FINAL SCORE: TORONTO RAPTORS 131, INDIANA PACERS 91
DATE: SATURDAY MARCH 26, 2022
FINAL SCORE
RECORD
HIGH POINTS
HIGH REBOUNDS
HIGH ASSISTS
Indiana
131
25-50
Brissett – 21
Brissett – 8
Haliburton – 12
Toronto
91
42-32
Siakam – 23
Boucher – 10
Siakam/Barnes – 7
KEY NOTE
Tonight’s game between the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers was suspended at the 4:05 mark in the second quarter. A small electrical fire was detected in an overhead speaker in section 103 at Scotiabank Arena. Fans evacuated the building under instruction from the Toronto Fire Department. After a 56 minute delay, the Toronto Fire Department deemed it was safe to resume play. Players returned to the court and the game continued without fans.
KEY STAT
Toronto shot a season-best .607 (51-84) from the field in tonight’s win … The Raptors had six players score in double-digits and their bench outscored Indiana’s 62-16 … Toronto improves to 15-4 when six-or-more players score 10+ points.
RAPTORS NOTES:
With the win, Toronto is now 42-32 this season, including 19-16 at home … The Raptors will continue a four-game homestand (Mar. 24-30) Monday vs. Boston.
Pascal Siakam scored a team-high 23 points, and added seven assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes … Siakam has now scored 20+ points in four consecutive games (Mar. 20-26) and 12 of the last 13 contests overall … During this stretch (Mar. 3-26) he is averaging 26.5 points and shooting .538 (128-238) from the field.
OG Anunoby finished with 16 points (6-9 FG, 3-5 3PT, 1-2 FT) and three rebounds in 28 minutes … Anunoby made three three-pointers tonight, and has now tied Norman Powell (440) for 8th on the Raptors All-Time three pointers list.
Precious Achiuwa tallied 18 points, six rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes off the bench … Achiuwa made a career high-tying four three-point field goals tonight … Achiuwa is shooting .361 (44-122) from beyond the arc this season after attempting just one three-pointer in 61 games last season.
Scottie Barnes recorded 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 31 minutes … Tonight Barnes reached 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds, joining Charlie Villanueva (2005-06 season) as the just the second rookie in franchise history to reach both these milestones.
PACERS NOTES:
With the loss, Indiana falls to 25-50 and 9-29 on the road … The Pacers will begin a two-game homestand (Mar. 28-30) Monday against Atlanta.
Oshae Brissett recorded team highs of 21 points and eight rebounds in 38 minutes … Brissett has now scored 20+ points six times in his career, including in four games this season.
Jalen Smith finished with 15 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action … Smith has now scored 15+ points in four straight games played (Mar. 15-26), averaging 16.0 points and shooting .595 (25-42) during this stretch.
Tyrese Haliburton dished out a game-high 12 assists tonight and added seven points and five rebounds in 33 minutes … Haliburton has recorded 10+ assists 24 times in 70 games this season, something he did in five-of-58 contests last year.
GAME #72 – TORONTO RAPTORS (40-31) at CHICAGO BULLS (41-29) MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2022 – 8 P.M. (ET) – UNITED CENTER TV: SPORTSNET – RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
GARY TRENT OUT FOR TORONTO
INJURY REPORT AT 5:30 P.M. EDT
OR@CHI
Chicago Bulls
Ball, Lonzo Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Meniscus Tear Cook, Tyler Out G League – Two-Way Hill, Malcolm Out G League – Two-Way Simonovic, Marko Out G League – On Assignment Williams, Patrick Available –
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 Trent Jr., Gary Out Injury/Illness – Left Foot; Big Toe – Hyperextended
• The Toronto Raptors (40-31) play the second game of a back-to-back set Monday night against the Chicago Bulls (41-29) at the United Center. The Raptors defeated Philadelphia 93-88 on Sunday night, overcoming a 16-point first-half deficit by holding the 76ers to an opponent season-low 34 second half points. Toronto sits 1.0 game behind Cleveland for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is 10-5 on the second night of a back-to-back set this season, after going just 3-13 last year. • Toronto has won six consecutive road games (Mar. 9-20) for the first time since winning eight straight Mar. 3 – Aug. 12, 2020. During this stretch, the Raptors are averaging 112.2 points while holding opponents to 103.7 points. Pascal Siakam is averaging a team-high 27.0 points over the last six road games. • Precious Achiuwa recorded a season high-tying 21 points and nine rebounds Mar. 20 at Philadelphia. Achiuwa has now scored in double figures in a career-high seven straight games (Mar. 9-20), averaging 14.1 points. He is shooting .506 (39-77) from the field and .452 (14-31) from beyond the arc during this stretch. Achiuwa is shooting .367 (40-109) from three-point range this season after attempting just one three-pointer last season with Miami. • Toronto outrebounded Philadelphia 56-to-40, including 20-5 on the offensive end, Sunday night. The Raptors (13.5) currently rank second in the NBA in offensive boards and have a +69 (172-103) advantage on the offensive glass through 11 games in March. The Raptors are 4-1 this season when the team collects 0-or-more offensive rebounds in a game. • Pascal Siakam is averaging 22.0 points, and career bests of 8.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists, in 58 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. • Chris Boucher had 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in 39 minutes off the bench Sunday night in Philadelphia. This marks Boucher’s seventh double-double of the season. He has led the bench in scoring a team-best 26 times this year and holds the franchise record for double-doubles as a reserve with 21. • Pascal Siakam finished with his team-leading 24th double-double of the season with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists Mar. 20 in Philadelphia. Siakam reached 6,000 career points against the Sixers, becoming just the seventh Raptor to reach the milestone. Sunday also marked his 12th game this season with 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists – a single-season franchise record. • Scottie Barnes has scored 20+ points 17 times this season – the most by a Raptors rookie since Vince Carter did it 23 times during the 1998-99 season.
• Finished with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes Mar. 20 at Philadelphia. • Leads all rookies in minutes (35.8), ranks third in scoring (15.5) and rebounds (7.7), and fourth in assists (3.4). • Averaging 19.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and has scored 20+ points in eight-of-14 games since the All-star break. F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
MIN: 37.7 REB: 8.4 AST: 5.1 STL: 1.2 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.6 PTS: 22.0 • Finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes Mar. 20 at Philadelphia. • Leads the Raptors with a career-best 24 double-doubles this season. • Averaging 25.7 points and shooting .505 (105-208) from the field through 11 games in March. C – KHEM BIRCH #24
MIN: 18.4 REB: 4.5 AST: 1.0 STL: 0.6 TO: 0.5 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 4.6 • Contributed four points and six rebounds in 22 minutes Sunday in Philadelphia. • Has scored in double figures four times this season (Last: 11 – Mar. 1 vs. Brooklyn). • Averaging 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 18.8 minutes in 20 games as a starter this season. G – GARY TRENT JR. #33
MIN: 34.8 REB: 2.8 AST: 2.1 STL: 1.8 TO: 1.0 BLK: 0.3 PTS: 18. • Tallied nine points, three assists, two rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes Mar. 20 at Philadelphia. • Ranks third in the NBA in both steals (1.79) and total deflections (221). • Averaging 20.1 points and shooting .394 (108-274) from beyond the arc in 33 road games this season. G – FRED VANVLEET #23
MIN: 38.2 REB: 4.6 AST: 6.7 STL: 1.6 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 21.1 • Inactive Mar. 20 at Philadelphia for right knee injury management. • Leads the NBA in minutes (38.2), ranks second in deflections (222) and third in three-pointers (220). • Needs 18 three-pointers to tie Kyle Lowry’s single-season franchise record of 238 made threes (2017-18). TS: 18.
2021-22 RECORDS W-L EAST WEST OVERALL 40-31 24-19 16-12 HOME 17-16 11-9 6-7 AWAY 23-15 13-10 10-5 OVERTIME 2-2 2-1 0-1
GAME DETAILS Opponent: Chicago Bulls Date: Monday, March 21 Tip-Off: 8 p.m. (ET) Venue: United Center Television: TSN Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto SERIES RECAP VS. CHICAGO OVERALL HOME ROAD 2021-22 1-2 1-1 0-1 ALL-TIME 45-53 24-25 21-28 STREAKS Won 1 Won 1 Lost 3 LAST WIN: Feb. 3, 2022 (127-100 OT) LAST ROAD WIN: Dec. 9, 2019 (93-92) LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +39 (Nov. 17, 2018) LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -37 (Feb. 19, 1998) LAST TIME VS. CHICAGO GAME 50 – FEBRUARY 3, 2022 TORONTO 127, CHICAGO 120 (OT) TORONTO — Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Boucher added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 127-120 in overtime … Scottie Barnes scored 21 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:44 left in OT, and Gary Trent Jr. added a decisive 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining … Trent scored 16 points, ending his career-best streak of 30-point games at five … Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby each scored 21 as Toronto won its fourth straight overall … Toronto finished with 113 field goal attempts, while the Bulls had 90 … The Raptors also had 22 offensive rebounds, compared to 10 for Chicago … Chicago committed 17 turnovers, leading to 22 points for the Raptors … Vucevic matched his season high with 30 points and had 18 rebounds, his ninth double-double in 10 games … DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points against his former team … Coby White had 16 points, LaVine had 15, Javonte Green 13 and Ayo Dosunmu 11 for the Bulls, who came in as the Eastern Conference leaders … The Raptors led 103-93 after VanVleet’s 3 with 5:50 to go in regulation, but DeRozan tied it at 112 on a jump shot with 47 seconds left, capping a personal six-point run … VanVleet came up empty on a driving shot attempt at the other end, but Barnes tipped in the missed shot to tie it with 0.7 seconds left … Vucevic got a final shot off, but didn’t come close. 1 2 3 4 OT TOT CHICAGO 24 26 31 33 6 120 TORONTO 26 28 33 27 13 127
NEXT GAME DETAILS Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers Date: Thursday, March 24 Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. (ET) Venue: Scotiabank Arena Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN SERIES RECAP VS. CLEVELAND OVERALL HOME ROAD 2021-22 0-3 0-1 0-2 ALL-TIME 46-53 26-23 20-30 STREAKS Lost 3 Lost 1 Lost 2 LAST WIN: Apr. 26, 2021 (112-96) LAST HOME WIN: Apr. 26, 2021 (112-96) LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +34 (Jan. 11, 2018) LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -45 (Dec. 26, 2021) LAST TIME VS. CLEVELAND GAME 64 – MARCH 6, 2022 CLEVELAND 104, TORONTO 96 CLEVELAND — Evan Mobley had 20 points and 17 rebounds, Lauri Markkanen scored 22, and the Cavaliers beat the Raptors 104-96 … All-Star center Jarrett Allen reportedly suffered a fractured finger during the first quarter … Allen had six points and two rebounds in 10 minutes … Darius Garland had 17 points and 10 assists, Cedi Osman added 17 points and Kevin Love 15 as Cleveland improved to 3-0 against Toronto … Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and Chris Boucher 21 for the Raptors, who opened a six-game road trip without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet (knee soreness) or forward OG Anunoby (fractured finger) … Down 18 in the fourth, the Raptors closed within 100-95, but Garland made two free throws and Osman’s steal with 56 seconds left helped seal it for the Cavs … Injuries to VanVleet and backup Malachi Flynn led to Toronto coach Nick Nurse starting rookie Scottie Barnes at point guard … He finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 42 minutes … Cleveland led by 13 at halftime and then overcame a brutal third quarter — 16 points, 1 of 10 on 3-pointers — by opening an 82-64 lead early in the fourth … Love then hit a 3-pointer and reserve Dean Wade delivered a thunderous dunk over Toronto’s Khem Birch … The Raptors finished 6 of 24 on 3- pointers. … VanVleet has missed the past five games. 1 2 3 4 TOT TORONTO 29 17 16 34 96 CLEVELAND 30 29 14 31 104
BACK-TO-BACKS (17) FIRST GAME SECOND GAME DATE OPP RESULT DATE OPP RESULT Oct. 22 @BOS W 115-83 Oct. 23 DAL L 103-95 Oct. 29 ORL W 110-109 Oct. 30 @IND W 97-94 Nov. 10 @BOS L 104-88 Nov. 11 @PHI W 115-109 Nov. 18 @UTA L 119-103 Nov. 19 @SAC W 108-89 Dec. 13 SAC W 124-101 Dec. 14 @BKN L 131-129 (OT) Jan. 4 SAS W 129-104 Jan. 5 @MIL W 117-111 Jan. 14 @DET L 103-87 Jan. 15 @MIL W 103-96 Jan. 25 CHA W 125-113 Jan. 26 @CHI L 111-105 Jan. 31 @ATL W 106-100 Feb. 1 MIA W 110-106 Feb. 3 CHI W 127-120 (OT) Feb. 4 ATL W 125-114 Feb. 9 @OKC W 117-98 Feb. 10 @HOU W 139-120 Feb. 25 @CHA L 125-93 Feb. 26 @ATL L 127-100 Feb. 28 @BKN W 133-97 Mar. 1 BKN W 109-108 Mar. 3 DET L 108-106 Mar. 4 ORL L 103-97 Mar. 11 @PHX W 117-112 Mar. 12 @DEN W 127-115 Mar. 20 @PHI W 93-88 Mar. 21 @CHI Apr. 7 PHI Apr. 8 HOU RECORD: 11-5 (.688) RECORD: 10-5 (.667) 2020-21 RECORD: 7-9 (.438) 2020-21 RECORD: 3-13 (.188) SEASON SERIES Atlanta Hawks 2-1 Miami Heat 2-1 Boston Celtics 1-2 Milwaukee Bucks 3-0 Brooklyn Nets 2-2 Minnesota Timberwolves 1-0 Charlotte Hornets 2-1 New Orleans Pelicans 1-1 Chicago Bulls 1-2 New York Knicks 3-0 Cleveland Cavaliers 0-3 Oklahoma City 1-1 Dallas Mavericks 0-2 Orlando Magic 1-1 Denver Nuggets 1-1 Philadelphia 76ers 2-1 Detroit Pistons 0-3 Phoenix Suns 1-1 Golden State Warriors 1-1 Portland Trail Blazers 0-2 Houston Rockets 1-0 Sacramento Kings 2-0 Indiana Pacers 2-1 San Antonio Spurs 2-0 Los Angeles Clippers 2-0 Utah Jazz 1-1 Los Angeles Lakers 1-1 Washington Wizards 3-1 Memphis Grizzlies 1-1
Largest comeback by Toronto: 17 – Jan. 7 vs. Utah Largest fourth quarter comeback by Toronto: 8 (2X last: Mar. 12 at Denver) Largest comeback by opponent: 15 – Nov. 5 vs. Cleveland Largest fourth quarter comeback by opponent: 9 – Dec. 14 at Brooklyn (OT)
TORONTO RAPTORS (40-31) @ CHICAGO BULLS (41-29) Game 71, Home Game 36 Monday, March 21, 2022 – 7:00 PM CT United Center NBC SPORTS CHICAGO / WSCR-AM 670 / WRTO 1200, TUDN PROB-A-BULL STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Player Updates F 24 JAVONTE GREEN 6-5 205 2021-22 Season: 7.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 spg, 24.1 mpg, .542 FG%, .381 3FG%, .831 FT% Career vs. TOR: 9 games, 5.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.7 apg, 11.7 mpg, .548 FG%, .375 3FG%, .769 FT% Note: Has started a career-best 41 times after making a combined total of four over two previous seasons. F 11 DeMAR DeROZAN 6-6 220 2021-22 Season: 27.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.1 apg, 36.0 mpg, .503 FG%, .353 3FG%, .871 FT% Career vs. TOR: 9 games, 23.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 7.7 apg, 36.5 mpg, .504 FG%, .429 3FG%, .914 FT% Note: Averaging career-highs in scoring (27.8), FG% (.503) and 3FG% (.353). C 9 NIKOLA VUČEVIĆ 6-11 260 2021-22 Season: 17.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.0 bpg, 33.5 mpg, .474 FG%, .302 3FG%, .752 FT% Career vs. TOR: 36 games, 15.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 29.8 mpg, .481 FG%, .386 3FG%, .700 FT% Note: Ranks 5th in the NBA with 40 double-doubles; has posted 15 double-doubles in his last 21 games. G 8 ZACH LaVINE 6-5 202 2021-22 Season: 24.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.6 apg, 34.7 mpg, .480 FG%, .395 3FG%, .860 FT% Career vs. TOR: 16 games, 16.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 34.0 mpg, .433 FG%, .295 3FG%, .779 FT% Note: Has scored in double-figures in 159 of of his last 160 games. G 12 AYO DOSUNMU 6-5 200 2021-22 Season: 8.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 27.0 mpg, .521 FG%, .390 3FG%, .672 FT% Career vs. TOR: 2 games, 9.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, 40.2 mpg, .364 FG%, .111 3FG%, .500 FT% Note: Has shot .500+ FG% and .400+ 3FG% in the same game 23 times, 2nd most by a rookie this season.
