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Early season Raptors awards: Norm Powell remains indispensable
Toronto has played over a quarter of the regular NBA season so it's time to take stock of which Raptor has performed, which has underperformed and who has pleasantly surprised.
Toronto has played over a quarter of the regular NBA season so it's time to take stock of which Raptor has performed, which has underperformed and who has pleasantly surprised.
The news comes after Nick Nurse, along with five other members of the Raptors coaching staff were placed in the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Tiger Woods was moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and underwent "follow-up procedures" on Friday morning.
"Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans."
"There are certainly some moments that I know I could have done better really for our team and for Jared in particular.”
Renee Montgomery, a two-time WNBA champion, announced her retirement this month.
Women's hockey star Angela James, Oilers executive Kevin Lowe and former Hockey Canada president Bill Hay have been named to the Order of Hockey in Canada.
Investigators released photos of a suspect they believed was involved in the fire at Shaq's Atlanta Krispy Kreme store earlier this month.
Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster spoke to the media about Pascal Siakam and several Raptors coaches missing Friday's game vs. the Houston Rockets due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
The Canucks have been shut out both times they've run a jersey-giveaway promotion this season and are now 0-4 in their new threads.
Quebec City police say they have arrested a 54-year-old woman in connection with the case of fake Alexis Lafreniere hockey cards circulating online.
Tua breaks down his former backup QB, two of his former receivers and even touted the former Bama teammate he wouldn't mind teaming up with in the NFL.
SAN FRANCISCO — Warriors G League guard Jeremy Lin shared on social media that he experienced an act of racism on the court. Golden State coach Steve Kerr said he will support Lin and denounced any discriminatory act that caused Lin to speak out about racism targeting Asian Americans. In a heartfelt social media post, Lin didn't go into specific details about what happened except to reference he had been called “coronavirus” on the court — without saying when or where this happened. Kerr said it was brought to his attention Friday night that Lin had expressed his dismay publicly. Lin — the first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent in the NBA — and his team are playing at the neutral G League bubble venue in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. “Being an Asian American doesn’t mean we don’t experience poverty and racism. Being a 9-year NBA veteran doesn’t protect me from being called ‘coronavirus’ on the court,” Lin wrote. “Being a man of faith doesn’t mean I don’t fight for justice, for myself and for others. So here we are again, sharing how we feel. Is anyone listening?” Kerr wasn't sure how he would proceed until he gathered more information, but vowed to support Lin. The 32-year-old Lin played 29 games for the Warriors as a rookie in 2010-11, then went to the New York Knicks and gained the popularity that spawned the nickname “Linsanity.” A Taiwanese American, Lin was born in the Southern California city of Torrance but grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. “Really powerful. I applaud Jeremy for his words and echo his sentiments regarding racism against the Asian-American community,” Kerr said before Golden State hosted Charlotte at Chase Center. "It's just so ridiculous and obviously spawned by many people, including our former president, as it relates to the coronavirus originating in China. It's just shocking. I can't wrap my head around any of it, but I can't wrap my head around racism in general. “We're all just flesh and blood. We're all just people. As (Gregg) Pop (Popovich) once said to me, `We're all accidents of birth. We're born. We come out the way we are. We don't have a say in it. What we do have a say in is how we treat people.' It's shocking to me that we can treat each other so poorly based on the colour of skin or whatever it is. So I applaud Jeremy for speaking up.” Lin also wrote on his Facebook page: "Something is changing in this generation of Asian Americans. We are tired of being told that we don’t experience racism, we are tired of being told to keep our heads down and not make trouble. We are tired of Asian American kids growing up and being asked where they’re REALLY from, of having our eyes mocked, of being objectified as exotic or being told we’re inherently unattractive. We are tired of the stereotypes in Hollywood affecting our psyche and limiting who we think we can be. We are tired of being invisible, of being mistaken for our colleague or told our struggles aren’t as real. "I want better for my elders who worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make a life for themselves here. I want better for my niece and nephew and future kids. I want better for the next generation of Asian American athletes than to have to work so hard to just be 'deceptively athletic.'" ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Janie McCauley, The Associated Press
Millsap doubled down on what he claims Jazz executive Dennis Lindsey said to him.
