason Spezza (23)
GOALS:
John Tavares (9), Jason Spezza (9), Jake Muzzin (6)
ASSISTS:
Jason Spezza (12), Jake Muzzin (11), Morgan Rielly (6), John Tavares (6)
POINTS:
Jason Spezza (21), Jake Muzzin (17), John Tavares (15)
PENALTY MINUTES:
Kyle Clifford (46), Jake Muzzin (36), Morgan Rielly (8)
MAPLE LEAFS – COYOTES TEAM STATS
TORONTO
ARIZONA
GOALS FOR (Rank):
199 (t-1st)
158 (t-20th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):
183 (t-27th)
155 (9th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):
39/154 [25.3%] (3rd)
35/183 [19.1%] (t-19th)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):
120/155 [77.4%] (24th)
137/166 [82.5%] (10th)
SHOTS (Rank):
1873 (4th)
1810 (9th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):
2838 (3rd)
2555 (8th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):
52.5% (5th)
48.1% (25th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):
52.8% (3rd)
49.3% (20th)
MAPLE LEAFS – COYOTES NOTES
First Matchup between Clubs:
November 10, 1979 at Winnipeg (Toronto 8, Winnipeg 4)
All-Time Record:
38-53-8-2 (101 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:
21-27-2-2 (52 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:
17-26-6-0 (49 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent on the Road:
December 19, 2013 (Toronto 2, Arizona 1 SO)
MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. COYOTES
Tyson Barrie
First goal as a Maple Leaf (November 21, 2019 at ARI)
Kyle Clifford
100th NHL point (December 27, 2018 LAK vs. ARI)
Pierre Engvall
First NHL point (Goal) (November 21, 2019 at ARI)
Martin Marincin
First NHL point (January 24, 2014 (EDM) vs. PHX)
Auston Matthews
100th career NHL game (November 20, 2017 vs. ARI)
Jake Muzzin
First NHL goal (January 26, 2013 (LAK) at PHX)
William Nylander
100th career NHL point (December 28, 2017 at ARI)
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
CATEGORY
LEADER
GOALS
40 (Matthews)
ASSISTS
43 (Marner)
POINTS
68 (Matthews)
POWER PLAY POINTS
21 (Marner, Matthews)
SHORTHANDED POINTS
2 (Engvall, Kapanen)
PIMs
34 (Muzzin)
SHOTS
225 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%
57.6% (Gauthier)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %
55.4% (Nylander)
BLOCKED SHOTS
85 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS
61 (Matthews)
HITS
99 (Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME
24:15 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME
3:08 (Marner)
SH TOI PER GAME
2:50 (Ceci)
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
Frederik Andersen
– Tied for second among NHL goaltenders in wins (24).- Has a 10-5-6 record on home ice with a .900 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average.- Is 8-3-4 in 16 career appearances against Arizona with a .936 save percentage and a 1.82 goals-against average.- Has a save percentage over .900 in 57.1 percent of his starts this season, which is the sixth-highest percentage among goaltenders who have appeared in 40 games.
Tyson Barrie
– Has five multi-assist games, which is tied for 11th-most among NHL defencemen.- Tied for ninth among NHL defencemen in multi-point games (9). – Scored his first goal as a Maple Leaf on November 21 at Arizona.- Leads the Maple Leafs in slap shots taken (48). Lone Toronto skater to have taken over 30 slap shots.
Jack Campbell
– Is 3-2-1 in six career games against the Coyotes with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Kyle Clifford
– Ranks sixth among NHL left wingers who have appeared in 50 games in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage (55.1%). – Ranks 24th among NHLers who have appeared in at least 50 games played in hits per 60 minutes (8.88).
Pierre Engvall
– Has started 40.6 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which is the third-lowest percentage among NHL rookies who have appeared in at least 30 games.- Has an on-ice goals-for percentage of 57.1 percent at 5-on-5, which is the seventh highest among NHL rookies who have appeared in 30 games.
Justin Holl
– Ranks first in 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of (52.5%) among right-handed defencemen who have started less than 45 percent of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone (44.5%).- Has the highest unblocked shot attempt percentage at 5-on-5 (52.9%) among right-handed defencemen to have started fewer than 45 percent (44.5%) of their shifts in the offensive zone.