TONIGHT’S OPPONENT – TORONTO RAPTORS (40-31) SERIES SUMMARY The third matchup between Toronto and Chicago came down to the wire, as the Raptors emerged with a 127-120 victory in a game that saw the Bulls go into overtime for the first time in 2021/22 … They were led by Nikola Vučević, who scored a game-high 30 points, shooting 13-21 from the floor and 4-6 from three … Behind Vučević was DeMar DeRozan, who had 28 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals … He also shot 7-17 from the floor and a perfect 14-14 from the stripe … All five Bulls’ starters finished in double-figures, as Javonte Green scored 13, Zach LaVine had 15 while Ayo Dosunmu finished with 11 points … Coby White added 16 points off the bench … Toronto had four of five starters finish with 20+ points, led by Pascal Siakam, who finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds … Rookie Scottie Barnes had 21 points, including a go-ahead bucket with under two minutes left in the game, and Gary Trent Jr. scored 16 points including a three to finish the game off … in the second meeting, the Bulls came away with a 111-105 victory at the United Center giving Chicago five straight wins over the Raptors …DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 29 points while Zach LaVine added 23 on 9-of-16 shooting while gathering eight rebounds and dishing eight assists … Nikola Vučević also enjoyed his most efficient outing of the season, hitting 8-of-11 (.727) from the floor, finishing with 17 points and a game-high 15 rebounds … Chicago ended up with a season-best 68 points in the paint … Gary Trent Jr. led the charge for the Raptors, matching a season-high with 32 points, fueled by going 6-of-10 from three and 4-of 5 from the line … this contest was the first of two make-up games between the Bulls and the Raptors, as two previously scheduled games had to be rescheduled after a number of players on both teams were sidelined due to NBA health and safety protocols … in the series opener, Chicago pulled away late in the fourth quarter to post a 111-108 victory … DeMar DeRozan notched team-best 26 points for the Bulls, including scoring 11 in the final stanza, while Zach LaVine added 22 points … Toronto’s Fred VanVleet scored 15 points and set a career high with 17 assists … Precious Achiuwa also had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, while rookie Scottie Barnes scored 13 points. Breakdown Overall Home Road Neutral All-Time Record 53-45 (.541) 28-21 (.571) 25-24 (.510) 0-0 (.000) 2021-22 SERIES (2-1)
CHI STAT TOR 112.0 PPG 108.8 111.2 OPP PPG 107.3 .481 FG% .443 .469 OPP FG% .462 .372 3FG% .351 .365 OPP 3FG% .352 .816 FT% .752 42.8 RPG 45.4 43.2 OPP RPG 44.2 24.1 APG 21.8 7.2 SPG 8.9 12.9 TO 12.6 13.2 OPP TO 15.9 4.3 BLK 4.6 BULLS/RAPTORS STREAKS CURRENT STREAK – 1 Loss HOME STREAK – 3 Wins ROAD STREAK – 1 Loss BULLS VS. RAPTORS THIS SEASON Oct. 25 @ TOR – W 111-108 Jan. 26 @ CHI – W 111-105 Feb. 03 @ TOR – L 120-127 (OT) Mar. 21 @ CHI BULLS NEXT OPPONENT – MILWAUKEE BUCKS (44-27) BULLS/BUCKS STREAKS CURRENT STREAK – 2 Losses HOME STREAK – 1 Loss ROAD STREAK – 6 Losses SERIES SUMMARY The Bulls fell to the Bucks 112-118 at the United Center in the second of four games between the two teams to give Milwaukee their third straight win … Zach LaVine led the team in scoring for the 22nd time this season with a team-high 30 points on 13- 26 from the floor … LaVine also recorded eight rebounds and six assists … DeMar DeRozan finished right behind him with 29 points… Nikola Vučević had 19 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Javonte Green had nine points off the bench … The Bucks were agin led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a game-high 34 points, going 12-22 from the floor and 10-19 from the free-throw line … Milwaukee shot 33 free-throws, going 22-33 (.667) from the stripe, which is the most by a Bulls opponent this season. The first matchup of the four-game season-series between Chicago and Milwaukee saw the Bucks come away with a 94-90 victory at the Fiserv Forum … it was Chicago’s sixth straight loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee … the Bucks were led by NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored a team-high 30 points while also recording 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks … Antetokounmpo was one of three Milwaukee starters with double-digit rebounding figures …Khris Middleton had a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards, while Bobby Portis had 12 points and a team-best 13 rebounds … Jrue Holiday came off the bench and had 13 points and four rebounds over 27 minutes… DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 35 points for the Bulls … Nikola Vučević was the second-highest scorer for Chicago, finishing with 19 points while also pulling down a team-best 11 boards … Matt Thomas came off the bench and matched a season-high with a trio of three-pointers, going 3-5 from deep and finishing with 11 points in 19 minutes played … The Bulls, however, struggled on the offensive end overall, finishing the game at a 31-85 (.365) clip and 7-38 (.184) from three, both of which are season-lows.
CHI STAT TOR 112.0 PPG 108.8 111.2 OPP PPG 107.3 .481 FG% .443 .469 OPP FG% .462 .372 3FG% .351 .365 OPP 3FG% .352 .816 FT% .752 42.8 RPG 45.4 43.2 OPP RPG 44.2 24.1 APG 21.8 7.2 SPG 8.9 12.9 TO 12.6 13.2 OPP TO 15.9 4.3 BLK 4.6 BULLS/RAPTORS STREAKS CURRENT STREAK – 1 Loss HOME STREAK – 3 Wins ROAD STREAK – 1 Loss BULLS VS. RAPTORS THIS SEASON Oct. 25 @ TOR – W 111-108 Jan. 26 @ CHI – W 111-105 Feb. 03 @ TOR – L 120-127 (OT) Mar. 21 @ CHI —
TEAM NOTE-A-BULLS At 41-29 (.586), Chicago sits 5th in the East, 2.0 games behind Boston (44-28 .611) for 4th, and Philadelphia (43-27 .614) for 3rd in the conference. The Bulls and Brooklyn have both shot .900+ from the free-throw line 14 times, ranking 2nd behind Phoenix with 16. The Bulls have hit 20+ free-throws while shooting .850+ from the stripe 13 times, ranking 3rd behind Philadelphia (15) and Atlanta (14). The Bulls, Brooklyn and Denver are the only teams to shoot .600+ from the floor twice this season. Five others have done it once. The Bulls have also shot .500+ from the field 26 times, ranking 3rd behind Phoenix (32) and Denver (28). The Bulls are 22-4 (.846) in those contests. The Bulls have also shot .500+ from the field and .450+ from the 3-point arc 14 times, as well as .400+ from deep 20 times. Both rank No. 1 in the NBA. The Bulls are 32-8 (.800) when outshooting an opponent; 22-5 (.815) when they hit more 3s; 18-5 (.783) when they hand out more assists; and 40-18 (.690) when two or more players score 20+ points. The Bulls have dished 30+ assists 17 times, ranking 6th in the league. The Bulls have scored 130+ points 8 times this season, the 3rd-most in franchise history. The 1969-70 team had 11 games while the inaugural squad from 1966-67 recorded 10 games of 130+ points. The Bulls have posted 70+ points by halftime four times, and in the second half three times this season. Last year, they were able to accomplish this just twice in the opening half and once in the second over a total of 72 games played. PLAYER NOTE-A-BULLS ZACH LaVINE hit his 1,000th career (and 700th as a Bull) 3-pointer at Sacramento (3/14). He currently ranks 3rd in franchise history with 706. DeMAR DeROZAN knocked down his 7,000th career shot vs. Cleveland (3/12). NIKOLA VUČEVIĆ notched his 40th double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds at Utah (3/16). He currently ranks 5th in the league. With his fifth (and final) assist at Atlanta (3/3), VUČEVIĆ recorded the 2,000th helper of his career. He currently has dished a total of 2,008, ranking 16th all-time and 1st among active NBA pivotmen. LaVINE (1,114) passed DAVE CORZINE (1,112) for 20th on the Bulls All-Time assists list with four helpers at Miami (2/28). DeROZAN recorded a 10th straight 30+ point game with 31 vs. Memphis (2/26), establishing a new personal best and tying franchise icon MICHAEL JORDAN for the second-longest mark in Bulls’ history. Jordan also holds the team record with 11 straight 30+ point games set during the 1986-87 season. DeROZAN has attempted double-digit free throws 20 times, and connected in double-digits 14 times, placing him 5th and 4th in the league, respectively. DeROZAN is the only Bulls player to score 40+ points in a game, something he’s done three times this season. In total, a player has scored 40+ 93 times this year, but only four games have happened without the player making a 3-point shot – three by DeRozan: 40 points vs. San Antonio (2/14), 45 points vs. Philadelphia (2/6) and 41 points at Orlando (1/23). LaVINE (6,218) moved in front of JIMMY BUTLER (6,208) for 14th on the Bulls’ All-Time scoring list after posting 28 points vs. Memphis (2/26). LaVINE also surpassed 9,000 career points after notching 20 vs. Atlanta (2/24). WHITE knocked down his 400th career trey in his 178th game vs. Milwaukee (3/4), and later tied ANDRÉS NOCIONI’s tally of 403 at Philadelphia (3/7) after connecting three more times from deep. He’s currently 9th on the Bulls’ all-time 3-point list with a total of 413. AYO DOSUNMU has shot .500+ from the floor and .400+ from deep in the same game 23 times, ranking 2nd among all rookies behind Orlando’s FRANZ WAGNER’s 24. DeROZAN ranks 2nd behind Denver’s NIKOLA JOKIĆ (57) in 20+-point games this season with 56, while LaVINE is tied for 8th along with LA’s LeBRON JAMES and Philadelphia’s JOEL EMBIID with 48. The Chicago duo are also two of only 10 players in the league (and the only teammates) to score 20+- points at least 48 times this season, and in the same game an NBA-best 37 times. They have also scored at least 25 points apiece in the same game an NBA-best 22 times, which is also the most in Bulls’ history. Lastly, DeROZAN (24x) and LaVINE (15x) are also the only teammates to score 30+-points at least a 15 times this season. When it comes to scoring down the stretch, Chicago’s 1-2 punch are two of the best in the business. DeROZAN ranks 1st in 4th-quarter scoring with 535 points while LaVINE is 13th with 316 points. REMAINING 2021-22 NBA KEY DATES Mar. 1 Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline Apr. 12-15 NBA Play-In Tournament Apr. 11 Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2022 (3 p.m. ET) Apr. 16 NBA Playoffs 2022 begin May 2-3 Conference Semifinals begin (possible move up to April 30 / May 1) May 17 NBA Draft Lottery 2022 presented by State Farm May 17-18 Conference Finals begin (possible move up to May 15-16) June 2 NBA Finals 2022 begin DEEBO & FLIGHT 8 = ALL-NBA: The pairing of DeMAR DeROZAN and ZACH LaVINE has seamlessly formed into one of the most dynamic offensive duos in the league, with each making strong cases for All-NBA recognition. DeRozan, who was named a starter for the third time for the NBA All-Star Game in February (his 5th ASG overall), was a 2018 All-NBA Second Team player and a 2017 All-NBA Third Team member. LaVine, who was named to his second consecutive All-Star team this season, has continued to develop his overall game, proving night in and night out to be one of the league’s most efficient and versatile scorers, as well as a pretty formidable defender. Below are some of the hightlights each player has delivered in bringing the Chicago Bulls back to prominence this season. DeRozan LaVine WHAT ROOKIE WALL? One of the other keys to success for the Bulls in 2021-22 has been the development of rookie guard AYO DOSUNMU, whose recent play has put him in contention for the NBA All-Rookie Team. In 31 games as a starter, Dosunmu has averaged 36.1 mpg, 11.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists with only 1.9 turnovers while shooting .530 from the field, .375 from three and .788 from the free throw line. o Has shot .500 or better from the field and .400 or better from deep in the same game an 23 times, 2nd best among all rookies. o Ranks 2nd among all rookies with seven 40+ minute games. o Currently has .590 effective field goal percentage (eFG%), which is the highest in the league among all rookies (min: 50 games). o As his role expanded, his performance on the court improved, too. Dosunmu’s minutes, points, and assists per game have all increased throughout every month of the season: Month GS MPG PPG APG October/November 0 15.7 5.8 0.8 December 2 25.6 7.5 2.1 January 9 32.2 10.0 4.1 February 12 36.6 10.8 6.5 March 8 33.2 10.6 4.3 DIALING LONG DISTANCE: Both ZACH LaVINE and COBY WHITE are quickly rising to the top of the Bulls’ All-Time 3-point list. In the fourth game of the season (and his 209th as a Bull), LaVine knocked down three treys at Toronto (10/25/21) to pass franchise icon MICHAEL JORDAN (555) for the No. 4 spot in franchise history. He later moved ahead of another Bulls’ Hall of Famer, SCOTTIE PIPPEN (664), for No. 3 after hitting three more long shots vs. Portland (1/30/22). As for White, he jumped ahead of LUOL DENG for 10th after going 6-for-11 from downtown vs. Sacramento (2/16). The third-year guard, who missed the first 14 games of the season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, started the year with 296 3-balls, good for 18th on the all-time list. HOT SAUCIN’: Although the Bulls haven’t taken a lot of 3s this season, when they do their aim has been true, as they’ve consistently ranked near the top of the NBA in three-point shooting percentage. The table on the right lists the Bulls’ leading long-distance shooters this season. It shows the number of games each has played, the number of 3s they’ve made and the number of games in which they’ve hit multiple 3s. o Was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February, and the Eastern Conference Player of the Week three times this season. o Has scored in double figures in every appearance (66) and ranks 2nd in the NBA with 56 20+ point games this season. o One of only seven in the league to average 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. o He’s the only player to average over 25.0 ppg while making less than 1.0 3-pointer per game. o His 535 4th quarter points leads the NBA, while his 129 clutch points ranks 2nd. He’s also shooting .514 from the field, .667 from 3 and .879 from the free throw line in the clutch … his two made 3-pointers in clutch time were buzzer-beaters to win games on consecutive days (12/31 at IND and 1/1 at WAS). o DeRozan is converting an NBA-best 4.7 shots from mid-range on 9.7 attempts per game, both of which are the highest averages in the NBA. No other player in the league is currently averaging more than 4.0 made field goals or more than 7.2 attempts from that area. o DeRozan’s rankings: Per StatHead o PPG: 27.8, 6th overall o FGM/game: 10.1, 4th overall o FTM/game: 6.9, 4th overall o Has posted 48 20+ point games, tying him for 8th in the NBA. He’s also recorded 15 30+ point games. o Has 8 games with 10+ field goals and 5+ treys while also shooting at least .500 from the floor, tying him for 5th in the NBA. o His 89 clutch points ranks 10th in the league. o Scored in double figures in 140 consecutive games prior to exiting early with a knee injury (1/22). That was also the second-longest streak in the league over that stretch. In 19 appearances upon returning to the floor, he’s continued to post double-figure scoring nights, running his personal streak to 159 out of his last 160 games. o Holds the highest field goal percentage in the league in catch-and-shoot situations at .473 (min: 50 GP, 30 MIN/G). o LaVine’s rankings: Per StatHead o PPG: 24.5, 14th overall o FGM/game: 8.6, 13th overall o FTM/game: 4.5, T-13th overall o 3PM/game: 2.8, T-11th overa
GAME #71 – TORONTO RAPTORS (39-31) at PHILADELPHIA 76ers (43-26) SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2022 – 7:30 P.M. (ET) – WELLS FARGO CENTER TV: SPORTSNET – RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
INJURY REPORTAT 5:30 P.M.
