Coverage: NBATV
- Toronto, ON
- Line: TOR -2.0
- Over/Under: 231
Capacity: 19,800
Pat Fraher, Mark Lindsay
Forward Gabriel Landeskog will return from a lower-body injury Thursday night when the Colorado Avalanche take on the Montreal Canadiens.
Landeskog, 27, Colorado's captain who missed 16 games, confirmed coach Jared Bednar's decision before pregame warmups at Bell Centre.
Throughout the course of the injury, the team was vague about details. Landeskog didn't elaborate much either, but did confirm that surgery was not involved.
"We didn't know what it was. It was something minor, we got it taken care of, but the pain was still there," said Landeskog, who had previously been skating in practices with a non-contact jersey on. "We looked into it ... and I had to sit out."
Colorado has kept up an impressive pace without Landeskog. Entering the Canadiens game, the Avalanche were riding a four-game winning streak, and had been victorious in six of the past eight.
"One thing is that we haven't settled for anything less than full effort for 60 minutes," he said. "That's what we are trying to accomplish, night in and night out."
The Avalanche have four forwards in double digits in goals: Nathan MacKinnon (18); Joonas Donskoi (12); Andre Burakovsky (11); and Nazem Kadri (10).
Their depth has been on display, as well. Colorado, in second place in the Central Division behind St. Louis, sported a +24 goal differential before faceoff in Montreal.
"I'm not surpised in any way," Landeskog said. "It's been the story in years past as well. When guys go down, others have stepped up and done very well. I'm not surprised."
Landeskog had three goals and seven points through 11 games before the injury.
Patrick Vieira is not at the top of the Arsenal wish list for their managerial role but remains in contention, sources have told ESPN FC.
Former Gunners captain Vieira, who manages at French club Nice, is one of the candidates and his profile is being considered by the club's hierarchy. Reports, however, stating that he was the favourite to get the job are off the mark at the moment.
Vieira is keen on getting the job but some of his team's recent performances have raised questions. Nice are 14th in the Ligue 1 table with more losses (8) than wins (6) this season. They were defeated 4-1 at Saint-Etienne in midweek and have not won back-to-back league matches since the first two match days of the season.
Vieira, 43, arrived on the Cote d'Azur in July 2018. He finished 7th in his first season but overall has a losing record since joining the club and averages 1.39 points per game in the French top flight.
Prior to Nice, Vieira managed two seasons at MLS side NYCFC for two seasons, where he finished with a record of 44 wins, 22 draws, and 28 losses.
The Arsenal board has started the process of choosing their next manager. The idea is to get the right man, take their time, and not select the first one available, according to sources.
Mikel Arteta, Mauricio Pochettino, Max Allegri, Brendan Rodgers, Eddie Howe and Marcelo Gallardo have all been mentioned as candidates to permantely replace Unai Emery, who was sacked last month.
The directors also want to give time to interim boss Freddie Ljungberg to have a positive impact on the team, even if his first two games in charge, at Norwich (2-2) and against Brighton (1-2) have been disappointing.
The Portland Trail Blazers will amend Carmelo Anthony's contract so that it becomes fully guaranteed for the remainder of the season, league sources told ESPN.
Portland had until early January to fully guarantee the deal for the season. Anthony had signed a non-guaranteed contract last month.
Anthony was named the Western Conference Player of the Week last week after averaging 22.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists to help the Blazers go 3-0.
Head coach Terry Stotts told ESPN Radio's Spain and Company that Anthony's addition has been "a pleasure" for the team.
"Melo's been terrific for us," Stotts said. "He's enjoying the experience. He's been a breath of fresh air for us that we needed."
Stotts said he has been impressed with Anthony's conditioning after being out of action for a year.
"We put a kind of limit/restriction on the first game or two just because we didn't want to extend his minutes not knowing what shape he was in," Stotts said. "But now he's playing 32-35 minutes, he played 37 minutes the other night. And for him to be out of NBA basketball for a year and be able to come in and play productive minutes for 35 minutes in an NBA game, to me, was remarkable."