Michael Hutchinson
– Had made the second-most saves (373) among NHL goaltenders who have appeared in 15 or fewer games.
Zach Hyman
– Tied for fourth among Toronto skaters in points since January 1 (5-8-13; 15 GP).- Has 14 points (5-9-14) in 16 games on home ice this season. – Ranks fifth among Maple Leafs skaters in points per game (0.76).
Andreas Johnsson
– Averages 1.88 shots per game, which ranks seventh among Toronto forwards.- Has drawn 11 penalties this season, which is tied for fourth-most among Toronto skaters.- Has 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 64 career games on home ice.
Kasperi Kapanen
– Fifth among Toronto skaters in even-strength points (8-18-26).- Ranks second among Maple Leafs and 14th among NHL right wingers who have appeared in 40 games in assists per 60 minutes of ice time (1.30) at 5-on-5.- Has recorded 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) in 14 games since January 1.
Alex Kerfoot
– Tied for seventh among Maple Leafs in even-strength goals (7). – 10th among Maple Leafs in even-strength points (7-12-19).- Has five points (2-3-5) in seven career games against Arizona.
Mitch Marner
– Ranks eighth among NHL skaters in assists (43). Has the most assists among NHLers who have appeared in fewer than 50 games.- Has 12 multi-assist games, which is tied for the second-most among NHL skaters.- Averaging 1.27 points per game, which is the seventh-highest average in the NHL.- Averaging 1.97 assists per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, which ranks third among NHLers who have appeared in at least 40 games.- Tied for sixth in the NHL in primary assists (28). His 28 primary assists are the most among NHLers who have appeared in 50 or fewer games.
Auston Matthews
– Tied for first among NHL skaters in goals (40).- Leads the NHL with 30 even-strength goals.- Leads the NHL in goals scored at 5-on-5 (25).- Leads the NHL in wrist shot goals (24).- Second in the NHL in multi-goal games (10).- Tied for ninth among NHL skaters in points (40-28-68).- Fourth in the NHL with 225 shots on goal.
William Nylander
– Ranks first in goals (25) and second in points (25-24-49) among Swedish skaters this season.- Tied for the Maple Leaf lead in game-winning goals (4).- One of 10 NHLers to average at least 14:00 minutes per game at 5-on-5 (14:32) while maintaining a goal per 60-minute rate of at least 1.20 (1.30).
Jason Spezza
– Averaging 2.04 points per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which is the fourth-highest average among Toronto skaters who have appeared in at least 40 games.- Averaging 1.02 goals per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which ranks third among Maple Leafs who have appeared in at least 40 games.- Averaging 1.02 assists per 60 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, which is seventh among Maple Leafs who have appeared in at least 40 games.
John Tavares
– Tied for 21st among NHL skaters in multi-point games (15).- Has 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in 10 games against Pacific Division opponents this season.- Has an on-ice shot attempt percentage of 54.3 percent at 5-on-5 when the Maple Leafs are leading in games, which is the highest percentage when leading among NHL forwards who have appeared in at least 40 games and average 15 minutes per game in 5-on-5 ice time (15:43).- Ranks second among Maple Leafs and 20th among NHLers who have appeared in at least 40 games in shot attempts per 60 minutes of ice time (16.83).- Has drawn a team-high 15 penalties this season.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
Zach Hyman
Has assists (2) in two consecutive games.
John Tavares
Has goals (5) and points (5-2-7) in four consecutive games.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Jason Spezza
Five assists from 600 assists
RECENT MILESTONES
Jack Campbell
First game as a Maple Leaf (February 7 vs. ANA) First win as a Maple Leaf (February 7 vs. ANA)
Kyle Clifford
First game as a Maple Leaf (February 7 vs. ANA)
Mitch Marner
200th NHL assist (February 7 vs. ANA)
John Tavares
800th NHL game (February 8 at Montreal)
INJURY REPORT
Frederik Andersen (Neck)
Day-to-Day
Cody Ceci (Ankle)
On injured reserve.
Ilya Mikheyev (Wrist Laceration)
On injured reserve.
William Nylander (Illness)
Did not play on February 8 at Montreal
Morgan Rielly (Foot)
On injured reserve.
Man Games Lost: 141
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
February 10
Recalled forward Pontus Aberg from the Toronto Marlies (AHL). Placed goaltender Frederik Andersen on injured reserve.