TOR@PHI
Philadelphia 76ers
Bassey, Charles Out G League – On Assignment Brown Jr., Charlie Out G League – Two-Way Embiid, Joel Questionable Injury/Illness – Back; Soreness Powell, Myles Out G League – Two-Way Springer, Jaden Out Injury/Illness – Left Groin; Soreness / G League Assignment
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 Out Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Injury Management
• The Toronto Raptors (39-31) play the first game of a back-to-back set Sunday night against the Philadelphia 76ers (43-26) at Wells Fargo Center. The Raptors visit Chicago on Monday. Toronto’s win streak ended at five on Friday after losing 128-123 in overtime to the LA Lakers. Scottie Barnes set career-highs with 31 points and 17 rebounds, Gary Trent Jr. scored 23 points and Fred VanVleet had 20. The Raptors are now 1.0 game behind Cleveland for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto and Philadelphia have split the first two meetings this season, with the road team winning both contests. • Scottie Barnes earned his 11th double-double of the season with career highs of 31 points and 17 rebounds Friday against the Lakers. He added six assists in 42 minutes. Barnes became the first rookie since Blake Griffin (March 23, 2011) to record 30+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a game. His 31 points also tied Vince Carter’s Raptors rookie record for the most scored in a double-double. Carter had 31 points and 11 rebounds as a rookie Apr. 1, 1999 vs. Indiana. • Pascal Siakam is averaging 21.9 points, and career bests of 8.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists, in 57 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. • Precious Achiuwa had 18 points and five rebounds off the bench Friday against the Lakers. Achiuwa has now scored in double figures in a career-high six straight games (Mar. 9-18). He is averaging 13.0 points and shooting .484 (30-62) from the field, including .444 (12-27) from three, during this stretch. Achiuwa is shooting .362 (38-105) from beyond the arc this season after attempting just one three-pointer as a rookie. • The Raptors outrebounded the Lakers 46-43 on Friday night, including 16-13 on the offensive glass. Toronto (13.4) currently ranks second in the NBA in offensive boards and has +54 (152-98) advantage on the offensive glass through 10 games in March. • Scottie Barnes has scored 20+ points 17 times this season – the most by a Raptors rookie since Vince Carter did it 23 times during the 1998-99 season. Barnes leads all rookies this year having tallied 20+ points and 5+ rebounds in 17 games. Since the All-Star break, Barnes is averaging 19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and has scored 20-or-more eight times in 13 contests. • Toronto scored 27 fast break points Friday night, while holding the Lakers to just 11. The Raptors (15.6) currently rank third in the league in fast break points. • Gary Trent Jr. finished with 23 points in 41 minutes Friday against the Lakers. Trent Jr. has now scored 20+ points 24 times this season, something he did 23 times in his first three years (2018-21) combined.
F – SCOTTIE BARNES #4 • Recorded career highs of 31 points and 17 rebounds Mar. 18 vs. the LA Lakers; added six assists in 42 minutes. • Leads all rookies in minutes (35.7), ranks third in scoring (15.5) and rebounds (7.6), and fourth in assists (3.4). • Has scored 20+ points in three of the last four games (Mar. 12-18), averaging 23.0 points during this span. F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43 • Finished with 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists in 46 minutes Mar. 18 vs. the LA Lakers. • Leads the Raptors with a career-best 23 double-doubles this season. • Averaging 25.7 points and shooting .505 (95-188) from the field through 10 games in March. C – KHEM BIRCH #24 • Contributed two points, three rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes Mar. 18 vs. the LA Lakers. • Has scored in double figures four times this season (Last: 11 – Mar. 1 vs. Brooklyn). • Averaging 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 18.7 minutes in 19 games as a starter this season. G – GARY TRENT JR. #33 • Scored 23 points Mar. 18 vs. the LA Lakers; added three rebounds and three assists in 41 minutes. • Ranks third in the NBA in both steals (1.80) and total deflections (218). • Averaging 20.8 points and shooting .400 (108-270) from beyond the arc in 32 road games this season. G – FRED VANVLEET #23 • Finished with 20 points, three rebounds and seven assists in 47 minutes Mar. 18 vs. the LA Lakers. • Leads the NBA in minutes (38.2), ranks second in deflections (222) and third in three-pointers (220). • Needs 18 three-pointers to tie Kyle Lowry’s single-season franchise record of 238 made threes (2017-18).
2021-22 RECORDS W-L EAST WEST OVERALL 39-31 23-19 16-12 HOME 17-16 11-9 6-7 AWAY 22-15 12-10 10-5 OVERTIME 2-2 2-1 0-1
GAME DETAILS Opponent: Philadelphia 76ers Date: Sunday, March 20 Tip-Off: 8:30 p.m. (ET) Venue: Wells Fargo Center Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN SERIES RECAP VS. PHILADELPHIA OVERALL HOME ROAD 2021-22 1-1 0-1 1-0 ALL-TIME 59-42 32-18 27-24 STREAKS Lost 1 Lost 2 Won 1 LAST WIN: Nov. 11, 2021 (115-109) LAST ROAD WIN: Nov. 11, 2021 (115-109) LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +34 (Oct. 21, 2017) LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -35 (Jan. 7, 2012) LAST TIME VS. PHILADELPHIA GAME 31 – DECEMBER 28, 2021 PHILADELPHIA 114, TORONTO 109 TORONTO — Tobias Harris had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, Joel Embiid finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers hung on to beat the Toronto Raptors 114-109 … Chris Boucher scored a season-high 28 points and matched his career high with 19 rebounds, but the depleted Raptors lost their second straight … Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr. and Malachi Flynn returned for Toronto after being among the 10 players to miss Sunday’s 144-99 loss at Cleveland because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols … Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Isaac Bonga, and Justin Champagnie remain in the protocols … Siakam scored 28 points while Trent had 19 … After Toronto took a 78-76 lead on Svi Mykhailiuk’s 3-pointer with 2:02 left in the third, the 76ers responded with a 19-5 run, including a 10-2 spurt to begin the fourth that was fueled by eight straight points from Georges Niang … The Raptors battled back, and Trent hit a 3- pointer with 1:41 remaining to put Toronto up 107-106 … But Harris was fouled after grabbing the rebound on Trent’s miss with 21 seconds left, and made two more from the line to put the Sixers up 112-109 … Toronto missed a chance to take a tying shot when Trent turned the ball over with six seconds left … … Philadelphia led 55-48 at halftime. 1 2 3 4 TOT PHILADELPHIA 27 28 30 29 114 TORONTO 24 24 33 28 109
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (39-18-5 – 83 Points) at NASHVILLE PREDATORS (36-22-4 – 75 Points) SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022 1 2 3 FINAL TORONTO 0 1 2 3 NASHVILLE 1 2 3 6
SCORING NOTES
Mitch Marner scored for Toronto at 8:04 of the second period and at 15:19 of the third period. Marner has posted 26 goals this season. Marner also recorded the primary assist on Matthews’ goal. Marner recorded his 42nd assist of the season. Marner has posted six points (3G, 3A) through his last three games.
Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs at 3:41 of the third period. Matthews recorded his 46th goal of the season. Matthews also posted the secondary assist on Marner’s first goal of the game. Matthews recorded his 33rd assist of the season. Matthews has posted 11 points (9G, 2A) through his last six games.
Michael Bunting recorded the primary assist on Marner’s first goal of the game. Bunting registered his 28th assist of the season.
William Nylander posted the primary assist on Marner’s second goal of the game. Nylander registered his 35th assist of the season. Nylander is currently on a six-game assist and point streak where he has recorded eight points (2G, 6A).
Morgan Rielly recorded the secondary assist on Marner’s second goal of the game. Rielly posted his 43rd assist of the season. GOALTENDER NOTES
Erik Källgren stopped 28 of 33 shots in tonight’s loss. SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
The Maple Leafs were 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill tonight. OF NOTE…
With his 26th goal of the season scored during tonight’s game, Mitch Marner tied an NHL careerhigh in goals.
With his 46th goal of the season scored during tonight’s game, Auston Matthews is one goal away from tying an NHL career-high in goals. Matthews continues to lead the league in goals and is tied for fourth in points with 79 (46G, 33A).
Auston Matthews recorded 10 shots during tonight’s game, posting an NHL career second-best.
Auston Matthews was on the ice for a team-high 23 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5.
Auston Matthews finished the game with a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 76.67 percent (23 for, 7 against). SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL TORONTO 9 (9) 13 (8) 19 (11) 41 (28) NASHVILLE 16 (10) 8 (8) 10 (5) 34 (23) SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL TORONTO 19 (18) 23 (15) 28 (13) 70 (46) NASHVILLE 24 (16) 14 (13) 15 (7) 53 (36) ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Maple Leafs are 17-11-3 on the road this season.
Toronto’s all-time record is 13-13-1-1 in 28 games against the Nashville Predators and 6-5-0-1 in 12 games played in Nashville.
Toronto is 18-9-3 against the Western Conference this season and 7-4-3 against the Central Division this season. RECORD WHEN…
Toronto is 12-13-3 when the opponent scores the first goal of the game.
The Maple Leafs are 4-9-3 when trailing after one period and 4-14-1 when trailing after two periods.
Toronto is 23-12-4 when outshooting their opponent.
The Maple Leafs are 10-6-2 in Saturday games. MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS Shots 10 (Matthews) Shot Attempts 13 (Matthews) Face-off Wins 10 (Matthews) Face-off Win Percentage 60% (Kerfoot – 3 won, 2 lost) Hits 5 (Sandin) Blocked Shots 3 (Holl) Takeaways 5 (Matthews) TOI 26:17 (Rielly) Power Play TOI 5:01 (Matthews) Shorthanded TOI 4:23 (Brodie) Shifts 26 (Rielly) 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage 76.67% (Matthews – 23 for, 7 against) UPCOMING GAMES: March 23 Leafs vs. New Jersey Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET March 26 Leafs at Montreal Bell Centre 7:00 pm ET March 27 Leafs vs. Florida Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET March 29 Leafs at Boston TD Garden 7:00 pm ET March 31 Leafs vs. Winnipeg Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET April 2 Leafs at Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 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 what Nashville did right to claim the win: “They played hard, they played structured, they didn’t give us anything off the rush. They gave us a forechecking game today on both sides. They forechecked better than us early in the game for sure. I thought we got better at that once we realized that’s what the game is really going to require. They made it hard that way, hard to get much happening at the net but I thought defensively we did a good job and we didn’t give up a great deal, so that allowed us to hang around in the game but you’ve got one of the league’s best goalies at the other end and he’s playing with the lead and trying to find a way out of a hole isn’t a good way to win.” AUSTON MATTHEWS On tonight’s game: “Yeah maybe a little bit flat to start. I thought in the second period we kind of got going a little bit. Obviously they win the special teams battle there, they get one. We still fall behind and kind of have to dig ourselves out of a hole so I thought we did some good things but I think on the forecheck side of it we probably didn’t forecheck good enough tonight and they’re a team that plays really well with the neutral zone and their structure and stuff they don’t give you much off the rush. I think we can maybe clean up a little bit of the forecheck side of things but I think we did some good things and then obviously some stuff we’d like to clean up.” TRAVIS DERMOTT On Toronto’s slow start: “Yeah, I think that’s kind of the style they play. They want to bore you down. I know they’ve got a lot of fire power up front especially high up in the lineup but I feel like they really wait for us to make mistakes and that’s when they capitalize so I feel like that’s why the first little bit felt a bit boring but that’s when you kind of set the standard for the game and you tell them that we’re not going to make those little mistakes for you guys to get your chances and we’re going to push. Even if we don’t have many openings that’s the time that we really have to stay strict within ourselves and just stick to plan and not open up because that’s obviously when they get their chances so I thought we started okay with that where we might not have had all the energy and buzz that we would have liked but, understanding their style of play, it was almost kind of what we expected so I think it’s just sticking with that and learning from this game. Learning that we can’t always come out and be fast paced and taking it always to them, sometimes we’ve got to switch up our game plan a little bit and just focus on not making mistakes and wait for them to crack instead of the other way around.” ERIK KÄLLGREN On tonight’s game: “Tough game. I think they played well. So did we, but they scored on their chances so tough loss.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: Media Notes 2021-22 Matchups vs. Nashville: Second of Two 2021-22 Record vs. Nashville: 1-0-0 Toronto Season Record: 39-17-5 Toronto Road Record: 17-10-3 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).
LAST GAME Score: Toronto 3 vs. Carolina 2 Date: Thursday, March 17, 2022 TOR Goals: Mikheyev, Marner, Kaše CAR Goals: Bear, Trocheck TOR Goaltender: Källgren, 34/36, .944 SV% CAR Goaltender: Andersen, 18/21, .857 SV% TOR Power Play: 0-for-1 TOR Penalty Kill: 3-for-3 Team Notes:
With his assist on Ondej Kaše’s third period goal, Alexander Kerfoot recorded an NHL career-high with his 44th point of the season.
Ilya Lyubushkin tied a single-game season-high seven hits during
NEXT GAME Thursday’s game. Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Opponent: vs. New Jersey Devils Time: 7:00 pm ET Broadcast Information: Sportsnet (TV), TSN 1050 (Radio)
INJURY REPORT Jack Campbell Rib Injury Jake Muzzin Concussion ALL-TIME VS. NASHVILLE PREDATORS:
First Matchup between Clubs: October 19, 1998 (Toronto 2 vs. Nashville 2 – OTT) All-Time Record: 13-12-1-1 (27 Games) All-Time Record at Home: 7-8-1-0 (16 Games) All-Time Record on the Road: 6-4-0-1 (11 Games) Last Road Win vs. Opponent: January 27, 2020 (Toronto 5 at Nashville 2) Record in Last Five Games: 3-2-0 Record in Last 10 Games: 7-3-0
ACTIVE LEADERS VS. NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Games Played: Jason Spezza (33), Wayne Simmonds (29), Kyle Clifford (29) Goals: Jason Spezza (16), Wayne Simmonds (10), John Tavares (10) Assists: Jason Spezza (15), TJ Brodie (8), Morgan Rielly (8) Points: Jason Spezza (31), Wayne Simmonds (16), John Tavares (15) Penalty Minutes Kyle Clifford (36), Wayne Simmonds (27), Jason Spezza (12)
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2021-22 Power Play: 47/160 (29.4%) Power Play Goal Leader: 13 – Matthews Power Play Point Leader: 23 – Matthews (13G, 10A) 2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%)
ON THE PK IN 2021-22 Penalty Kill: 145/171 (84.8%) Shorthanded Goal Leader: 2 – Kämpf, Marner, Mikheyev Shorthanded Point Leader: 4 – Kämpf (2G, 2A) 2020-21 Penalty Kill: 113/144 (78.5%)
FAST FACTS
Saturday games 18th of 23 (9 home, 14 road) Back-to-Backs played 9 of 13 Record in first game of back-to-back 5-3-1 Record in second game of back-to-back 4-4-1 March games 9th of 14 (9 home, 5 road)
UPCOMING MILESTONES David Kämpf Four games away from 300 career NHL games played Ilya Lyubushkin Eight games away from 200 career NHL games played Mitch Marner Four assists away from 300 career NHL assists Auston Matthews 10 games away from 400 career NHL games played Petr Mrázek Eight games away from 300 career NHL games played William Nylander Six assists away from 200 career NHL assists Jason Spezza 10 points away from 1,000 career NHL points John Tavares Seven assists away from 500 career NHL assists
RECENT MILESTONES TJ Brodie Recorded his 300th career NHL point, March 13, 2022 at BUF Ondrej Kaše Scored his 50th career NHL goal, Dec. 9, 2021 vs. TBL Alexander Kerfoot Appeared in his 300th career NHL game, Nov. 26, 2021 at SJS Alexander Kerfoot Recorded his 100th career NHL assist, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT Timothy Liljegren Scored his first career NHL goal, Jan. 15, 2022 at STL Auston Matthews Recorded his 400th career NHL point, Jan. 31, 2022 vs. NJD Mitch Marner Skated in his 400th career NHL game, March 4, 2022 vs. BUF Mitch Marner Recorded his 400th career NHL point, Feb. 14, 2022 at SEA Ilya Mikheyev Skated in his 100th career NHL game, Jan. 15, 2022 at STL William Nylander Skated in his 400th career NHL game, Feb. 1, 2022 at NJD William Nylander Recorded his 300th career NHL point, Jan. 19, 2022 at NYR Wayne Simmonds Skated in his 1,000th career NHL game, March 5, 2022 vs. VAN Jason Spezza Skated in his 1,200th career NHL game, Nov. 28, 2021 at ANA John Tavares Skated in his 900th career NHL game, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
ALL-TIME vs. TORONTO
The Predators are 13-11-(1)-2 all-time against the Maple Leafs, including a 5-5-(0)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.