The Houston Rockets are filing an official protest regarding James Harden's dunk that wasn't counted in Tuesday's 135-133 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, sources told ESPN. The deadline to file a protest is 48 hours after a game.
Houston was optimistic in the wake of the loss that the NBA office would take action without a protest being necessary. However, sources said the Rockets will file a protest to ensure that the NBA office has to make a ruling on its ongoing investigation.
The protest is based on the misapplication of the rules, regarding that a made basket is worth two points and the score was not recorded correctly, sources said. The Rockets contend that this did not involve a judgment call by officials.
Both teams have up to five days to provide relevant evidence. Commissioner Adam Silver has up to five days after receiving that evidence to issue a ruling.
The Rockets' hope is that the final 7 minutes, 50 seconds of the game will be replayed with Houston up by 15 points. Sources said the Rockets have no expectation that the league office will award them a win based on Houston's outscoring San Antonio in regulation, which was a possibility raised by a Rockets source in the wake of the loss.
Harden's breakaway dunk with 7:50 remaining would have given the Rockets a 104-89 lead. The ball whipped through the net and back over the rim before bouncing off, and the officiating crew mistakenly ruled that Harden missed the dunk and denied Houston coach Mike D'Antoni's attempt to challenge the call.
James Harden's dunk attempt clearly goes through the hoop but loops back up, resulting in the referees' decision to not count the basket.
"When the play happened, Harden goes in for a dunk, and then the ball appears to us to pop back through the net," crew chief James Capers told a pool reporter. "When that happens, that is basket interference. To have a successful field goal, it must clear the net. We have since come in here and looked at the play. He dunked it so hard that the net carried it back over the rim a second time, so in fact it did clear the net and should have been a successful field goal.
"As to could the play have been reviewed, it is a reviewable matter, but you have a window of 30 seconds to challenge the play during that timeout that he had, and while they were protesting the call, trying to get clarification of it, that window passed. So therefore, it elapsed, and they were not able to do it."
The Rockets, according to sources, noted in their protest that a basket interference call was not made, contrary to Capers' postgame explanation. Houston, sources said, provided five points of supporting evidence: a basket interference signal was never given, the clock continued to run, the Spurs inbounded from the spot where the ball went out of bounds, referee Kevin Scott told the Rockets at the time and later in the game that it was a missed basket, and the official scorer scored it as a missed basket after initially awarding Houston two points.
D'Antoni, who spoke to the media before the pool report was released, had a different account of the referees' explanation immediately after the play.
"I have no idea," D'Antoni said. "I heard that they said the ball hit James and went back through, so it was a goaltend on James. I challenged that, and I didn't get a response. Then another guy said it wasn't a goaltend. It went out of bounds on us. And I said, 'Well, I challenge that.' Can't do that. You know, I don't know, to answer your question. I've got nothing. I can't tell you."
The most recent example of teams replaying part of a game happened on March 8, 2008, between the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. In the game on Dec. 19, the Hawks unofficially won 117-111 in overtime, but the official scorer incorrectly ruled that Shaquille O'Neal fouled out, so the teams had to replay the final 51.9 seconds when they met next.
Coverage: NBATV
Capacity: 19,800
Pat Fraher, Mark Lindsay
Win %:58.4
3:33 - 1st
Danuel House Jr. makes 26-foot three point jumper (Austin Rivers assists)
Danuel House Jr. makes 26-foot three point jumper (Austin Rivers assists)
Austin Rivers offensive rebound
Ben McLemore misses 25-foot three point pullup jump shot
Terence Davis enters the game for OG Anunoby
NBATV | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
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Rockets | 22 | 22 | |||
Raptors | 15 | 15 |
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Although Freddie Ljungberg would have been pleased with his side's reaction following a torrid first half under the lights against Brighton & Hove Albion, the visitors were good value for their 2-1 win at Arsenal, their first victory at the Emirates.
