Pascal Siakam's double dribble in the final seconds cost the Raptors a chance to win Sunday night.
Toronto has secured netminding help ahead of the deadline, which begs the question: What does this mean for Frederik Andersen's season?
The Bruins fortified their blueline less than 24 hours before Monday's trade deadline.
A journey 10 years in the making reached its conclusion Sunday, with Hideki Matsuyama winning the Masters.
Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry discusses why Gary Trent Jr. is a better shooter than he thought, how Malachi Flynn has been able to score recently and Khem Birch's fit.
The Edmonton Oilers had to play just hours after an emotional service for former teammate Colby Cave.
Jeff Carter is reportedly on his way to the Pittsburgh Penguins, with the hopes of adding some secondary scoring punch.
NEW YORK — Pulling on a Toronto Raptors jersey didn't quite feel real for Khem Birch. The Canadian centre grew up watching the team play on TV with his dad, even as the Raptors struggled through the early 2000s. "But we always supported them just because they’re the home team and that’s why it means so much to me," Birch said Sunday before stepping on the court for his Raptors debut in New York. "My dad used to always complain about the team, yell at the TV and stuff, and now I’m on the team. So this is just a surreal moment." The 28-year-old joined fellow Montreal forward Chris Boucher in the Raptors front court after the Orlando Magic waived Birch earlier this week. Birch tweeted "A dream come true" about joining the Raptors. "Playing for this team means a lot to me," he said Sunday. "I’m just so happy to be here right now." The six-foot-nine Birch was averaging 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game this season with Orlando, but had been keen for a bigger role with more playing time. He should get that with the Raptors. Toronto's front court has been a glaring weakness this season since the departure of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka last off-season. And there are places Birch can grow his game, said Raptors coach Nick Nurse. "He's a rebounder, screener, roller, needs to be a good defensive player in that role and protect the rim some, execute the schemes, et cetera, finish at the rim when given an opportunity," he said. "But doing that at a high level with energy consistently night after night and in more minutes than 10 or 12 in a particular game." Birch was one of two NBA players — Detroit guard Cory Joseph was the other — who played for Nurse and Canada at the 2019 World Cup in China. Birch has said he wants to play in the Olympics, and intends to play in Canada's last-chance Olympic qualifier in Victoria this summer. Birch said he's looking forward to reuniting with a coach who "gives great confidence to his players." "He has a culture, I think, that's pass first and if you play defence and then let the offence come naturally," the centre said. "There's just like a flow and that's what made me more comfortable for Team Canada. You don't really showcase one person over the other, everyone gets involved and that's what gives me great confidence." Birch played college basketball at Pittsburgh and UNLV. After going undrafted, he played in the NBA G League, then Turkey and Greece before he signed with the Magic in 2017. He was part of the Orlando squad that lost to Toronto in five games in the first round of the playoffs in the Raptors' championship run in 2019. Set to become a free agent this summer, Birch said he's not focusing on securing a new contract. "I just want to have a good playoff push," he said. "So that’s my goal right now. I’m not really worried about free agency, I just wanna help this team win basketball games." This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2021. The Canadian Press
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COLOGNE, Germany — Cologne appointed Friedhelm Funkel as coach for the last six games of the Bundesliga season Monday after firing Markus Gisdol with the club on course for relegation. Cologne lost to Mainz 3-2 on Sunday in Gisdol's last game in charge after giving up a 2-1 lead. The team is second to last in the Bundesliga, three points from safety, and has not won any of its last eight games. Funkel, a former Eintracht Frankfurt coach, is back for a second stint at Cologne after coaching the club from February 2002-October 2003. It's his first job since he was fired by Fortuna Düsseldorf in January 2020. “The team have recently put in good performances but have not been rewarded," Funkel said in a statement. "When working with the boys, now it is about getting the necessary points with the same effort so that we stay in the league.” Gisdol had been at Cologne since November 2019. He took over when Cologne was in its first season in the Bundesliga after promotion and steered the team away from relegation in 2020. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
CALGARY — Niklas Edin's fifth world men's curling title was memorable not only because of the history the Swede made.That he and his teammates were able to play in a final Sunday for a third straight crown — another men's curling record — made achieving both milestones feel even sweeter.Sweden doubled Scotland's Bruce Mouat 10-5 in the championship game in Calgary.The 2021 BKT Tires and OK Tire World Men's Curling Championship reached the finish line late Sunday night despite four participants, including an athlete on a playoff team, testing positive for COVID-19. None showed symptoms of the coronavirus. No games were played Saturday while mass testing was carried out. Alberta Health approved the resumption of Sunday's playoffs."Obviously super, super happy we could keep playing," Edin said. "It would have felt so awkward if the event had just ended and medals are going somewhere because of a round robin. "That just wouldn't have been fair. That wouldn't have felt good. I'm really happy we could play today."Edin and his third Oscar Erikkson are the only two men to win five world championships. Along with second Rasmus Wranaa and lead Christoffer Sundgren, they were the first team to win three in a row.Canada's only large-scale sports events since the global pandemic descended just over a year ago have been the world junior men's hockey championship and last year's NHL playoffs in Edmonton, and Calgary's run of seven curling competitions with four now complete. The men's championship's final day reflected the varying levels of risk tolerance around the virus clashing with a desire for sport to happen.The athlete who competed Sunday had tested positive in an "exit" test in preparation to leave the curling bubble. His subsequent test Saturday was negative.The WCF initially barred the athlete from competing Sunday and then allowed him on the ice.His full vaccination before arriving in Canada, and the argument he posed little risk to teammates and opponents, were the WCF's justifications for the reversal.The WCF didn't identify the player, but United States skip John Shuster told CBC it was his third Chris Plys.Host broadcaster TSN refused to carry a morning playoff game between the U.S. and Switzerland citing COVID concerns.TSN resumed coverage of the semifinals and medal games without cameramen at ice level.Curlers wore masks while competing for the first time in Calgary's bubble. Sweepers pulled them away from their faces to catch their breath after hard brushing.The next three curling events in Calgary include the same virus-avoidance protocols and restrictions established in the first four.The first of two Grand Slams starts Wednesday at WinSport's Markin MacPhail Centre. While the WCF and Curling Canada can hand off responsibility for the events to Rogers Sportsnet, athletes continuing to curl in Calgary now have reason to feel uneasy about the virus's ability to infiltrate their environment.The Canadian men's, women's and mixed doubles championship before the world championship ran uninterrupted by the virus.During a media conference call Saturday, Curling Canada and WCF officials were visibly rattled by the virus surfacing in the latter stages of their event. The men quarantined for a week and were tested four times before they were cleared to compete.Switzerland's Peter de Cruz won the bronze medal Sunday in a 6-5 win over Russia's Sergey Glukhov.Four teams from the world championship — Edin, Mouat, de Cruz, and Canada's Brendan Bottcher — are among those competing for a combined $560,000 in prize money in the Grand Slams, which feature top domestic and international teams.Kerri Einarson, who will represent Canada at the women's world championship April 30 to May 9 in Calgary, is also in the Grand Slam fields.The chief medical officer of Calgary's curling hub believes a COVID-free environment can be restored in between competitions."Our protocols we felt were appropriate to maintain a safe environment," Dr. Bob McCormack said."We're also in communication with Alberta Health to make sure that we can re-establish a clean and safe competitive environment and bubble so this doesn't become a problem for future events."We're not a sport that's a collision sport, not heavy sweating and breathing on each other in close quarters. "If things change, if somehow the virus gets into the bubble and we come aware of it, then we have to deal with it."This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2021. Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
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