This is the second and final meeting between Nashville and Toronto this season; it’s the first and only at Bridgestone Arena.
Toronto prevailed in their first matchup this season, 3-0, on Nov. 16 at Scotiabank Arena.
The Predators are 2-3-0 in their last five games vs. the Maple Leafs; they are 3-5-2 in their last 10; and 1-3-1 in their last five at home.
Overall, the Predators have earned at least a point in eight of their last 13 games (6-5-2) against the Maple Leafs.
In 2018-19, the Predators shut out the Maple Leafs in both of their two meetings. Nashville became the second team in NHL history to sweep a season series with the Maple Leafs (minimum two games) with shutout wins in each game (also: Philadelphia in 1992-93).
On Nov. 18, 2014, 15 Preds skaters reached the scoresheet, led by Taylor Beck’s two goals and an assist, as Nashville tied a franchise record for goals in a game, topping Toronto 9-2 at Scotiabank Arena. NOTABLES vs. TORONTO
Ryan Johansen has averaged close to a point per game vs. Toronto in his career, tallying 14 points (6g-8a) in 17 games.
Haliburton, Ont., native Matt Duchene owns 12 points (4g-8a) in 18 career meetings with the Maple Leafs. He has points in three of his last four games against Toronto (1g-2a).
Philippe Myers has four points (1g-3a) in six career games against Toronto. He posted a career-high three points (3a) on Dec. 3, 2019 vs. the Maple Leafs.
Matt Benning made his NHL debut on Nov. 1, 2016 at Toronto.
David Rittich appeared in four games for Toronto at the end of the 2020-21 season, going 1-1-1 with a 2.72 goals-against average.
Toronto forward Wayne Simmonds posted three points (1g-2a) in 17 games for the Predators in the 2018-19 season. LAST TIME OUT Nashville Predators 4, Philadelphia Flyers 5 – March 17 at Wells Fargo Center NSH goals: Jeannot (20), Myers (1), Johansen – PP (16), Forsberg (32) PHI goals: Sanheim (5), York – PP (2), van Riemsdyk (14), Hayes (5), Farabee – GWG (12) Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (L, 28/33); PHI – Hart (W, 30/34) Power plays: NSH 1-4; PHI 1-4 Notes: Nashville moved to 17-11-4 on the road this season… The Predators are 0-1-0 against the Flyers in 2021-22… Nine different Predators skaters recorded a point, led by Roman Josi’s three (3a)… Josi led all skaters with six shots and was +2 in 25:13 of ice time… Philippe Myers scored his first goal as a member of the Predators… Tanner Jeannot scored to give him goals in two consecutive games (2g); he also had a team-high eight hits… Ryan Johansen tallied his sixth power-play goal of the season… Matt Duchene recorded an assist to extend his point streak to a season-high eight games (8g-7a)… Mikael Granlund had an assist and was 14-for-21 in faceoffs. QUICK HITS
Nashville hit the 70-point mark in its 57th game of the season. The last time the Predators reached 70 points in 57 games or fewer was 2018-19 (57 games) en route to their second consecutive Central Division title.
As of games played through March 17, the Predators have six skaters who have scored at least 14 goals, tied for the fifth-most among NHL teams.
Nashville is one of three teams in the NHL (Calgary, Edmonton) to have two players with 30 goals this season.
Matt Duchene is 11th in the NHL in goals with 31. He recorded his eighth multi-goal game of 2021-22 on March 12 vs. St. Louis (2g), the most such performances in a season in franchise history. Duchene is on an eight-game point streak in which he’s posted eight goals and 15 points; he is also on a franchise-record 10-game road point streak (6g-8a).
Duchene is the eighth different player in Predators history to record a 30-goal season. He is one goal from establishing a career high and is four goals from breaking the single-season franchise goals record, set by Viktor Arvidsson in 2018-19 (34).
Roman Josi leads NHL defensemen and is fifth among all NHL skaters in power-play points with 28 (8g-20a). He leads all NHL defensemen in power-play goals with eight (also tied for the 23rd-most among all NHL skaters).
Filip Forsberg’s 26 goals since Nov. 30 are tied for the second-most among NHL players in that time frame. Forsberg missed four games from Jan. 8- 15 (COVID-19 protocol list).
Ryan Johansen posted a four-game point streak (1g-4a) from Feb. 26-March 8, his second-longest of the season. He also has nine points (3g-6a) in his last nine games.
Colton Sissons has a career-high 19 assists this season, including three in his last two games. Nashville Predators: Media Notes THE CAPTAIN
Roman Josi leads NHL defensemen and the Predators in points this season with 72 (17g-55a).
He’s established career highs in goals (17), assists (55) and points (72). His 17 goals are tied for the second-most among NHL blueliners.
His 55 assists are the most in a season in Predators history; his 72 points are the most by a defenseman and tied for the third-most among all skaters in a season in team history.
He reached the 70-point mark in his 59th game of the season. Only six defensemen in NHL history have reached the 70-point mark in fewer games: Paul Coffey (7x; last: 54 GP in 1990-91), Bobby Orr (6x; last: 37 GP in 1974-75), Denis Potvin (3x; last: 51 GP in 1978-79), Brian Leetch (57 GP in 1991- 92), Phil Housley (57 GP in 1991-92) and Al MacInnis (57 GP in 1990-91).
Thursday at Philadelphia (3a) was his third consecutive game with at least three points (2g-8a in 3 GP). Over the past 30 years, only two other defensemen have accomplished the feat: Erik Karlsson (4g-6a in 3 GP) in 2011-12 and Ray Bourque (9a in 3 GP) in 1993-94.
Josi is currently on a season-best eight-game point streak (3g-16a).
He’s posted 10 points (2g-8a) in his last three games, tying Steve Sullivan (5g-5a in 2003-04) and Scott Walker (2g-8a in 2003-04) for the most points in a three-game span in franchise history.
He’s tallied four four-point games this season, the first defenseman to do so since Kevin Hatcher in 1992-93; no other NHL blueliner has more than one in 2021-22.
He’s posted nine games with at least three points, the most among NHL defensemen; he’s recorded 19 multi-point games, tied for the most among League blueliners.
He recorded his 500th career NHL point on March 2 at Seattle. He reached the 500-point mark in 732 games; among active defensemen, only Erik Karlsson (613 GP) achieved the milestone in fewer contests. Only four defensemen over the past 25 years have recorded 500 career points in fewer games than Josi (732 GP): Erik Karlsson (613 GP, achieved in 2017-18), Sergei Zubov (680 GP, achieved in 2001-02), Nicklas Lidstrom (701 GP, achieved in 2000-01) and Sandis Ozolinsh (728 GP, achieved in 2002-03). SCORESBERG
Filip Forsberg scored his 210th career NHL goal on Thursday at Philadelphia, tying David Legwand for the most in franchise history.
Forsberg is tied for ninth in the NHL in goals (32) and third in even-strength goals (27).
Forsberg scored twice on Sunday at Minnesota to record his third career 30-goal season, the most in Predators history. He required the fewest individual games (46) in franchise history to reach the 30-goal mark in a season, topping the previous best set by Viktor Arvidsson (49 GP) in 2018-19.
He is two goals from a career high and three goals from breaking Arvidsson’s record for most goals in a season in Predators history (34, set in 2018- 19).
He’s scored 21 goals in his last 27 games dating back to Dec. 16; he has five goals in his last five games.
Among NHL skaters who have played in at least 30 games this season, he is first in goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (2.03) and second in goals per game (0.67).
Forsberg scored a career-high four goals on Nov. 30 vs. Columbus; he also tied the franchise record for goals in a game, joining Rocco Grimaldi (March 25, 2021 vs. Detroit) and Eric Nystrom (Jan. 24, 2014 at Calgary). TOP-RATED ROOKIES
Predators rookies have scored 32 goals, the most in the NHL this season. Nashville rookies have compiled 87 points and account for 16.1 percent of the team’s points, the second- and third-most, respectively, in the NHL in 2021-22.
Tanner Jeannot has 35 points (20g-15a) this season, the sixth-most among all NHL rookies. His 20 goals are tied for the most among NHL rookies and are the second-most by a rookie in Predators history, trailing only Filip Forsberg, who scored 26 in 2014-15. Jeannot is just the second rookie in Predators history to hit the 20-goal mark.
Jeannot is also fourth among all NHL skaters in hits (213). He passed Shea Weber (211 in 2010-11) for the most hits in a season in team history.
Alexandre Carrier is third among NHL rookie defensemen in assists (20). His 20 assists are the most in a season by a rookie blueliner in team history; he is five points from passing Dan Hamhuis (26 in 2003-04) for the most by a rookie defenseman in Predators history.
Philip Tomasino is tied for fourth among NHL rookies in power-play goals (3). He posted a career-long four-game point streak (2g-4a) from Feb. 24- March 5 and has eight points (3g-5a) in his last 10 contests. Roman Josi set a franchise record for assists in a season (55) on March 17 at Philadelphia.
Player Injury Games Missed Dates Missed Mark Borowiecki Lower body (day-to-day) 7 March 5-17 Matt Benning Upper body (day-to-day) 2 March 15-17
Filip Forsberg is one goal (210) from passing David Legwand (210) for the most in franchise history.
March 19: Recalled defensemen Jeremy Davies and Matt Tennyson from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed defensemen Matt Benning and Mark Borowiecki on IR.
March 9: Signed forward Navrin Mutter to a three-year, entry-level contract
GAME #70 – TORONTO RAPTORS (39-30) vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (29-40) FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2022 – 7:30 P.M. (ET) – SCOTIABANK ARENA TV: SPORTSNET – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO 2021-22 RECORDS W-L EAST WEST OVERALL 39-30 23-19 16-11 HOME 17-15 11-9 6-6 AWAY 22-15 12-10 10-5 OVERTIME 2-1 2-1 0-0
• The Toronto Raptors (39-30) return home from a six-game road trip (Mar. 6-16) Friday night when they host the Los Angeles Lakers (29-40) at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors have won five in a row and went 5-1 on their recent road trip. Pascal Siakam scored 31 points as Toronto held off the LA Clippers to cap its trip with a 103-100 victory on Wednesday. The Raptors are now tied with Cleveland for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto will play nine of its final 13 games at home. • The Raptors have won five consecutive games (Mar. 9-14) for the first time since a season-long eight-game winning streak (Jan. 29 – Feb. 10). Over the last five games, Toronto is averaging 116.0 points and shooting .452 (208-460) from the field, while holding opponents to 106.8 points. Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. are averaging 27.2 and 20.4 points, respectively, during the win streak. The Raptors have led after the first quarter in each of the last five games. • Pascal Siakam recorded his team-leading 23rd double-double of the season with 31 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over the Clippers. Siakam has now scored 20+ points in a career-best eight straight games (Mar. 3-16), averaging 27.8 points and shooting .522 (82-157) from the field and .483 (14- 29) from three-point range during this stretch. Siakam is the first Raptor since Kawhi Leonard to score 20-or-more in eight straight games. Leonard scored 20+ points in 12 straight games Feb. 11 – Mar. 24, 2019. • Pascal Siakam is averaging 22.0 points, and career bests of 8.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists, in 56 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. • Precious Achiuwa recorded 11 points and six rebounds off the bench Wednesday against the Clippers. Achiuwa has now scored in double figures in a career-high five straight games (Mar. 9-16). He is averaging 12.0 points and shooting .469 (23-49) from the field, including .474 (9-19) from three, during this span. Achiuwa is shooting .361 (35-97) from beyond the arc after attempting just one three-pointer as a rookie. • The Raptors outrebounded the Clippers 43-41 on Wednesday night, including 13-10 on the offensive glass. Toronto (13.4) currently ranks second in the NBA in offensive boards and has +51 (135-85) advantage on the offensive boards through nine games in March. The Raptors grabbed a season-best 64 rebounds in Monday’s 114-103 win over the Lakers in Los Angeles. • Scottie Barnes has scored 20+ points 16 times this season – the most by a Raptors rookie since Vince Carter did it 23 times during the 1998-99 season. Barnes leads all rookies this year having tallied 20+ points and 5+ rebounds in 16 games. He scored 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter Monday vs. the Lakers. Since the All-Star break, Barnes is averaging 18.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in 12 contests. PROBABLE STARTERS F – SCOTTIE BARNES #4
MIN: 35.6 REB: 7.6 AST: 3.3 STL: 1.2 TO: 1.9 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 15.3 • Finished with 15 points and four rebounds in 40 minutes of action Mar. 16 against the LA Clippers. • Leads all rookies in minutes (35.6), ranks third in rebounds (7.6) and fourth in both points (15.3) and assists (3.3). • Averaging 18.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 36.5 minutes in 12 games since the All-Star break. F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
MIN: 37.6 REB: 8.4 AST: 5.1 STL: 1.3 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.6 PTS: 22.0 • Recorded 31 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes Mar. 16 against the LA Clippers. • Leads the Raptors with a career-best 23 double-doubles this season. • Averaging 26.7 points and shooting .506 (89-176) from the field through nine games in March. C – KHEM BIRCH #24