Adam Webster gave the visitors the lead, and despite Alexandre Lacazette's header leveling the score earlier in the second half, Neal Maupay answered with the match winner, which heaped more misery on Ljungberg's men.
To make matters worse, the Gunners were booed off by a sullen Emirates crowd after the defeat, their ninth consecutive match without a victory.
Positives
The only positive of the first half was that Brighton didn't add to their advantage. Nicolas Pepe brought energy to the home side following his introduction at half-time, and Ljungberg will be pleased with the way his side improved in the second period.
Negatives
Arsenal were insipid, nervous and profligate in possession in the first half. They were second to everything and rightly booed off at half-time. Although they improved after the break, their defensive fragility was a constant, ultimately leading to Maupay's winner.
Manager rating (out of 10)
4 -- Tonight's result will do little for the Swede's hopes of getting the Arsenal gig full-time. Whatever he said at half-time did something to awaken his men, and the introduction of Pepe at the break inspired the Gunners. That said, it was not enough, as Arsenal have gotten no new manager bounce from Ljungberg so far.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Bernd Leno, 6 -- Leno has made the most saves of any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season, and on tonight's evidence, it's easy to see why. Arsenal's backline was given a torrid time, and Leno was forced into action throughout, saving well from Maupay and Davy Propper. Could do little about either goal.
DF Hector Bellerin, 4 -- Like most of Arsenal's starting XI, Bellerin was wasteful in possession. He gave away a free kick on the edge of his area when Aaron Connolly got the wrong side of him and was given a yellow card for his troubles. Made a great run in the second half but overhit his cross.
DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 4 -- The Greek defender made one or two interventions but was constantly troubled by Connolly's energy in the first half, the youngster constantly getting in behind him. Looked nervous throughout.
DF David Luiz, 4 -- Looked to have scored the go-ahead goal, but his volley was rightly ruled out for offside. The Brazilian encapsulated Arsenal's problems, as he was guilty of giving the ball away and letting his frustrations show.
DF Sead Kolasinac, 5 -- Endured a tricky first half but at one point lifted the crowd with a strong challenge. He was involved in the equaliser, as he helped bundle the ball home following Lacazette's near-post flick. Replaced in the second half.
MF Joe Willock, 4 -- A very quiet night for the youngster, first on the right-hand side and then in the middle. Continually wasteful in possession, he broke free on the stroke of half-time and gave the ball away with Aubameyang free to his right, much to the frustration of everyone inside the Emirates.
MF Granit Xhaka, 5 -- The former skipper enjoyed a lively start and was involved in some neat interplay but was also wasteful with the ball. Often led by example when trying to win the ball back.
MF Lucas Torreira, 5 -- Torreira was busy in midfield and, like Xhaka, did well to harass Brighton at the back when trying to win the ball back. Couldn't affect the game going forward, though.
MF Mesut Ozil, 5 -- Ozil was involved in Arsenal's attacking play early on and made some good runs behind the defence. Went missing when Brighton started to press their advantage but did deliver the corner that resulted in Lacazette's equaliser.
FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 5 -- A frustrating night for the captain, though he was involved in the Gunners' best moments in the first half. He shot wide with a cross/shot that bobbled wide of Maty Ryan's post and supplied the cross that Lacazette headed straight at the Australian keeper.
FW Alexandre Lacazette, 7 -- Arguably Arsenal's brightest spark while leading the line. He marked his 100th game for Arsenal with his 41st goal and was unlucky not to draw a penalty early on from Pascal Gross. Forced Ryan into two first-half saves and finally got the better of Brighton's keeper when he sent Ozil's corner looping into the far corner.
Substitutes
MF Nicolas Pepe, 7 -- Introduced some energy to the game with his runs at the Brighton defence and forced the corner that led to Arsenal's equaliser. Came close with a free kick at the death.
DF Kieran Tierney, N/R -- Could do little to change the game when he came on. Was unable to settle Arsenal's shaky defence and didn't manage to break forward.