February 7
Recalled defenceman Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Marlies (AHL). Placed defenceman Cody Ceci on injured reserve.
February 6
Loaned goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
February 5
Acquired goaltender Jack Campbell and forward Kyle Clifford from Los Angeles in exchange for forward Trevor Moore, Columbus’ third round pick in 2020 and a conditional third round pick in 2021.
(16-36) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES, 126 VS. (40-14) TORONTO RAPTORS, 137 SCOTIABANK ARENA MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
On winning going away … Well, first of all it didn’t feel like a win going away for quite a long time. There was a lot of energy in the game. I think we are getting everybody’s A-plus game. They were really good I thought for a lot of stretches and we just had to try and figure some things out and as you saw we had a lot of unconnected defence for a lot of the game, but the chemistry between those guys that were out there started to build. Our switching got a little bit better, we stopped all the backcutting and miscommunication on some of that stuff for a nice stretch there in the third and fourth quarter, got it under control.
On OG Anunoby … He was really good, I thought his decisions were really, really good tonight. The only questionable decision I thought he made, one time he was open for a corner three and he pump-faked, there was nobody there and he went to left and made it anyway. So it ended up being a good decision as well. He was good defensively, we put him all over the place. We had him on (Karl-Anthony) Towns a lot and he was doing a good job, he had to switch out on (D’Angelo) Russell because of that. He was just making some really good reads. I thought those guys got some hands on some balls. I thought Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) came up with a couple huge steals as well, but OG had a pretty complete game out there, that’s why we let him run, what was it 15 or 16 straight there through the quarter.
On what you did on D’Angelo Russell in the fourth quarter … We really tried to press up on him and make him drive it. We just sat down, sat back a little too much and he is going to make those no matter where he is. Then we did try and trap him out of the timeouts a lot when we got the right matchup on him and I think we turned him over twice out of time outs for layups, which was huge.
FRED VANVLEET (16 points, seven assists, three steals) Did you think you’d have to play centre tonight? I wasn’t expecting that. When we got here we were a little shocked to hear about Serge, but it happens. At this point we are used to having guys out, unfortunately. Like I said before, next man up. I thought Rondae did an amazing job and I think it helped us in the second half, especially when we were able to switch on the fly. Do you guys take for granted your ability to ability to adapt? Probably, I think we’re used to it at this point. I think we can get a little lackadaisical at times, as you can see, I think that it is a huge tool for us to be able to use in certain situations. I think we realize when we play against other teams how we are able to take advantage on the other end. We probably do take it for granted to answer your question. I think it’s something that keeps developing and it’s something we have in our back pocket when we need to.
How do you execute on both ends when you enter a game knowing there is a significant size differential? Just effort. That’s it. Once we calmed down on our defensive schemes I thought we were in a good position to get most of the boards and obviously we got a few offensive rebounds, so that helps. Give those guys credit in there, Rondae, Chris, Pascal, Kyle, OG. Give these guys credit, they go up and get them and battle with someone like Towns who is a really good offensive rebounder. They have a lot of corner crashers from the wing coming in. I think we did a good job of putting bodies on them and cleaning the glass.
Does the streak help keep the team focus as you approach the break? Yes, it’s fun. I think it’s at a good time. At this time of the season people are looking ahead to the break and it’s one of those weird points in the season where you have to find some inspiration and energy sometimes. I think to be rolling the way we are right now it gives us a little extra boost. For the most part we’ve been coming out engaged. Tonight we weren’t ourselves in the first half. Obviously we cleaned it up in the third quarter and we are trying to keep it going as long as we can. I think it’s in the back of everyone’s mind.
PASCAL SIAKAM (34 points, six rebounds, five assists)
How big of a challenge is it for the team to find out about injuries just before the game? It’s not a good thing, but it feels like another day. Something happening and we’ve got to figure it out. We’ve got guys stepping up. It was a great job by Rondae, OG to be able to guard those guys like Karl-Anthony Towns. It was good for us. It speaks to the character of the team. We’ve got guys ready. They can’t wait to come in and get an opportunity to play. Once they get it they go at it.
Do you feel more prepared for these challenges than you were at the beginning of the year? Probably, I think you can say that. We’ve never had our entire team for a while. We have had to adjust and figure it out. I’m sure guys now know that you have to be ready every day because you don’t know what’s going to happen. Today you might be sitting on the bench and the next day you may be starting. That just has to be the mentality and I think everyone knows that.