MIN: 18.4 REB: 4.5 AST: 1.0 STL: 0.6 TO: 0.5 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 4.7 • Contributed nine points, seven rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes Mar. 16 against the LA Clippers. • Has scored in double figures four times this season (Last: 11 – Mar. 1 vs. Brooklyn). • Averaging 5.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 18.8 minutes in 18 games as a starter this season. G – GARY TRENT JR. #33
MIN: 34.7 REB: 2.8 AST: 2.0 STL: 1.8 TO: 1.0 BLK: 0.3 PTS: 18.1 • Tallied seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 33 minutes Mar. 16 against the LA Clippers. • Ranks third in the NBA in both steals per game (1.82) and total deflections (211). • Averaging 20.84points and shooting .400 (108-270) from beyond the arc in 32 road games this season. G – FRED VANVLEET #23
MIN: 38.1 REB: 4.6 AST: 6.7 STL: 1.6 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 21.1 • Scored 21 points Mar. 16 against the LA Clippers; added two rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes. • Leads the league in minutes (38.1), ranks second in deflections (216) and third in three-pointers (218). • Needs 20 three-pointers to tie Kyle Lowry’s single-season franchise record of 238 made threes (2017-18). INJURY REPORT OG Anunoby (Right Hand; Ring Finger – Fracture) – Doubtful Malachi Flynn (Left Hamstring; Strain) – Out David Johnson (G League – Two-Way) – Out UPDATED: Mar. 18, 2022 NEXT GAME DETAILS Opponent: Philadelphia 76ers Date: Sunday, March 20 Tip-Off: 8:30 p.m. (ET) Venue: Wells Fargo Center Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN SERIES RECAP VS. PHILADELPHIA OVERALL HOME ROAD 2021-22 1-1 0-1 1-0 ALL-TIME 59-42 32-18 27-24 STREAKS Lost 1 Lost 2 Won 1 LAST WIN: Nov. 11, 2021 (115-109) LAST ROAD WIN: Nov. 11, 2021 (115-109) LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +34 (Oct. 21, 2017) LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -35 (Jan. 7, 2012) LAST TIME VS. PHILADELPHIA GAME 31 – DECEMBER 28, 2021 PHILADELPHIA 114, TORONTO 109 TORONTO — Tobias Harris had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists for his first career triple-double, Joel Embiid finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers hung on to beat the Toronto Raptors 114-109 … Chris Boucher scored a season-high 28 points and matched his career high with 19 rebounds, but the depleted Raptors lost their second straight … Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr. and Malachi Flynn returned for Toronto after being among the 10 players to miss Sunday’s 144-99 loss at Cleveland because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols … Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Isaac Bonga, and Justin Champagnie remain in the protocols … Siakam scored 28 points while Trent had 19 … After Toronto took a 78-76 lead on Svi Mykhailiuk’s 3-pointer with 2:02 left in the third, the 76ers responded with a 19-5 run, including a 10-2 spurt to begin the fourth that was fueled by eight straight points from Georges Niang … The Raptors battled back, and Trent hit a 3- pointer with 1:41 remaining to put Toronto up 107-106 … But Harris was fouled after grabbing the rebound on Trent’s miss with 21 seconds left, and made two more from the line to put the Sixers up 112-109 … Toronto missed a chance to tie with 21 seconds left, and made two more from the line to put the Sixers up 112-109 … Toronto missed a chance to take a tying shot when Trent turned the ball over with six seconds left … … Philadelphia led 55-48 at halftime. 1 2 3 4 TOT PHILADELPHIA 27 28 30 29 114 TORONTO 24 24 33 28 109
2021-22 SCHEDULE Day Date Opponent Time (ET)/Result Wed. Oct. 20 Washington L 98-83 Fri. Oct. 22 at Boston W 115-83 Sat. Oct. 23 Dallas L 103-95 Mon. Oct. 25 Chicago L 111-108 Wed. Oct. 27 Indiana W 118-100 Fri. Oct. 29 Orlando W 110-109 Sat. Oct. 30 at Indiana W 97-94 Mon. Nov. 1 at New York W 113-104 Wed. Nov. 3 at Washington W 109-100 Fri. Nov. 5 Cleveland L 102-101 Sun. Nov. 7 Brooklyn L 116-103 Wed. Nov. 10 at Boston L 104-88 Thu. Nov. 11 at Philadelphia W 115-109 Sat. Nov. 13 Detroit L 127-121 Mon. Nov. 15 at Portland L 118-113 Thu. Nov. 18 at Utah L 119-103 Fri. Nov. 19 at Sacramento W 108-89 Sun. Nov. 21 at Golden State L 119-104 Wed. Nov. 24 at Memphis W 126-113 Fri. Nov. 26 at Indiana L 114-97 Sun. Nov. 28 Boston L 109-97 Tue. Nov. 30 Memphis L 98-91 Thu. Dec. 2 Milwaukee W 97-93 Sun. Dec. 5 Washington W 102-90 Wed. Dec. 8 Oklahoma City L 110-109 Fri. Dec. 10 New York W 90-87 Mon. Dec. 13 Sacramento W 124-101 Tue. Dec. 14 at Brooklyn L 131-129 (OT) Thu. Dec. 16 Chicago POSTPONED Sat. Dec. 18 Golden State W 119-100 Mon. Dec. 20 Orlando POSTPONED Wed. Dec. 22 at Chicago POSTPONED Sun. Dec. 26 at Cleveland L 144-99 Tue. Dec. 28 Philadelphia L 114-109 Fri. Dec. 31 LA Clippers W 116-108 Sun. Jan. 2 New York W 120-105 Tue. Jan. 4 San Antonio W 129-104 Wed. Jan. 5 at Milwaukee W 117-111 Fri. Jan. 7 Utah W 122-108 Sun. Jan. 9 New Orleans W 105-101 Tue. Jan. 11 Phoenix L 99-95 Fri. Jan. 14 at Detroit L 103-87 Sat. Jan. 15 at Milwaukee W 103-96 Mon. Jan. 17 at Miami L 104-99 Wed. Jan. 19 at Dallas L 102-98 Fri. Jan. 21 at Washington W 109-105 Sun. Jan. 23 Portland L 114-105 Tue. Jan. 25 Charlotte W 125-113 Wed. Jan. 26 at Chicago L 111-105 Sat. Jan. 29 at Miami W 124-120 (3OT) Mon. Jan. 31 at Atlanta W 106-100 Tue. Feb. 1 Miami W 110-106 Thu. Feb. 3 Chicago W 127-120 (OT) Fri. Feb. 4 Atlanta W 125-114 Mon. Feb. 7 at Charlotte W 116-101 Wed. Feb. 9 at Oklahoma City W 117-98 Thu. Feb. 10 at Houston W 139-120 Sat. Feb. 12 Denver L 110-109 Mon. Feb. 14 at New Orleans L 120-90 Wed. Feb. 16 at Minnesota W 103-91 Fri. Feb. 25 at Charlotte L 125-93 Sat. Feb. 26 at Atlanta L 127-100 Mon. Feb. 28 at Brooklyn W 133-97 Tue. Mar. 1 Brooklyn W 109-108 Thu. Mar. 3 Detroit L 108-106 Fri Mar. 4 Orlando L 103-97 Sun. Mar. 6 at Cleveland L 104-96 Wed. Mar. 9 at San Antonio W 119-104 Fri. Mar. 11 at Phoenix W 117-112 Sat. Mar. 12 at Denver W 127-115 Mon. Mar. 14 at LA Lakers W 114-103 Wed. Mar. 16 at LA Clippers W 103-100 Fri. Mar. 18 LA Lakers 7:30 p.m. Sun. Mar. 20 at Philadelphia 8:30 p.m. Mon. Mar. 21 at Chicago 8:00 p.m. Thu. Mar. 24 Cleveland 7:30 p.m. Sat. Mar. 26 Indiana 7:30 p.m. Mon. Mar. 28 Boston 7:30 p.m. Wed. Mar. 30 Minnesota 7:30 p.m. Fri. Apr. 1 at Orlando 7:00 p.m. Sun. Apr. 3 Miami 7:00 p.m.# Tue. Apr. 5 Atlanta 7:30 p.m. Thu. Apr. 7 Philadelphia 7:30 p.m. Fri. Apr. 8 Houston 7:30 p.m. Sun. Apr. 10 at New York TBD KEY: * ESPN # NBATV ^ TNT NBA All-Star Weekend, February 18-20, 2022 Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, Ohio
LAKERS
LAST TIME OUT: • LeBron James had 19 points, fi ve rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks in 37 minutes. The performace was his fi rst game since 12/17 without 20+ points, ending his streak at 32 games, the third longest streak of his career. • Wenyen Gabriel scored a season-high 10 points with two rebounds and one steal in 15 minutes off the bench. PLENTY OF TWENTY: LeBron James is approaching yet another milestone in his 19th season as he looks to become the NBA’s all-time leader in games with 20+ points. James is just nine games away from passing Karl Malone for the most such games in NBA history. He has climbed the charts thanks to a streak of 32 consecutive 20-point games that started on 12/19 and ended on 3/16. He passed Abdul-Jabbar with a 23-point outing on 3/9 at Houston. TRIPLE-QUINTUPLE: LeBron James became the only player in NBA history to tally 10,000+points, 10,000+ rebounds and 10,000+ assists as he recorded his 10,000th career assist against the Suns. James finished the night with 31 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one block in 30 minutes. The performance marked his 28th game of the season with 30+ points. DOUBLE 50 BURGER: LeBron James fi nished with 50 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one block in 36 minutes. The performance marked his second 50-point game of the season and the 14th such game of his career, tying Rick Barry for sixth most in NBA history. In his last two home games, James has scored 106 points, the fi rst Lakers player to score 100+ across two consecutive home games in a single season since Kobe Bryant did so in April of 2007. James is the sixth player in NBA history to score 50+ points in consecutive home games and the only player to do so after turning 30. ULTIMATE WARRIOR: LeBron James fi nished with a season-high 56 points (19-31 FG, 6-11 3FG, 12-13 FT) to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and one block in 38 minutes on 3/5 vs. Golden State, good for the sixth 50-point double-double of his career. James became the fi rst Lakers player to tally 55+ points and 10+ rebounds since Shaquille O’Neal on March 6, 2000. He is just the fourth player in NBA history to record a 50-point game at age 37 or older, joining Jamal Crawford, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. James scored 30 points in the second half, his highest scoring half since scoring 35 points in the second half on April 6, 2018 at Philadelphia. He has now scored at least 30 points in 19 diff erent halves throughout his career TWENTY FIVE A NIGHT: LeBron James put together a scoring streak unlike anything he has done since the 2007-08 season. James scored at least 25 points in 23 consecutive games, good for the longest streak of his career. The last time he had such a streak was from 1/25/08-3/8/08 when he scored 25+ points in 21 consecutive games. His streak is tied for the longest such streak in the NBA this season HALF A NIGHT, RUSS: Russell Westbrook had one of his strongest nights since joining the Lakers as he finished with 35 points (12-23 FG), four rebounds and fi ve assists on 1/28 against the Hornets. Westbrook scored 30 of his points in the second half, becoming the fi rst Lakers player to have a 30-point half since Kobe Bryant scored 38 points in the fi nal half of his career on 4/13/16 vs. Utah. The performance marked the seventh time that Westbrook had scored 30+ in a single half and the fi rst time since scoring 30 points in the second half on 3/7/17 vs. Portland. Westbrook is just the seventh player this season to tally a 30-point half. I’M THE CAPTAIN AGAIN: For the sixth consecutive season and ninth time overall, LeBron James led all players in All-Star voting as he was named an All-Star for the 18th time in his career. James has been named a captain in every year since the NBA switched to the current format and improved to 5-0 as the team captain of the annual event. His 18th straight selection ties him with Kobe Bryant for most all-time and his 18th overall selection ties him with Bryant for second-most selections in NBA history. A three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP and the contest’s all-time leading scorer (413 points), James made his NBA-record 18th All-Star start on February 20, 2022, fi nishing with 24 points, six rebounds, eight assists, three steals and one block in 36 minutes. 10 ACROSS THE BOARDS: Dwight Howard added to his Hall of Fame resume as he passed Nate Thurmond for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time rebounds list on 1/21 against the Orlando Magic. With his fi rst rebound of the night, Howard broke a tie with Thurmond to take sole possession of 10th place, recording his 14, 465th career rebound. PASSING THE ALL-TIME PASSERS: LeBron James continued his climb up the NBA’s all-time lists as he moved passed Oscar Robertson on the all-time assists list on 1/9 vs. Memphis. With his seventh assist of the night, James passed Robertson for seventh all-time, passing out his 9,888th career assist. James will now look to become just one of seven players all-time to tally 10,000 career assists. DOUBLE-TRIPLE-DOUBLE: In the Lakers’ 132-123 win over the Houston Rockets, both LeBron James and Russell Westbrook recorded triple-doubles and James added to his list of career milestones. • LeBron James became the third player in NBA history to score 36,000 points as he fi nished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal and two blocks in 39 minutes. James became the fi rst Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2013 to score 30+ points in fi ve consecutive games. • Russell Westbrook tallied his seventh triple-double of the season with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. James and Westbrook became just the third pair of Lakers teammates to record a triple-double in the same game, and the fi rst since James and Lonzo Ball on 12/15/18. CHRISTMAS TREE TOPPER: LeBron James appeared in his 16th career Christmas Day game, tying Kobe Bryant for most such games all-time, and put on a show in front of the Crypto.com Arena crown. James fi nished the night with 39 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block in 40 minutes. With his third free throw of the night, James surpassed Bryant to become the all-time leading scorer on Christmas Day, totaling 422 career points on the holiday. With his second fi eld goal of the night, James passed Bryant for most career fi eld goals on Christmas Day, now totaling 150 fi eld goals on December 25th. L
2021-22 Matchups vs. Carolina: Third of Three 2021-22 Record vs. Carolina: 1-1-0 Toronto Season Record: 38-17-5 Toronto Home Record: 21-7-2 TV: Sportsnet RADIO: TSN 1050
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).
LAST GAME Score: Toronto 4 vs. Dallas 0 Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022 TOR Goals: Sandin, Tavares, Kaše, Mikheyev DAL Goals: – TOR Goaltender: Källgren, 35/35, 1.000 SV% DAL Goaltender: Oettinger, 36/39, .923 SV% TOR Power Play: 1-for-2 TOR Penalty Kill: 3-for-3 Team Notes:
Tuesday’s win marked Sheldon Keefe’s 100th regular season victory with the Maple Leafs in his 163rd game behind the bench, making him the fastest coach in team history to reach the 100-win mark.
Erik Källgren stopped 35 of 35 shots in Tuesday’s win. Källgren appeared in his first career NHL start and marked his first career NHL win with a shutout.
With Mitch Marner’s assist on the opening goal, he became the first player in franchise history to begin their career with six consecutive 40- assist seasons (per NHL Stats).