FW Gabriel Martinelli, N/R -- Was unlucky to add to his recent goal tally after he forced Ryan into a save low to his left with a header.
MADISON, Ill. – Officials at World Wide Technology Raceway have announced the addition of the new Midwest SuperStar Bracket Series to its track schedule.
The series, which will pay $10,000 to the winner of each day’s bracket event, will consist of six races over two weekends. The first event will be held April 17-19, in conjunction with the NHRA Division 3 JEGS Super Quick Series. A second event is scheduled for June 12-14.
“Our sales team, drag strip staff and our core racing community are working hard to secure additional sponsorships and bonus awards for the series so that participants are competing for a true championship,” said World Wide Technology Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Blair. “Our team will be aggressively working the floor at the PRI Show in Indianapolis in hopes of securing both cash and product awards for the top 10 points earners in the six-race series. We hope to have some exciting announcements prior to the start of the 2020 season.”
Each of the two event weekends will feature early parking on Thursday evening and complete days of racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The SuperStar series will consist of one bracket class with door cars and bikes racing each other and dragsters racing dragsters as late as possible through the program. Multiple entries will be permitted and a color-coded punch card system will be used. Buy-backs will be offered in the first or second round if there are less than 170 entries. If there are 170-299 entries, only first-round buy-backs will be offered. If there are more than 300 entries, no buy-backs will be offered. All races will be contested as 1/8-mile. Super Pro ET limits for 1/8-mile racing: 3.66 seconds to 7.75 seconds.
“The April weekend will be run in conjunction with the JEGS Super Quick Series which, if a racer competes in both days of that event, provides the opportunity for a driver or rider to compete in five events in one weekend,” Blair added. “We are in discussions regarding a higher-payout Friday and Saturday night bonus race to run in conjunction with the June event.”
In addition to the Midwest SuperStar Bracket Series, WWTR also will host two $5,000 events in the autumn (dates TBA), a bracket class in conjunction with NMRA and NMCA, a pre-1979 footbrake special in conjunction with the new Mother Road Rendezvous nostalgia event in May and the local E.T. Racing Series track championship program.
PENSACOLA, Fla. – A year older, a year wiser and a year more experienced, Texas young gun Kaden Honeycutt has returned to Five Flags Speedway this week for his second attempt at the Snowball Derby.
During his maiden voyage at the Derby in 2018, Honeycutt snuck into the show – qualifying 28th to barely lock in on speed – but was on the verge of big things in the 300-lap main event before a multi-car crash in turn two ended his day on lap 168.
Now, with 12 months more of race-craft under his belt and additional skills learned from honing his craft in both the ARCA Menards Series and regional IMCA dirt modified action, Honeycutt is confident he has all the tools necessary to succeed this week at the half-mile oval inside the Florida panhandle.
“I’m grateful and really excited to be back at Five Flags this week and have another shot at this Snowball Derby,” Honeycutt, 16, told SPEED SPORT. “Last year … we just were behind the 8-ball and I think that hurt us a little bit. We needed an extra Saturday practice, because we ended up finding some things wrong with the car on Thursday and Friday that we needed to fix. We ended up having a decent lap (in qualifying), good enough to lock in, but that just buried us and left us digging out of a hole on Sunday.
“During the race (in 2018), we ended up collected in everyone’s mess; I think we got spun out twice, and then got collected in an unfortunate accident that took us out just after halfway,” he continued. “We had a decent day going then and were making a little bit of headway, but left with nothing to show for it. To come back this year, start off on the right foot and really show what we’re made of is our goal this time and I’m super excited about it. I believe in this team and believe in our chances to shine this week.”
Honeycutt actually had a chance to shine in ARCA competition at Five Flags back in March, finishing ninth and leading 10 laps but believing his car was actually even better than his finish showed.
