The Toronto Raptors’ victory in Game 4 on Saturday served as a warning to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Monday at Wells Fargo Center? It was more than a warning. It was a statement. The Torotonians are ready to spoil the party, a few days after the 0-3 difference in this series.
Winning 103 to 88 in the fifth duel, they became 14and The NBA team found itself in front of such an imposing gap, having won the next two meetings to force the presentation of a 6th game.
Only three teams in the history of the league (in 144 cases) led the series to the 7th game after facing the exclusion three times in a row.
Nick Nurse’s team now hopes to be the fourth to do so on Thursday, when the Sixers visit the Scotiabank Arena.
“It says a lot about the strength of our character (to respond with two wins,” Ners said in a post-match press release. (…) We did not think it would happen, but we are still very happy to be this series. “
The Raptors coach said he was extremely pleased with how Toronto’s defensive game has strengthened in the last two wins.
“I told you after the first two duels that our defensive game could be improved in all aspects, without exception. We lacked the four fundamental principles of defense. Our coverage on the move was an issue, and so was our pressure on the carrier, our ability to bother the shooter, and our willingness to jump on rebounds. Each of these four phases has been significantly improved. “It’s day and night,” Nurse said.
“We work hard defensively, we are active and persistent. From the beginning of the match we imposed this aspect of the game on our opponents. In the meantime, we are producing good pitches. We get a few baskets in the transition, while we have success from the periphery. “If we continue to create the kind of courts we had for two games, we will be successful.”
If a seventh and final match between the two clubs was needed, it would be played in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Rivers: “They were more physical and combative”
For his part, 76ers coach Doc Rivers shows a worrying trend, one in which teams have failed seven of their last eight chances to finish with an opponent.
In total, the clubs managed by Rivers have lost 31 games in which they could have eliminated their opponent, which is the highest total in the history of the league.
“I thought it was the most natural and aggressive team all night. “They forced us to make a ton of loud shots, in the run, that we can not escape”, Rivers estimated.
“They managed to bring the game to a slower pace, the kind of pace that suits them. It took 23+ seconds for most of their belongings. We have to do much better to give an answer on both sides of the ball. »
Apparently, Rivers wants more from center star Joel Ebid, while he knows that the latter is playing with a torn link in his right hand.
“I think it’s doing a good job. There is only one row where I would like to see him go into a free ball with more confidence. It is normal to be more reluctant to jump into this type of rebound under the circumstances. In general, he played the right way. I found that he handed out good passes. He is the one who created some of our best sequences by the way. But we need him more often under the ring, in the attack. »
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to a left knee injury.
Star center was diagnosed with left knee hyperextension. At the same time, tests confirmed that the three-time NBA MVP’s knee ligaments remained intact.
Jokic was injured in the final seconds of the first half of the 123-147 loss to the Miami Heat and limped heavily on his way to the locker room. He did not return to the site after a long time.
Before his injury, Nikola managed to produce 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes on the field.
Losing Jokic could be a big blow for Denver, as starters Christian Braun (ankle injury), Aaron Gordon (hip issue) and Cam Johnson (knee injury) remain sidelined.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Injury Update: Nikola Jokić suffered a Hyperextension injury in his Left Knee in last night’s match against Miami Heat. Nikola will be re-evaluated in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/NIDmlKAN81
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
11 games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of December 29-30.
Miami hosted Denver and earned a landslide victory.
The home team was ahead by 12 points with 41:29 to play in the first quarter, but the Nuggets were able to slowly win back in the second quarter. The teams entered a long break with the score tied at 63:63. The decisive factor in the match was the third quarter, when the Heat made an 11:0 move and led by 15 points at 84:69. After that the home team completely controlled the course of the game and only increased their advantage, achieving a crushing victory – 147:123.
The most productive player of the match was Powell, who brought 25 points to Miami, while Jaques (20 points + 11 assists) and Adebayo had double-doubles with 13 points + 10 rebounds.
San Antonio hosted Cleveland and suffered a sensational defeat.
Three-quarters of the meeting was fought evenly, with the teams responding to each other’s pushes with their own pushes and often staying within a shot or two of each other. That changed in the fourth quarter, as the Cavaliers went on a 15-2 run to take a 10-point lead, 94-84. They then maintained their advantage and won with a score of 113:101.
Cleveland’s main hero in this game was Allen, who had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Garland can achieve the same success with 15 points and 11 assists.
Toronto beat Orlando at home.
Magic started the match better and made a 14:2 move at the start. Afterwards, they took control of the course of the game and increased the advantage completely to +21 – 51:30 in the second 12 minutes. After that, the home team slowly started to close the gap and entered the long break with a score of 11-11 at 54:65. The third quarter was tied, so Orlando still had a double-digit advantage ahead of the final: 94:84. At the beginning of the match the play followed the same scenario but in the middle Toronto made a move with 15:0 and not only won it back but also took the lead with 105:102. The fate of the game was decided by Barnes’ free throws, which set the score at 107:106 with 1 minute and 27 seconds left in the quarter.
Barnes could not make a triple-double this time, but he did a double-double and got 13 points and 11 rebounds, while the most productive name in the victory was Shead with 19 points.
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo He gave a harsh response to the question about a possible trade to another NBA club:
“I’m here. Don’t ask me that question. It’s disrespectful to me and my teammates. I wear this jersey every day.
To say I don’t want to be here is disrespectful to the organization, the coaching staff, myself and everyone who worked hard to get me on the field. Don’t ask me this question. I am her. I’m going out in this uniform. And as long as I’m here, I’ll give it my all until the last second of the match.”
On the night of December 27-28, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player of the game with the Chicago Bulls – 112:103.
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