NEXT GAME Date: Saturday, March 19, 2022 Opponent: at Nashville Predators Time: 7:00 pm ET Broadcast Information: Sportsnet (TV), Sportsnet 590 (Radio)
INJURY REPORT Jack Campbell Rib Injury Jake Muzzin Concussion
ALL-TIME VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES: First Matchup between Clubs: October 31, 1979 (Toronto 2 vs. Hartford 4) All-Time Record: 48-60-11-7 (126 Games) All-Time Record at Home: 25-32-5-2 (64 Games) All-Time Record on the Road: 23-28-6-5 (62 Games) Last Home Win vs. Opponent: February 7, 2022 (Toronto 4 vs. Carolina 3 – OTW) Record in Last Five Games: 2-3-0 Record in Last 10 Games: 5-5-0
ACTIVE LEADERS VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES: Games Played: Jason Spezza (46), John Tavares (41), Wayne Simmonds (35) Goals: John Tavares (27), Jason Spezza (20), Wayne Simmonds (13) Assists: John Tavares (23), Jason Spezza (22), Wayne Simmonds (14) Points: John Tavares (50), Jason Spezza (42), Wayne Simmonds (27) Penalty Minutes Wayne Simmonds (50), Kyle Clifford (31), John Tavares (26)
THE MAN ADVANTAGE IN 2021-22 Power Play: 47/159 (29.6%) Power Play Goal Leader: 13 – Matthews Power Play Point Leader: 23 – Matthews (13G, 10A) 2020-21 Power Play: 31/155 (20.0%)
ON THE PK IN 2021-22 Penalty Kill: 142/168 (84.5%) Shorthanded Goal Leader: 2 – Kämpf, Marner, Mikheyev Shorthanded Point Leader: 4 – Kämpf (2G, 2A) 2020-21 Penalty Kill: 113/144 (78.5%) FAST FACTS
Thursday games 9th of 13 (9 home, 4 road) Back-to-Backs played 9 of 13 Record in first game of back-to-back 5-3-1 Record in second game of back-to-back 4-4-1 March games 8th of 14 (9 home, 5 road)
UPCOMING MILESTONES David Kämpf Five games away from 300 career NHL games played Ilya Lyubushkin Nine games away from 200 career NHL games played Mitch Marner Four assists away from 300 career NHL assists Petr Mrázek Eight games away from 300 career NHL games played William Nylander Seven assists away from 200 career NHL assists Jason Spezza 10 points away from 1,000 career NHL points John Tavares Eight assists away from 500 career NHL assists
RECENT MILESTONES TJ Brodie Recorded his 300th career NHL point, March 13, 2022 at BUF Ondrej Kaše Scored his 50th career NHL goal, Dec. 9, 2021 vs. TBL Alexander Kerfoot Appeared in his 300th career NHL game, Nov. 26, 2021 at SJS Alexander Kerfoot Recorded his 100th career NHL assist, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT Timothy Liljegren Scored his first career NHL goal, Jan. 15, 2022 at STL Auston Matthews Recorded his 400th career NHL point, Jan. 31, 2022 vs. NJD Mitch Marner Skated in his 400th career NHL game, March 4, 2022 vs. BUF Mitch Marner Recorded his 400th career NHL point, Feb. 14, 2022 at SEA Ilya Mikheyev Skated in his 100th career NHL game, Jan. 15, 2022 at STL William Nylander Skated in his 400th career NHL game, Feb. 1, 2022 at NJD William Nylander Recorded his 300th career NHL point, Jan. 19, 2022 at NYR Wayne Simmonds Skated in his 1,000th career NHL game, March 5, 2022 vs. VAN Jason Spezza Skated in his 1,200th career NHL game, Nov. 28, 2021 at ANA John Tavares Skated in his 900th career NHL game, Jan. 1, 2022 vs. OTT
HURRICANES vs. MAPLE LEAFS SERIES NOTES — Carolina is facing Toronto in the third and final meeting between the teams during the 2021-22 season. — The Hurricanes and Maple Leafs are meeting for the 127th time in their histories. Carolina holds a 67-42-11-6 overall record, including a 34-22-5-3 road record. — The Hurricanes lead the season series 1-0-1 in 2021-22 (Maple Leafs: 1-1-0). — Carolina posted a 4-1 win over Toronto at PNC Arena on 10/25. Andrei Svechnikov (1g, 1a) and Jaccob Slavin (2a) each recorded two points, while Frederik Andersen made 24 saves to earn a win against his former team. — The Hurricanes fell to the Maple Leafs in overtime, 4-3, at Scotiabank Arena on 2/7. Tony DeAngelo tallied two points (1g, 1a), while Frederik Andersen made 28 saves in net. — Martin Necas has earned seven points (3g, 4a) in four career games against Toronto. — Jordan Staal has posted 32 points (15g, 17a) in 42 career games against the Maple Leafs. — Teuvo Teravainen has tallied 12 points in 14 career games against Toronto. — Vincent Trocheck has recorded 15 points (4g, 11a) in 20 career games against the Maple Leafs. — Brendan Smith is a native of Mimico, Ont. — Hurricanes Assistant Coach Tim Gleason posted five points (1g, 4a) in 39 games with Toronto in 2013-14. — Petr Mrazek played 92 games with Carolina from 2018-21, registering a 50-32-8 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and 10 shutouts. — William Nylander’s father, Michael, was drafted by the Whalers in the third round (59th overall) of the 1991 NHL Draft and tallied 77 points (22g, 55a) in 117 games with Hartford from 1992-94. — Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan skated in 76 games for the Whalers from 1995-96, recording 79 points (45g, 3, 4a). He was acquired from STL in exchange for Chris Pronger on 7/27/95, and Hartford traded Shanahan to DET along with Brian Glynn in exchange for Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau and a first-round pick in the 1997 NHL Draft (Nikos Tselios) on 10/9/96. — Maple Leafs Assistant Coach Dean Chynoweth served as an assistant coach for the Hurricanes from 2018-21. — Maple Leafs Assistant Coach Manny Malhotra tallied 13 points (7g, 6a) in 69 games with Carolina in 2013-14. PATRICK’S STARS The Hurricanes are playing on St. Patrick’s Day for the 13th time in franchise history, and Hartford/Carolina has posted a 4-7-0-1 record in the previous 12 games on March 17 (3-3-0-1 since relocation). The Hurricanes most recently played on St. Patrick’s Day in 2018, when they suffered when they suffered a 4-2 loss vs. PHI. Carolina’s last March 17 win came in 2012, as the team earned a 5-3 win at MIN. Ian Cole and Jordan Staal have skated in the most St. Patrick’s Day games of any Hurricanes skaters (6), and Staal leads the team in career St. Patrick’s Day points (2-2—4). His two goals on March 17 also rank tied with Nino Niederreiter for the team lead, while Cole paces the team in St. Patrick’s Day assists (3). POT O’ GOALS Sebastian Aho scored an extra-attacker goal at PIT (3/13), extending his point streak to five games (3/4-3/13: 3g, 2a). Aho has now also scored a goal in each of his last three games (3/10-3/13: 3g), tied for the longest goal streak of any Hurricanes player in 2021-22 and for his own season-long goal streak (10/21-10/25: 4g, 1a; 12/7-12/11: 5g, 2a). He has recorded 16 points in his last 16 games (2/8-3/13: 8g, 8a), with points in 14 of those games. Half of Aho’s points over that span (4-4—8) have come on the power play, where he ranks tied for fifth in the NHL with a career- and team-high 12 goals this season. He has now scored 172 goals in his NHL/Hurricanes career and trails Rod Brind’Amour (2000-10: 174) by only two goals for the fourthmost goals in team history (since relocation). LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN After missing the last 10 games due to an upper-body injury suffered at PIT (2/20), Brendan Smith looks to make his return to the lineup on Thursday. Signed as a free agent in the offseason, Smith has tallied five points (3g, 2a) in 28 games in 2021-22 and ranks tied for fourth in goals among Hurricanes defensemen. He also ranks third among Carolina’s blueliners in hits (45), and his 6.80 hits per 60 minutes of ice time trail only Jalen Chatfield (8.11) for the lead among that group. GREEN BERETS The Hurricanes went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill at PIT (3/13), and they are now 64-for-70 on the kill over their last 21 games (1/25-3/13: 91.4%). Carolina is 31-8-3 (.774) when holding the opposing power play scoreless, and the Hurricanes are one of only two NHL teams to accomplish the feat 42 times in 2021-22 (PIT). Carolina’s 89.4% penalty kill percentage leads the league this season and would mark the highest single-season mark in franchise history (2000-01: 87.2%). The Hurricanes also boast the NHL’s fourth-best power play (24.9%), but they have been held scoreless on the manadvantage in three straight games (3/10-3/13: 0-for-7) after converting on nine of their previous 25 power plays (2/18-3/6: 36.0%). GETTIN’ JIGGY WIT IT Jordan Staal tallied an assist at PIT (3/13), and he has now recorded 11 points in his last 16 games (2/8-3/13: 6g, 5a), matching his total through the opening 41 games of the season (10/14-2/7: 2g, 9a). He also posted a team-high six hits on Sunday, and he leads the Hurricanes in that category this season (175). Staal also paces the team in faceoff percentage (56.6%, min. 3 GP), and his faceoff win rate ranks tied for ninth in the NHL (min. 500 draws) as he aims to top 54.0% in the faceoff circle for the ninth consecutive season (2013-22: 56.5%). FORTUNE 100 Steven Lorentz is set to play his 100th career NHL/Hurricanes game against Toronto on Thursday. He has recorded 11 points (7g, 4a) in 54 games this season and ended a 21-game goal drought with the opening goal vs. PHI (3/12). Selected by Carolina in the seventh round (186th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, Lorentz looks to join Craig Adams (1996, 9-223: 427 GP) and Steve Halko (1992, 10-225: 155 GP) as the third player drafted by Hartford/Carolina with the 186th overall pick or later to skate in at least 100 games with the franchise. A native of Kitchener, Ont., he has posted two points (1g, 1a) in two career games against the Maple Leafs. SOUTHERN CHARM The Hurricanes are making their final trip north of the border to face Toronto on Thursday. Carolina has posted a 10-3-1 record against Canadian opponents in 2021-22, including a 5-2-1 record in games played in Canada. Since Rod Brind’Amour took over behind the bench in 2018-19, the Hurricanes are 20-9-5 against Canadian teams and 10-5-4 north of the border. EXTRA STOUT Since the start of December, Frederik Andersen has posted a 19-3-2 record, 2.07 goals-against average, .930 save percentage and two shutouts, while Antti Raanta has earned a 7-4-1 record, 2.27 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and two shutouts. The Hurricanes lead the league in goals-against average (2.33) and rank second in save percentage (.919) behind only NYR (.920). Andersen, who registered a 149-74-36 record, 2.79 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and 13 shutouts in 268 appearances with Toronto from 2016-21, ranks first in the NHL in goals-against average (2.06), tied for second in wins (30) and second in save percentage (.929) in 2021-22 (min. 15 GP). DUBLIN UP The Hurricanes are opening their 11th of 14 sets of back-to-back games in 2021-22. Carolina is currently 7-2-1 in the first game and 5-4-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season, and the team’s .750 points percentage in the first game ranks tied with FLA (6-2-0) for fifth in the NHL.
GAME #69 – TORONTO RAPTORS (38-30) at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (36-35) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022 – 10:30 P.M. (ET) – CRYPTO.COM ARENA TV: SPORTSNET – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO 2021-22 SCHEDULE
INJURY REPORT AT 5:30 P.M.
10:30 (ET) TOR@LAC
LA Clippers
George, Paul Out Injury/Illness – Right Elbow; Ulnar Collateral Ligament Tear Leonard, Kawhi Out Injury/Illness – Right Knee; ACL – Injury Recovery Powell, Norman Out Injury/Illness – Left Foot; Fractured Medial Sesamoid Bone Preston, Jason Out Injury/Illness – Right Foot; Injury Recovery Scrubb, Jay Out Injury/Illness – Right Foot; Injury Recovery
Toronto Raptors
Anunoby, OG Doubtful Injury/Illness – Right Hand; Ring finger 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 Trent Jr., Gary Questionable Injury/Illness – Illness; Non-COVID illness VanVleet, Fred Questionable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Soreness
• The Toronto Raptors (38-30) complete a six-game road trip (March 6-16) Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers (36-35) at Crypto.com Arena. The Raptors defeated the LA Lakers 114-103 on Monday and have now won four consecutive games (Mar. 9-14) for the first time since a season-long eight-game winning streak (Jan. 29 – Feb. 10). Over the last four games, Toronto is averaging 119.3 points and shooting .451 (170-377) from the field, while holding opponents to 108.5 points. • Pascal Siakam finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists Monday at Los Angeles. Siakam has now scored 20+ points in a career-best seven straight games (Mar. 3-14), averaging 27.3 points and shooting .511 (69-135) from the field during this stretch. Siakam has already set a single-season franchise record having recorded 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in seven games this year. • Scottie Barnes recorded 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists Monday in Los Angeles and has now tallied consecutive 20-point games for the third time this season. He also had 20-or-more points in back-to-back games Oct. 29-31, 2021 and Dec. 14-18, 2021. Barnes has scored 20+ points 16 times this season – the most by a Raptors rookie since Vince Carter did it 23 times during the 1998-99 season. Barnes also leads all rookies this year having tallied 20+ points and 5+ rebounds in 16 games. • Toronto collected a season-high 64 rebounds Monday night against the Lakers. The Raptors were a season-best +21 on the glass (64-to-43), and outrebounded the Lakers 19-9 on the offensive end. Toronto (13.4) currently ranks second in the NBA in offensive boards and is +48 (123-75) on the offensive glass through eight games in March, having collected a league-best 123 offensive boards this month. • Gary Trent Jr. scored a team-high 28 points Monday in Los Angeles. Trent Jr. has now scored 20+ points 23 times this season, something he did 23 times in his first three seasons combined (2018-21). The Raptors are 18-5 this year when he scores 20-or-more points. • Precious Achiuwa made his second consecutive start Monday night in Los Angeles, tallying 10 points and 11 rebounds in 33 minutes. Achiuwa has now scored in double figures in a career high-tying four consecutive games (Mar. 9-14), averaging 12.3 points and shooting .429 (18-42) from the field during this span. • Pascal Siakam is averaging 21.9 points, and career bests of 8.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists, in 55 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 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
• Finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes Monday night against the LA Lakers. • Leads all rookies in minutes (35.5), ranks third in both points (15.3) and rebounds (7.6) and fourth in assists (3.4). • Averaging 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 36.1 minutes in 11 games since the All-star break.
F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
MIN: 37.5 REB: 8.3 AST: 5.1 STL: 1.3 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 21.9 • Scored 27 points Mar. 14 against the LA Lakers; added 11 rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes. • Leads the Raptors with a career-best 22 double-doubles this season. • Averaging 26.1 points and shooting .494 (76-154) from the field through eight games in March.
C – PRECIOUS ACHIUWA #5
MIN: 23.1 REB: 6.8 AST: 1.1 STL: 0.5 TO: 1.1 BLK: 0.6 PTS: 8.4 • Recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds Mar. 14 against the LA Lakers. • Has scored in double figures in four consecutive games (Mar. 9-14), averaging 12.3 points. • Averaging 8.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 27.1 minutes in 25 games as a starter this season.
• Finished with a team-high 28 points Mar. 14 against the LA Lakers; added five rebounds in 36 minutes. • Ranks third in the NBA in both steals per game (1.81) and total deflections (208). • Averaging 20.8 points and shooting .404 (107-265) from beyond the arc in 31 road games this season.
G – FRED VANVLEET #23
MIN: 38.1 REB: 4.6 AST: 6.8 STL: 1.6 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 21.1 • Tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 40 minutes Mar. 14 against the LA Lakers. • Leads the league in minutes (38.1), ranks second in deflections (211) and tied for third in three-pointers (215). • Needs 23 three-pointers to tie Kyle Lowry’s single-season franchise record of 238 made threes (2017-18).