DETROIT — De'Aaron Fox scored 27 points and the Sacramento Kings snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 110-107 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. Sacramento blew a 17-point first-quarter lead, then rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final quarter. The Kings held on after Detroit appeared to miss two late free throws intentionally — earlier than the Pistons probably needed to employ that desperate strategy. The Kings were up 106-104 when Harrison Barnes missed from the perimeter. Buddy Hield swooped in for a tip-in for Sacramento with 12.9 seconds left, but the play was challenged by Detroit and the call was reversed. A foul was called on Hield, and Josh Jackson went to the line at the other end with a chance to tie it. Jackson missed the first free throw, then appeared to miss the second on purpose. Nemanja Bjelica rebounded for the Kings and was fouled, and he made one of two free throws to push the lead to three. Sacramento fouled Jerami Grant immediately, and he made both free throws. Then Bjelica got free for a layup to make it 109-106, and the Kings again fouled with a three-point lead, putting Dennis Smith Jr. on the line with 8.1 seconds left. Smith made the first free throw, but his intentional miss on the second didn't hit the rim. The ball went over to Sacramento. Barnes was fouled with 7.4 seconds left, but he only made one of two free throws, giving the Pistons one more chance down three. Grant's contested 3-pointer missed everything, though. TIP-INS Kings: Sacramento is 2-5 in the second game of back-to-backs. ... G Tyrese Haliburton (left calf soreness) was out for the Kings. Sacramento was also without C Hassan Whiteside and F Jabari Parker because of health and safety protocols. Pistons: G Delon Wright (right adductor strain) missed the game. UP NEXT Kings: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. The Kings went 0-2 against the Hornets last season. Pistons: Host the New York Knicks on Sunday night. Detroit traded guard Derrick Rose to New York earlier this month and received Smith in return. ___ Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Noah Trister, The Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild blitzed the Los Angeles Kings with three goals in a span of just over three minutes in the first period and held on to win 3-1 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory. Kirill Kaprizov, Nick Bjugstad and Joel Eriksson Ek scored for the Wild, who ended the Kings' six-game winning streak. Minnesota's last loss was to the Kings in Los Angeles on Feb. 16. That was Minnesota’s first game back after a two-week layoff due to COVID-19 protocols. Cam Talbot stopped 27 shots for the Wild, holding the Kings scoreless until Jeff Carter's goal late in the third period in his first action since Feb. 2. Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for the Kings, who were done in by the Wild's three goals in a 3:03 span. Minnesota struck first on Kaprizov’s fifth of the year, a sprawling wrap-around goal at 12:33. Bjugstad doubled the Wild’s lead less than two minutes later after Quick misplayed a puck off the backboards. The carom rolled out to Bjugstad alone in the slot, and he buried a backhander for his 100th career goal. Barely another minute had elapsed when Eriksson Ek slammed home his own rebound for his team-leading seventh of the season and a 3-0 Wild lead. Carter spoiled the shutout when he crashed the net on a 3-on-2 and muscled the puck past Talbot for his fourth of the year. The Wild were playing their first home game since Jan. 31. After their season resumed, they played five straight games on the road before returning home for a pair of games against the Kings. The teams square off again in Minnesota on Saturday night. ___ More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Patrick Donnelly, The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Ryan Strome had a goal and two assists and Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist in New York’s three-goal second period, leading the Rangers to a 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Friday night. Julian Gauthier, Colin Blackwell, Pavel Buchnevich and Jonny Brodzinski also scored to help the Rangers win for the third time in four games. Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren each had two assists, and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 31 shots to improve to 2-0-2 in his last four starts. With fans back at Madison Square Garden for the first time this season, the Rangers beat Bruins for the first time in three meetings. Boston was 5-0-1 in the previous six games with the Rangers. After the game, the Rangers gathered at centre-ice to salute the 1,800 fans in attendance before skating off. Several players gave their sticks to some of the fans. Brad Marchand had a goal and an assist, and Patrice Bergeron also scored. Tuukka Rask made with 28 saves in the Bruins’ fourth loss in five games. The lost 7-2 at the New York Islanders on Thursday night. WILD 3, KINGS 1 ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov, Nick Bjugstad and Joel Eriksson Ek scored in a span of just over three minutes in the first period and Minnesota held off Los Angeles for its fifth straight victory. scored for the Wild, who ended the Kings’ six-game winning streak. Minnesota’s last loss was to the Kings in Los Angeles on Feb. 16. That was Minnesota’s first game back after a two-week layoff due to COVID-19 protocols. Cam Talbot stopped 27 shots for the Wild, holding the Kings scoreless until Jeff Carter’s goal late in the third period. Jonathan Quick made 27 saves for Los Angeles. The Associated Press