“We took our four-tire stop on the first stop in the ARCA race, and that killed us at the end, but we weren’t 100 percent sure on the strategy and just took a stab at it that didn’t work out for us,” Honeycutt recalled. “It happens; it’s one of those things that you learn from and take away, and we took away a lot from that race that … even though it’s a bigger car, I think will help us going forward.
“If that race had gone green the distance, instead of having the weird caution that it had that brought everyone else down pit road, we’d have been in really good shape, but that’s racing and it happens,” he continued. “For us, we were happy to lead laps and run up front. That day, I think, showed a lot of people that we were there and we want people to know we’re here to compete this time too.”
Honeycutt already has one solid run in a late model at Five Flags this fall, having scored a sixth-place finish in the Blizzard Series finale back in September that bolstered his confidence even more.
That race, too, came with some odd circumstances early in the weekend before a race-day rally.
“Man, that Blizzard race was a good night, all things considered,” Honeycutt noted. “We had a motor issue that took out all our practice on that Friday; it ended up being a master switch issue. With having to fix that, we got all of three laps on Saturday, and that was in qualifying. Once we finally got the car tweaked on and it was right in the race, we were really fast, so I think we’ll have that same speed again.”
At least so far, Honeycutt has proven that statement true, ranking fifth and seventh in the final two practice rounds held on Thursday afternoon and setting himself up for success.
“This is already a lot better than last year, man. We were 40th and 38th on our practices here last year and now we’re in the top 10 this time,” Honeycutt said. “It has just been a really good day. In our last practice, I messed up a little bit on our Q run. We probably would have been second (fastest) if I hadn’t messed up my mock-run lap, but it’s okay. We’ll just move on to tomorrow and make sure I don’t that in actual qualifying.
“Tomorrow’s a big day, but I think it will be really good to us. I hope so, anyway!”
Coming into the weekend, the Texas teenager hadn’t even allowed thoughts of winning the Tom Dawson Trophy to enter his mind.
Now, those thoughts are there, and Honeycutt is eager to see if those dreams can become reality.
“I really wouldn’t have expected what we ended up with today prior to getting here. In the preview, we did really well, but that transferring over to now … with the track being a little different, that surprised me,” Honeycutt noted. “It feels a little different than the preview; that was like two weeks ago and this track’s like a dirt track to be honest. It’s slick and wore out and
“The important thing is to not have a scratch on it at lap 200 and just go after at the end. If we can do that, I think we’ll be in the mix to go after it, for sure.”
CALGARY, Alberta -- The Calgary Flames have a deal for a new downtown arena, a 35-year agreement that keeps the NHL club in the city for that time.
The team, the city and the Calgary Stampede rodeo signed an agreement Thursday to replace the 36-year-old Scotiabank Saddledome.
The 19,000-seat arena is to cost more than $417 million. Construction is expected to begin in 2021, just north of the Saddledome. The arena will be demolished between 2024 and 2025.
The project is part of a downtown revitalization. The building will become the home of the Flames and part of a planned entertainment district bordering the Stampede grounds.
The Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corp., which owns the Flames, and the city will split the costs. The Stampede is a not-for-profit community group.
NASSAU, Bahamas – If Tiger Woods is keeping track of any bulletin-board material for next week’s matches in Australia, Adam Scott’s comments from earlier in the week will likely not be among the collection.
Scott told Australia’s Herald Sun on Monday that he hopes Australian fans don’t cheer for Woods and the rest of the U.S. Presidents Cup team at Royal Melbourne.
“Last time it was too friendly,” Scott said. “Quite bluntly, we want the home-crowd advantage, and I'll be disappointed if they are cheering enthusiastically for Tiger or anyone on the U.S. team.”
Asked about Scott’s plea to the Aussies, Woods, the American playing captain, agreed.
“No, that's just the way it is when you play overseas,” Woods said. “When you play against an opposing team in another person's home court, that's how it should be. As long as they're respectful, that's fine. They are supposed to cheer more for their home team, just like we expect our American fans to cheer more for us when we're at home.”
For those hoping to get some Presidents Cup trash talk, you’ll have to keep waiting.
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