2021-22 RECORDS W-L EAST WEST OVERALL 38-30 23-19 15-11 HOME 17-15 11-9 6-6 AWAY 21-15 12-10 9-5 OVERTIME 2-1 2-1 0-0
GAME DETAILS Opponent: Los Angeles Clippers Date: Wednesday, March 16 Tip-Off: 10:30 p.m. (ET) Venue: Crypto.com Arena Television: Sportsnet Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto SERIES RECAP VS. LA CLIPPERS OVERALL HOME ROAD 2021-22 1-0 1-0 0-0 ALL-TIME 28-23 17-9 11-14 STREAKS Won 1 Won 1 Lost 2 LAST WIN: Dec. 31, 2021 (116-108) LAST ROAD WIN: Dec. 11, 2018 (123-99) LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +25 (Feb. 1, 2013) LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -32 (Mar. 13, 1998) LAST TIME VS. LA CLIPPERS GAME 32 – DECEMBER 31, 2021 TORONTO 116, LA CLIPPERS 108 TORONTO — Pascal Siakam had 25 points and matched his career-high with 19 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 31 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-108 … OG Anunoby scored 26 points and Gary Trent Jr. had 10 as the Raptors won for the first time in three games … Weakened by COVID-19 absentees in their last two games, Toronto welcomed VanVleet, Anunoby and Justin Champagnie back from health and safety protocols … Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes also exited protocols, but was unavailable because of a sore right knee … Marcus Morris Sr. scored 20 points, Terance Mann had 18 and Reggie Jackson 17 for the Clippers … Amir Coffey scored a season-high 15 points for Los Angeles … The game was played in a mostly empty arena after the Ontario government reduced capacity limits to 1,000 people in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19 … The Raptors finished with 18 offensive rebounds, compared to three for the Clippers, outscored Los Angeles 21-3 in second-chance points, and had 96 field goal attempts to LA’s 78 … Toronto’s Chris Boucher snapped a 105-all tie with a pair of free throws with 2:08 remaining, and Siakam’s slam with 1:34 left gave Toronto a four-point edge … After a missed 3 by Morris, VanVleet added a decisive 3-pointer with 25 seconds left. 1 2 3 4 TOT LA CLIPPERS 29 33 25 21 108 TORONTO 32 24 26 34 116
NEXT GAME DETAILS Opponent: Los Angeles Lakers Date: Friday, March 18 Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. (ET) Venue: Scotiabank Arena Television: Sportsnet Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto SERIES RECAP VS. LA LAKERS OVERALL HOME ROAD 2021-22 1-0 0-0 1-0 ALL-TIME 21-29 11-14 10-15 STREAKS Won 2 Lost 1 Won 7 LAST WIN: Mar. 14, 2022 (114-103) LAST HOME WIN: August 1, 2020 (107-92) LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +33 (Dec. 2, 2016) LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -20 (Jan. 6, 2002) LAST TIME VS. LA LAKERS GAME 68 – MARCH 14, 2022 TORONTO 114, LA LAKERS 103 LOS ANGELES — Scottie Barnes scored 15 of his 21 points in the first quarter and the Toronto Raptors held off a late rally by the Los Angeles Lakers for a 114-103 victory … Gary Trent Jr. had 28 points and Pascal Siakam scored 27 for Toronto, which has won four straight — all on the road … Fred VanVleet returned after being held out Saturday at Denver to rest his right knee and finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists … LeBron James had 30 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles … James was a game-time decision because of soreness in his left knee but ended up playing 40 minutes … The Raptors piled on early against the floundering Lakers, scoring the first nine points on the way to a 33-12 lead after one … Los Angeles was 3 for 25 from the field and missed all 13 of its 3-pointers in the opening quarter … Avery Bradley had four points and was the only Lakers player with more than two in the period … Foul trouble was the only thing that slowed Barnes during an impressive first half … He scored 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 18 minutes before sitting down with his third foul … Los Angeles mounted a late charge in the fourth quarter, pulling within 109-97 with 2:19 remaining on a 3-pointer by James … Horton-Tucker missed a 3 that would have made the deficit six points, and Siakam and Trent hit free throws to push Toronto’s lead back to 12. 1 2 3 4 TOT TORONTO 33 25 33 23 114 LA LAKERS 12 28 31 32 103 GAME 68 – MARCH 14, 2022 TORONTO 114, LA LAKERS 103 es had 25
Day Date Opponent Time (ET)/Result Wed. Oct. 20 Washington L 98-83 Fri. Oct. 22 at Boston W 115-83 Sat. Oct. 23 Dallas L 103-95 Mon. Oct. 25 Chicago L 111-108 Wed. Oct. 27 Indiana W 118-100 Fri. Oct. 29 Orlando W 110-109 Sat. Oct. 30 at Indiana W 97-94 Mon. Nov. 1 at New York W 113-104 Wed. Nov. 3 at Washington W 109-100 Fri. Nov. 5 Cleveland L 102-101 Sun. Nov. 7 Brooklyn L 116-103 Wed. Nov. 10 at Boston L 104-88 Thu. Nov. 11 at Philadelphia W 115-109 Sat. Nov. 13 Detroit L 127-121 Mon. Nov. 15 at Portland L 118-113 Thu. Nov. 18 at Utah L 119-103 Fri. Nov. 19 at Sacramento W 108-89 Sun. Nov. 21 at Golden State L 119-104 Wed. Nov. 24 at Memphis W 126-113 Fri. Nov. 26 at Indiana L 114-97 Sun. Nov. 28 Boston L 109-97 Tue. Nov. 30 Memphis L 98-91 Thu. Dec. 2 Milwaukee W 97-93 Sun. Dec. 5 Washington W 102-90 Wed. Dec. 8 Oklahoma City L 110-109 Fri. Dec. 10 New York W 90-87 Mon. Dec. 13 Sacramento W 124-101 Tue. Dec. 14 at Brooklyn L 131-129 (OT) Thu. Dec. 16 Chicago POSTPONED Sat. Dec. 18 Golden State W 119-100 Mon. Dec. 20 Orlando POSTPONED Wed. Dec. 22 at Chicago POSTPONED Sun. Dec. 26 at Cleveland L 144-99 Tue. Dec. 28 Philadelphia L 114-109 Fri. Dec. 31 LA Clippers W 116-108 Sun. Jan. 2 New York W 120-105 Tue. Jan. 4 San Antonio W 129-104 Wed. Jan. 5 at Milwaukee W 117-111 Fri. Jan. 7 Utah W 122-108 Sun. Jan. 9 New Orleans W 105-101 Tue. Jan. 11 Phoenix L 99-95 Fri. Jan. 14 at Detroit L 103-87 Sat. Jan. 15 at Milwaukee W 103-96 Mon. Jan. 17 at Miami L 104-99 Wed. Jan. 19 at Dallas L 102-98 Fri. Jan. 21 at Washington W 109-105 Sun. Jan. 23 Portland L 114-105 Tue. Jan. 25 Charlotte W 125-113 Wed. Jan. 26 at Chicago L 111-105 Sat. Jan. 29 at Miami W 124-120 (3OT) Mon. Jan. 31 at Atlanta W 106-100 Tue. Feb. 1 Miami W 110-106 Thu. Feb. 3 Chicago W 127-120 (OT) Fri. Feb. 4 Atlanta W 125-114 Mon. Feb. 7 at Charlotte W 116-101 Wed. Feb. 9 at Oklahoma City W 117-98 Thu. Feb. 10 at Houston W 139-120 Sat. Feb. 12 Denver L 110-109 Mon. Feb. 14 at New Orleans L 120-90 Wed. Feb. 16 at Minnesota W 103-91 Fri. Feb. 25 at Charlotte L 125-93 Sat. Feb. 26 at Atlanta L 127-100 Mon. Feb. 28 at Brooklyn W 133-97 Tue. Mar. 1 Brooklyn W 109-108 Thu. Mar. 3 Detroit L 108-106 Fri Mar. 4 Orlando L 103-97 Sun. Mar. 6 at Cleveland L 104-96 Wed. Mar. 9 at San Antonio W 119-104 Fri. Mar. 11 at Phoenix W 117-112 Sat. Mar. 12 at Denver W 127-115 Mon. Mar. 14 at LA Lakers W 114-103 Wed. Mar. 16 at LA Clippers 10:30 p.m. Fri. Mar. 18 LA Lakers 7:30 p.m. Sun. Mar. 20 at Philadelphia 8:30 p.m. Mon. Mar. 21 at Chicago 8:00 p.m. Thu. Mar. 24 Cleveland 7:30 p.m. Sat. Mar. 26 Indiana 7:30 p.m. Mon. Mar. 28 Boston 7:30 p.m. Wed. Mar. 30 Minnesota 7:30 p.m. Fri. Apr. 1 at Orlando 7:00 p.m. Sun. Apr. 3 Miami 7:00 p.m.# Tue. Apr. 5 Atlanta 7:30 p.m. Thu. Apr. 7 Philadelphia 7:30 p.m. Fri. Apr. 8 Houston 7:30 p.m. Sun. Apr. 10 at New York TBD KEY: * ESPN # NBATV ^ TNT
33 NICOLAS BATUM
F • 6-8 • 230 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 24.9 8.4 4.4 1.7 1.0 0.7 .453 .391 .625 LAST GAME: Tallied 6 points (2-8 FG, 2-7 3PT), 4 rebounds and 6 assists in 33:28 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/15 at PHX, surpassed 10,000 career points. • 1/17 vs. IND, had a Clippers career-high 32 points and 7 threes. Scored all 32 points in the second half. • 11/9 vs. POR, scored a Clippers career-high 22 points.
LAST GAME: Tallied 24 points (10-15 FG, 4-4 FT), 14 rebounds and 4 assists in 36:11 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/27 at HOU, gathered a season-high 15 rebounds and had a career-high 6 blocked shots. • 1/19 at DEN, scored a career-high 32 points on 15-of-19 shooting. • 1/8 vs. MEM, collected his 2,000th career rebound.
40 IVICA ZUBAC
C • 7-0 • 240 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 24.7 10.4 8.5 1.5 0.5 1.0 .634 — .730 #7 AMIR COFFEY F • 6-7 • 210 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 23.4 8.8 2.8 1.8 0.6 0.2 .438 .365 .861 LAST GAME: Tallied 19 points (7-20 FG, 4-11 3PT, 1-2 FT), 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 39:40 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 1/25 at WAS, scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting. • 1/11 vs. DEN, dished a career-high 7 assists and tied his career high with 4 steals. • 1/9 vs. ATL, tied career highs in points (21) and three-pointers made (5).
14 TERANCE MANN
G • 6-5 • 215 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 29.0 10.5 5.5 2.5 0.7 0.2 .477 .364 .764 LAST GAME: Tallied 18 points (7-21 FG, 2-7 3PT, 2-4 FT), 10 rebounds and 4 assists in 44:51 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/14 vs. GSW, tied his regular-season career-high with 25 points. • 2/12 at DAL, scored a then season-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. • 12/11 vs. ORL, made a regular season career-high 4 threes.
5 LUKE KENNARD
G • 6-5 • 206 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 27.6 11.9 3.4 2.2 0.6 0.1 .449 .455 .889
LAST GAME: Tallied 14 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3PT, 3-3 FT), 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 40:09 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/17 vs. HOU, made a career-high 8 threes. • 1/30 at CHA, had a career-tying 10 rebounds. Third career double-double. • 12/21 at OKC, scored a season-high 27 points and tied his then career high with 7 threes. CLIPPERS 2021-22 ROSTER NO. PLAYER POS HT WT BIRTHDATE PRIOR TO NBA/HOME COUNTRY YRS 33 Nicolas Batum F 6’8″ 230 12/14/1988 Le Mans / France 13 4 Brandon Boston Jr. G 6’6″ 188 11/28/2001 Kentucky / USA R 23 Robert Covington F 6’7″ 209 12/14/1990 Tennessee State / USA 8 7 Amir Coffey (2W) F/G 6’7″ 210 6/17/1997 Minnesota / USA 2 13 Paul George F 6’8″ 220 5/2/1990 Fresno State / USA 11 55 Isaiah Hartenstein C 7’0″ 250 5/5/1998 Zalgiris / Germany 3 22 Rodney Hood F 6’8″ 208 10/20/1992 Duke / USA 7 1 Reggie Jackson G 6’2″ 208 4/16/1990 Boston College / USA 10 5 Luke Kennard G 6’5″ 206 6/24/1996 Duke / USA 4 2 Kawhi Leonard F 6’7″ 225 6/29/1991 San Diego State / USA 10 14 Terance Mann F/G 6’5″ 215 10/18/1996 Florida State/ USA 2 8 Marcus Morris Sr. F 6’8″ 218 9/2/1989 Kansas / USA 10 37 Semi Ojeleye F 6’6″ 2
DATE OPPONENT
TV RESULT/TIME LAST GAME’S STARTERS
Oct. 4 Denver SOCAL W, 103-102 Oct. 6 Sacramento WEST L, 98-113 Oct. 8 at Dallas N/A L, 114-122 Oct. 11 Minnesota SOCAL/NBA TV L, 100-128 REGULAR SEASON DATE OPPONENT TV RESULT/TIME Oct. 21 at Golden State TNT L, 113-115 Oct. 23 Memphis SOCAL L, 114-120 Oct. 25 Portland SOCAL/NBA TV W, 116-86 Oct. 27 Cleveland SOCAL L, 79-92 Oct. 29 at Portland SOCAL L, 92-111 Nov. 1 Oklahoma City SOCAL W, 99-94 Nov. 3 at Minnesota SOCAL W, 126-115 Nov. 5 at Minnesota SOCAL W, 104-84 Nov. 7 Charlotte SOCAL W, 120-106 Nov. 9 Portland SOCAL/TNT W, 117-109 Nov. 11 Miami SOCAL/NBA TV W, 112-109 Nov. 13 Minnesota SOCAL W, 129-102 Nov. 14 Chicago SOCAL L, 90-100 Nov. 16 San Antonio SOCAL W, 106-92 Nov. 18 at Memphis SOCAL L, 108-120 Nov. 19 at New Orleans SOCAL L, 81-94 Nov. 21 Dallas SOCAL W, 97-91 Nov. 23 Dallas SOCAL L, 104-112 OT Nov. 26 Detroit SOCAL W, 107-96 Nov. 28 Golden State SOCAL L, 90-105 Nov. 29 New Orleans SOCAL L, 104-123 Dec. 1 Sacramento SOCAL/NBA TV L, 115-124 Dec. 3 at Lakers SOCAL W, 119-115 Dec. 4 at Sacramento SOCAL L, 99-104 Dec. 6 at Portland SOCAL W, 102-90 Dec. 8 Boston SOCAL W, 114-111 Dec. 11 Orlando SOCAL W, 106-104 Dec. 13 Phoenix SOCAL/NBA TV W, 111-95 Dec. 15 at Utah SOCAL/ESPN L, 103-124 Dec. 18 at Oklahoma CitySOCAL L, 103-104 Dec. 20 San Antonio SOCAL L, 92-116 Dec. 22 at Sacramento SOCAL/NBA TV W, 105-89 Dec. 26 Denver SOCAL L, 100-103 Dec. 27 Brooklyn SOCAL/NBA TV L, 108-124 Dec. 29 at Boston SOCAL W, 91-82 Dec. 31 at Toronto SOCAL L, 108-116 Jan. 1 at Brooklyn SOCAL W, 120-116 Jan. 3 Minnesota SOCAL L, 104-122 Jan. 6 at Phoenix WEST/TNT L, 89-106 Jan. 8 Memphis SOCAL L, 108-123 Jan. 9 Atlanta SOCAL W, 106-93 Jan. 11 Denver SOCAL/NBA TV W, 87-85 Jan. 13 at New Orleans SOCAL L, 89-113 Jan. 15 at San Antonio SOCAL L, 94-101 Jan. 17 Indiana SOCAL W, 139-133 Jan. 19 at Denver SOCAL/ESPN L, 128-130 Jan. 21 at Philadelphia SOCAL W, 102-101 Jan. 23 at New York SOCAL L, 102-110 Jan. 25 at Washington SOCAL W, 116-115 Jan. 26 at Orlando SOCAL W, 111-102 Jan. 28 at Miami SOCAL L, 114-121 Jan. 30 at Charlotte SOCAL W, 115-90 Jan. 31 at Indiana SOCAL L, 116-122 Feb. 3 Lakers TNT W, 111-110 Feb. 6 Milwaukee SOCAL/NBA TV L, 113-137 Feb. 8 at Memphis SOCAL L, 109-135 Feb. 10 at Dallas SOCAL L, 105-112 Feb. 12 at Dallas SOCAL W, 99-97 Feb. 14 Golden State SOCAL/NBA TV W, 119-104 Feb. 15 at Phoenix TNT L, 96-103 Feb. 17 Houston SOCAL W, 142-111 Feb. 25 at Lakers WEST/ESPN W, 105-102 Feb. 27 at Houston SOCAL W, 99-98 Mar. 1 at Houston SOCAL W, 113-100 Mar. 3 Lakers TNT W, 132-111 Mar. 6 New York SOCAL/ESPN L, 93-116 Mar. 8 at Golden State TNT L, 97-112 Mar. 9 Washington SOCAL W, 115-109 Mar. 11 at Atlanta SOCAL L, 106-112 Mar. 13 at Detroit SOCAL W, 106-102 Mar. 14 at Cleveland SOCAL L, 111-120 Mar. 16 Toronto SOCAL 7:30 PM Mar. 18 at Utah SOCAL 6:00 PM Mar. 22 at Denver SOCAL/TNT 7:00 PM Mar. 25 Philadelphia SOCAL/NBA TV 7:30 PM Mar. 29 Utah TNT 7:00 PM Mar. 31 at Chicago SOCAL 5:00 PM Apr. 1 at Milwaukee SOCAL/NBA TV 5:00 PM Apr. 3 New Orleans SOCAL/NBA TV 6:30 PM Apr. 6 Phoenix SOCAL/ESPN 7:00 PM Apr. 9 Sacramento SOCAL TBD Apr. 10 Oklahoma City SOCAL TBD All 2021-22 preseason, regular season and Playoff games can be heard on the radio on L.A.’s all sports home of the Clippers, AM 570 Sports/KLAC. All regular season games can also be heard in Spanish on KWKW 1330 AM ESPN Deportes or KTMZ 1220 AM. Media Guide can be found at http://media.clippers.com Follow the Clippers Communications Department on Twitter: @ClippersPR for stats and updates
33 NICOLAS BATUM
F • 6-8 • 230 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 24.9 8.4 4.4 1.7 1.0 0.7 .453 .391 .625 LAST GAME: Tallied 6 points (2-8 FG, 2-7 3PT), 4 rebounds and 6 assists in 33:28 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/15 at PHX, surpassed 10,000 career points. • 1/17 vs. IND, had a Clippers career-high 32 points and 7 threes. Scored all 32 points in the second half. • 11/9 vs. POR, scored a Clippers career-high 22 points. Toronto Raptors (38-30) at LA Clippers (36-35) Regular Season Game 72; Home Game 35 Crypto.com Arena; Los Angeles, CA Wednesday, March 16, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. (PT) TV: Bally Sports SoCal; Radio: AM 570 L.A. Sports
LAST GAME: Tallied 24 points (10-15 FG, 4-4 FT), 14 rebounds and 4 assists in 36:11 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/27 at HOU, gathered a season-high 15 rebounds and had a career-high 6 blocked shots. • 1/19 at DEN, scored a career-high 32 points on 15-of-19 shooting. • 1/8 vs. MEM, collected his 2,000th career rebound.