MIAMI — Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat got their most significant win of the season and took down the team with the NBA’s best record in the process. Butler scored a season-high 33 points, reserve Goran Dragic tied his season-best with 26 and the Heat held on to beat Utah 124-116 on Friday night — handing the Jazz (26-7) just their third loss in their last 25 games. Bam Adebayo scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Miami, which has won a season-best five straight games. Duncan Robinson scored 15 and Kendrick Nunn added 12 for the Heat. Donovan Mitchell scored 30 for the Jazz, who got 17 from Bojan Bogdanovic and 15 from Rudy Gobert. Mike Conley scored 14 for Utah, which got 13 apiece from Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles. Miami outrebounded Utah 49-36 and held the Jazz to 15-for-46 shooting from 3-point range. The Heat had to dig deep time and again in the fourth to pull out the win. Dragic found Andre Iguodala for an open 3-pointer, then made another himself on the next Heat possession for a 114-107 lead. Bogdanovic’s 3-pointer with 3:39 left started the last Jazz flurry, Conley got a layup on the next Utah possession and Gobert made two free throws on the next. Just like that, the Jazz were within 116-115. But they got no closer, with Dragic taking a charge to erase what would have been a basket by Conley with 1:58 left. The Jazz wound up missing their last six shots. The Jazz are shooting 41.2% on 3-pointers in the first halves of games this season against everyone other than Miami, and only 22.2% in the opening half of their two games against the Heat. They were 7 for 24 before the break on Friday, part of the reason why Miami went into intermission up 57-53. There were six ties, six lead changes, and neither team led by more than six in that first half. And Miami held on for a 96-94 lead after three quarters — the prerequisite for beating the Jazz this season. Utah came into Friday 24-0 when leading after three quarters, 2-6 when trailing. They’re 2-7 now. TIP-INS Jazz: Derrick Favors played in his 607th career regular-season game with Utah, breaking a tie with Rickey Green for ninth on the team’s all-time list. Next up: Bryon Russell, 628. ... Gobert had a free throw 1:53 into the game for his 6,000th career point. Heat: Adebayo was listed as questionable coming into the game because of a knee issue. ... Tyler Herro (bruised hip) missed his third straight game with that injury and 11th missed game this season overall. ... It was the sixth game in Heat history in which both teams had at least 94 points through three quarters. Three of those have come since Feb. 26, 2020. FUNDAMENTALS The teams were a combined 14 for 14 from the foul line in the first half. It was the second time the Jazz had been part of a game in which both teams shot 100% from the line in the opening 24 minutes this season, and the first such game for the Heat since a “home” game in the bubble last season against Toronto. RAINING 3’S Utah has more 3-pointers through 33 games, 559, than any other NBA team has ever made through not just 33 games — but even 35 games. Houston had 554 3’s made through the first 35 games of the 2017-18 season. The previous 33-game mark was 522, by those 2017-18 Rockets. UP NEXT Jazz: Visit Orlando on Saturday. Heat: Host Atlanta on Sunday. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points, Lou Williams added 17 and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-99 on Friday night to split a two-game series. Terance Mann, Nicolas Batum and Paul George each had 13 points for the Clippers, 122-94 losers on Thursday night. Jonas Valanciunas led Memphis with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Ja Morant scored 20 points before he was ejected, receiving a pair of technical for arguing a no-call with 2:18 remaining. De’Anthony Melton scored 16 points. It evident from the start that the Clippers were going to be much more aggressive on both ends of the floor than they were a night earlier. The Clippers concentrated defensively on guarding the paint better than the previous game when Memphis amassed 72 paint points. Los Angeles was willing to see if the Grizzlies could make enough outside shots. The active Los Angeles defence contributed to more contested shots and turnovers by Memphis. Eventually, the pressure paid off as the Clippers closed the half on a 13-1 run for 63-47 lead at the break. The shooting struggles for Leonard and George from the previous night weren’t evident as they combined to shoot 11 of 16 from the floor. The Grizzlies managed only 40% shooting in the half. The second half continued the theme as the Los Angeles defence continued to thwart Memphis shooters, who were stuck in the 40% range. The Clippers never lost their double-digit lead in the second half, extending it to 20 on several occasions. TIP-INS Clippers: Lou Williams passed Bob Kauffman for 17th on the franchise’s career points list. Kauffman had 4,850. … Leonard has 10 games of at least 30 points. … Are 23-3 when hold they 10-point lead this season. Grizzlies: Justise Winslow took off the second night of the back-to-back part of his recovery from a left hip injury. … Valanciunas, who took a knee to the left thigh in Thursday night’s win, was active after being listed as questionable pregame. UP NEXT Clippers: Continue their five-game trip Sunday at Milwaukee. Grizzlies: At Houston on Sunday night. More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Clay Bailey, The Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Atlanta Hawks 118-109 on Friday night after changing uniforms at halftime because a mix-up left the teams wearing similar colours at the start. The Thunder began the game wearing their sunset orange uniforms while the Hawks wore red, making it difficult to distinguish between the teams. Oklahoma City said in a statement that the Hawks wore the incorrect uniform colour. The team said the league should have caught the error, but because the Hawks only brought red uniforms on their trip, the Thunder changed to white for the second half. Lu Dort scored 19 points and Darius Bazley added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Thunder. John Collins scored 25 points and Clint Capela had 17 points and 21 rebounds for the Hawks. Trae Young, who played at the University of Oklahoma, finished with 17 points on 7-for-21 shooting. The Thunder were fine before the uniform switch — they shot 60% in the first half to lead 63-55 at the break. Oklahoma City got off to a strong start in white and led 96-80 after three quarters. The Hawks cut the deficit to six in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder regained control. Bazley drove to the hoop, rose, clutched to his left and threw down a monster two-handed jam that put Oklahoma City up 116-105. TIP-INS Hawks: Forward Danilo Gallinari helped the Thunder make the playoffs last season. He finished with eight points in 25 minutes. ... Collins had 12 points and five rebounds in the first quarter. Thunder: Center Al Horford rested on the front end of Oklahoma City’s back-to-back. ... Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo sat out with right groin soreness. ... Guard Ty Jerome scored for the first time as a member of the Thunder. He was called up from Oklahoma City's G League team and finished with nine points, seven assists and five rebounds in 22 minutes. UP NEXT The Hawks visit the Miami Heat on Sunday. The Thunder host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. ___ Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CliffBruntAP ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press