Does it feel like you’re on a streak? Yes, I mean obviously I see it every time I’m on Instagram or something. For us it’s about every single day coming in and taking every game one at a time, making sure we come out and execute every single game and have a game plan.
Do you find the confidence of the team is growing in its ability to adapt to different challenges? I think we have a system and we trust that the coaches have a game plan that we are going to execute. If it’s not working we trust that we can adjust on the fly and try something else. I think one thing that we’ve been doing is trying different things out. We have a lot of things we can throw at you. We trust that it’s going to work and if it doesn’t work go to the next thing.
RONDAE HOLLIS-JEFFERSON (20 points, six rebounds, three steals)
How much energy do you get when you find out you’ll be starting? I try to stay with the same mindset and be locked into what I have to do. I know I’m a defender. I know I can bring energy and bring that spark to the guys. I just try to lock into that at the end of the day.
How much different is it as a defender when you’re guarding a big man? It’s definitely different. The battle itself, holding your own ground, but they’ve got five inches on me, four inches on me, 30 pounds on me or so. It’s definitely a battle, but it’s about being mentally tough, having that resiliency. Coming from where I come from I was born with it, inherited it. Chester, PA, thank you. I love a challenge at the end of the day.
(16-36) MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES, 126 VS. (40-14) TORONTO RAPTORS, 137 SCOTIABANK ARENA MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2020
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES QUOTES
RYAN SAUNDERS (HEAD COACH)
What were the Raptors doing down the stretch to make it so difficult? A lot of credit to them, and that organization. There’s a reason they have won 15 games in a row. They play with a sense of urgency and they have a great identity about them. I thought they got physical with us; some things didn’t go our way. They were able to force some turnovers that got them in the open court and kind of broke it open a little bit. I’m really proud of this group and the way these guys did keep fighting back, even that second unit they were the ones who really pulled us into the game late in that third and early in that fourth.
Even in the loss, you like the energy and effort you saw throughout? Yes, I do. I feel really good about us going home, having a solid day tomorrow and also a good game on Wednesday, and then using the break to recharge and also, evaluate and really dissect what we can do moving forward.
With all the new guys coming together, do you expect the turnovers? We knew that, we kind of said that. Against the Clippers, we did a great job of taking care of the ball, which you almost expect to happen some more turnovers against a team like the Clippers, and then you play a team like Toronto; they’re a good test for us. The one thing that Toronto does such a great job of is your turnovers are as good as twos and threes for them, the way they push the ball and the way they can score in the open court. So I think that’s where it hurt us even more.
On tonight’s game… I thought we played well. We played well throughout the game, obviously, they’ve won 14 games in a row and they’re hot. They made some shots obviously, but I thought we stuck right with them. We showed a lot of toughness. We showed a lot of grit. No matter what the game threw at us, we found ways to get back and stay close, get the lead, or whatever the case may be. They’re a good team and we played hard. We played together and we gritted and grinded, you know, we just didn’t come out with a win tonight. I’m proud of our guys for playing as hard as we did. I think we pushed them to a lot of brinks tonight and we made them earn it.
On playing with D’Angelo Russell… It was a lot of fun… You could see how much we were talking to each other and we were just hyping each other up and everything. That’s my brother, man. I told him that I don’t know if he’ll ever have a teammate that loves him as much as I do and have his back more than I do. I’d die for that man and I know he would do the same for me.
D’ANGELO RUSSELL (22 points, five assists, one steal)
How did it feel playing tonight? It was great. (I’m) super excited about this group. You know what Karl does, what he brings to the table, but just the group in general, the coaching staff, I look forward to this challenge of figuring out what we can do to get better every day.
How long do you think it will take you to learn plays and terminology? There’s no right answer to that. I think just in general our pace of what we want to work at on the offensive end (and) the defensive end … The quicker we get in film and get some games under our belt to be better; I think that’s on our time.
What do you think the biggest challenge is coming into a game like this with a new team? That’s a great team over there. They’re obviously capable of doing great things. Nick Nurse is a great coach, but in general I think we’re worried about us. The more we can get some games under our belt and just dissect the film from being better individually; I think it’ll help our team chemistry as a w
The view from left field 