40 IVICA ZUBAC
C • 7-0 • 240 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 24.7 10.4 8.5 1.5 0.5 1.0 .634 — .730 #7 AMIR COFFEY F • 6-7 • 210 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 23.4 8.8 2.8 1.8 0.6 0.2 .438 .365 .861 LAST GAME: Tallied 19 points (7-20 FG, 4-11 3PT, 1-2 FT), 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 39:40 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 1/25 at WAS, scored a career-high 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting. • 1/11 vs. DEN, dished a career-high 7 assists and tied his career high with 4 steals. • 1/9 vs. ATL, tied career highs in points (21) and three-pointers made (5).
14 TERANCE MANN
G • 6-5 • 215 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 29.0 10.5 5.5 2.5 0.7 0.2 .477 .364 .764 LAST GAME: Tallied 18 points (7-21 FG, 2-7 3PT, 2-4 FT), 10 rebounds and 4 assists in 44:51 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/14 vs. GSW, tied his regular-season career-high with 25 points. • 2/12 at DAL, scored a then season-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. • 12/11 vs. ORL, made a regular season career-high 4 threes.
5 LUKE KENNARD
G • 6-5 • 206 2021-22 Regular Season Stats MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT% 27.6 11.9 3.4 2.2 0.6 0.1 .449 .455 .889
LAST GAME: Tallied 14 points (5-12 FG, 1-5 3PT, 3-3 FT), 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 40:09 minutes. PLAYER NOTES • 2/17 vs. HOU, made a career-high 8 threes. • 1/30 at CHA, had a career-tying 10 rebounds. Third career double-double. • 12/21 at OKC, scored a season-high 27 points and tied his then career high with 7 threes.
• COOL HAND LUKE: On 2/17 vs. Houston, Luke Kennard made a career-high eigh three-pointers. He became just the seventh player in franchise history to make at least eight three-pointers in a single game. Kennard also joined Paul George and J.J. Redick as the only players in franchise history to have three games in a single season with at least seven three-pointers made. • COMEBACKS: On 1/11 vs. Denver, the Clippers erased a 25-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Nuggets. Since 1997-98 it was tied for the fourth-largest comeback victory in team history (including postseason). The Clippers became just the third team in the NBA this season to win a game when trailing by at least 25 points. On 1/21 at Philadelphia, the Clippers erased a 24-point deficit to become the only team in the NBA this season to have multiple comeback wins when trailing by at least 24 points. On 1/25 at Washington, the Clippers erased a 35-point deficit for the largest comeback win in franchise history and tied for the second-largest comeback win in NBA history. The Clippers were trailing by seven points with under 20 seconds remaining in this game. They are the only team in the last 20 seasons to win a game in regulation when trailing by at least seven points with under 20 seconds remaining. LAC is also the only team in the last 25 seasons to overcome a deficit of at least 24 points three times in a single season. Over the last four seasons, including the postseason, the Clipper have seven wins when trailing by at least 24 points, four more wins than any other team over that span. • SCORING: On 1/17 vs. Indiana, the Clippers scored a season-high 139 points. Nicolas Batum contributed a Clippers career-high 32 points and seven threes. Batum scored all 32 points in the second half to become just the fourth player in the NBA this season to score at least 30 points in a half. • DYNAMIC DEFENSE: On 11/5 at Minnesota, the Clippers allowed just 27 points in the second quarter. It was tied for the fourth-least amount of points allowed in a second half in franchise history. The last time the Clippers allowed 27 points-or-less in a second half was when they allowed 25 on 4/16/12 vs. Oklahoma City. LAC ranks seventh in defensive rating (108.8) and in opponent FG% (44.8). • CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD: On 11/13 vs. Minnesota, with his 1,799th career three-pointer, Paul George passed Klay Thompson for sole possession of 20th place on the NBA’s all-time three-point field goal list. On 11/14 vs. Chicago, George made his 368th career three-pointer as a Clippers, which passed Corey Maggette for sole possession of sixth place on the Clippers all-time three-point field goal list. On 12/20 vs. San Antonio, George made his 1,828th career three to pass Kobe Bryant for sole possession of 19th place on the NBA’s all-time three-point field goal list. On 12/22 at Sacramento, George made his 1,831st career three to pass Chauncey Billups for sole possession of 18th place on the NBA’s all-time three-point field goal list. • THE ROOK: On 12/8 vs. Boston, Brandon Boston Jr. scored 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Boston Jr. joined Eric Bledsoe and Lamar Odom as the only players in franchise history to score at least 27 points at age 20 or younger. • PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Paul George was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for week three (Nov. 1-7). During the week, George led the Clippers to a 4-0 record and held averages of 26.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.8 steals. It’s George’s 10th player of the week recognition and second as a member of the Clippers. During the month of November, George scored 406 points, with 114 rebounds and 89 assists. George joins Bob Kaufman (Dec. 1970) as the only two players in franchise history with at least 400 points, 100 rebounds and 80 assists in a calendar month. • WINNING STREAK: The Clippers were on a seven-game winning streak from 11/1 – 11/13. During the winning streak, the Clippers ranked second in the NBA in plus/minus differential (12.6) and net rating (11.5), third in points (115.3) and rebounds (48.7) and fifth in 3P% (39.5). • MOMENTUM SWING: On 11/5 at Minnesota, the Clippers became just the fourth team in the last 25 seasons to trail by 20 and then win the game by 20. • FROM THREE: On 11/3 at Minnesota, the Clippers were 21-for-36 (58.3%) from three. It’s just the 13th time in NBA history that a team has shot better than 58% from three (min. 35 attempts). In the third quarter alone the Clippers were 9-for-11 (81.8%) from three which was the highest 3P% (min. 10 attempts) in a single quarter in franchise history. Including the postseason, it was just the 13th time in franchise history that the Clippers have made at least 20 threes. • PG: On 10/23 vs. Memphis, George had his 28th game as a Clipper with at least five three-pointers made, which tied J.J. Redick for the most such games in franchise history. George also had his sixth career game with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds and became the first Clipper since Blake Griffin on 2/26/17 vs. Charlotte to post a stat line of at least 41 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. On 10/25 vs. Portland, George had a career-high eight steals. He’s the first starter to have at least eight steals while playing 27 minutes or less since Michael Jordan on 4/20/93. On 10/29 at Portland, George had his 29th game as a Clipper with at least five three-pointers made, which surpassed J.J. Redick for the most such games in franchise history. Through the Clippers first seven games this season, George scored 202 points which is the fourth-most points scored through the first seven games in franchise history and the most since World B. Free scored 243 points during the 1979-80 season. • TURNOVERS: On 10/25 vs. Portland, the Clippers had 21 steals and forced 30 turnovers. Since 1983-84, it’s tied for the second-most steals in franchise history and the most steals since the Clippers had 21 on 11/8/91 vs. Denver. It was just the eighth game since 1983-84 that the Clippers forced at least 30 turnovers, and it was the most opponent turnovers since the Clippers forced 32 on 11/8/96 vs. New York. • CONTINUING TO BUILD: LA at 535-320 (.626) have the NBA’s third-best regular season record since the start of the 2011-12 season. On 4/11 vs. Detroit, the Clippers extended a franchise record of securing a record above .500 to 10 consecutive seasons which is the longest active streak in the NBA. On 4/18 vs. Minnesota, the Clippers secured their 40th win of the season. It is the 10th-straight season that the Clippers have had at least 40 wins which is the longest current streak in the NBA BEST RECORD IN THE NBA (Since 2011-12)
Golden State Warriors 544-302 (.643)
San Antonio Spurs 539-313 (.633)
LA Clippers 535-320 (.626)
Miami Heat 504-350 (.590)
Oklahoma City Thunder 496-356 (.582) • KAWHI: Kawhi Leonard is the winningest player in NBA regular-season history with a 429-147 (.745) record.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (38-17-5 – 81 Points) vs. DALLAS STARS (32-23-3 – 67 Points) TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022 1 2 3 FINAL DALLAS 0 0 0 0 TORONTO 2 0 2 4
SCORING NOTES
Rasmus Sandin scored for Toronto at 7:22 of the first period. Sandin posted his fifth goal of the season.
John Tavares scored for the Maple Leafs at 11:16 of the first period. Tavares recorded his 20th goal of the season. Tavares also posted the secondary assist on Sandin’s goal. Tavares recorded his 37th assist of the season. Tavares has posted a point in back-to-back games (1G, 2A).
Ondřej Kaše scored on a Toronto power play opportunity at 0:52 of the third period. Kaše recorded his 13th goal of the season and sixth power play goal of his NHL career.
Ilya Mikheyev scored on Dallas’ empty net at 18:36 of the third period. Mikheyev posted his 11th goal of the season.
Mitch Marner recorded the primary assist on Sandin’s goal and the secondary assist on Kaše’s goal. Marner has registered 41 assists this season.
William Nylander posted the primary assist on Tavares’ goal. Nylander recorded his 33rd assist of the season. Nylander is currently on a four-game point streak where he has recorded six points (2G, 4A).
Timothy Liljegren registered the secondary assist on Tavares’ goal. Liljegren posted his 15th assist of the season.
Morgan Rielly recorded the primary assist on Kaše’s goal and the primary assist on Mikheyev’s goal. Rielly has posted 42 assists this season. GOALTENDER NOTES
Erik Källgren stopped 35 of 35 shots in tonight’s win. Källgren appeared in his first career NHL start and marked his first career NHL shutout.
Per NHL Stats, Erik Källgren became the fourth goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout in his first career start. The only netminders to do so are Garret Sparks (Nov. 30, 2015), Al Rollins (March 25, 1950) and Benny Grant (March 9, 1929). SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
The Maple Leafs were 1-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill tonight. OF NOTE…
The Maple Leafs recorded their sixth shutout of the season.
With Toronto’s win tonight, Sheldon Keefe earned his 100th win as head coach (163 games played). Per NHL Stats, only five head coaches in NHL history have reached the milestone in 163 contests or fewer: Tom Johnson (138 GP w/ BOS), Mike Keenan (152 GP w/ PHI), Todd McLellan (158 GP w/ SJS), Terry Crisp (158 GP w/ CGY) and Dan Bylsma (163 GP w/ PIT).
Per NHL Stats, Mitch Marner (0-1—1) factored on the opening goal and became the first player in franchise history to begin their career with six consecutive 40-assist seasons. Only two active players have done so: Artemi Panarin (7; 2015-16 to 2021-22) and Alex Ovechkin (6; 2005-06 to 2010-11).
Ilya Mikheyev registered a single-game career-high eight shots during tonight’s game.
John Tavares and Rasmus Sandin were on the ice for a team-high 23 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5.
John Tavares finished the game with a team-high 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 76.67 percentErik (23 for, 7 against). SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL DALLAS 13 (13) 13 (4) 9 (9) 35 (26) TORONTO 10 (10) 18 (10) 12 (10) 40 (30) SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets) 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL DALLAS 23 (23) 19 (10) 19 (18) 61 (51) TORONTO 21 (21) 29 (20) 20 (17) 70 (58) ON HOME ICE
The Maple Leafs are 21-7-2 at home this season.
Toronto’s all-time record is 98-92-28-1 in 219 games against the Dallas Stars and 56-39-17-0 in 112 games played in Toronto.
Toronto is 21-9-2 against the Eastern Conference this season and 7-3-3 against the Central Division this season. RECORD WHEN…
Toronto is 26-5-2 when scoring the first goal of the game. The Maple Leafs are 24-2-2 when leading after one period and 28-1-2 when leading after two periods.
Toronto is 23-11-4 when outshooting their opponent.
The Maple Leafs are 8-0-1 in Tuesday games. MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS Shots 8 (Mikheyev) Shot Attempts 9 (Mikheyev) Faceoff Wins 11 (Tavares) Faceoff Win Percentage 69% (Tavares– 11 won, 5 lost) Hits 6 (Lyubushkin) Blocked Shots 2 (Liljegren, Sandin) Takeaways 4 (Engvall) TOI 22:47 (Rielly) Power Play TOI 3:37 (Rielly) Shorthanded TOI 3:02 (Holl) Shifts 27 (Rielly, Brodie) 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage 76.67% (Tavares – 23 for, 7 against) UPCOMING GAMES: 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 March 27 Leafs vs. Florida Scotiabank Arena 7:00 pm ET March 29 Leafs at Boston TD Garden 7:00 pm ET
POSTGAME QUOTES: HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE On tonight’s win and team effort: “He was great, he just continued where he left off in terms of not trying to do too much in the net. He was solid, pucks came to him and for the most part stuck to him. I thought our team played really well in front of him. Probably the toughest save he had was the first one, right away in the game there was a 2- on-1 with a clear shooter and he stands his ground and makes that save and I thought from there he was just solid with a lot of the saves were stuff from the perimeter and stuff like that but he made sure to settle our team down so it was impressive.” ONDŘEJ KAŠE On Kallgren’s shutout in his first NHL game: “I’m really happy for him. I think we played really good and he had good saves there in the first period so I’m very happy for him.” On what stands out about him: “He’s only been here for like four days so I don’t really know to be honest but he was very concentrated, maybe a little nervous before the game like everybody is before their first game but a shutout in his first game, it’s a dream.” RASMUS SANDIN On Kallgren’s play tonight: “He made some really good saves and he looked really comfortable and confident back there so really happy for him and we were saying we were going to do everything we could to get the shutout after he had two really good periods. He stepped up and made some really good saves for us and it’s nice to grab it for him.” ERIK KÄLLGREN On his first game, win and shutout in the NHL: “Feels good, there are a lot of emotions but I’m really happy with the win.” On if he was nervous before the game and heading into the third period: “Before the game I was just trying to treat it as a regular game. I have my routines so just tried to do my daily routines and during the game just tried to not think too much. Obviously at the end there I was just happy to get the shutout.”
The view from left field 