In less than three weeks, the Rockets have gone from being one of the top teams in the Western Conference to facing a sharp decline that has them dropping in the standings.
Their 116-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday marked their sixth straight defeat. During this stretch, Houston went from holding the second spot in the West to now being tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the fourth seed, technically behind them in percentage points, and behind the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets.
The Rockets are set to host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, urgently needing a win. The positive momentum Houston had built with three straight wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics late last month has faded due to injuries. While they managed without Jabari Smith Jr. (hand), the absence of Alperen Sengun (calf) and Fred VanVleet (ankle) has been a major setback.
Sengun missed the first three games of the losing streak, but even though he has averaged 23.3 points and 12.7 rebounds since returning, the Rockets have struggled. VanVleet has missed four consecutive games, and Houston’s ball security has worsened in his absence. Amen Thompson has committed 15 turnovers while taking on more responsibilities in the offense.
Thompson was named Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month for January, but with so many injuries, his workload and that of others has increased.
“The injuries have hurt us more than guys being tired,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Everybody is going to be tired, both teams on the floor; it’s that time of year.
Toronto Raptors (NBA)
You miss Alpi for those three games and obviously Fred is probably our most important player as far as getting us organized and calming everything down when things are going wrong. That would be more of a factor than just guys on the court because everybody is feeling that.”
The Raptors began their three-game road trip with a 121-109 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, their fourth loss in five games after a season-best five-game winning streak.
With RJ Barrett (concussion), Jakob Poeltl (hip), and Brandon Ingram (ankle) — who was acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at the trade deadline — all out for the game against the Thunder, the Raptors had four rookies (Jamison Battle, Jonathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead, and Ja’Kobe Walter) and second-year guard Gradey Dick in their rotation. The Raptors, now 20 games below .500, are focusing more on player development for the time being.
“It’s really focusing on a lot of young guys who are getting extended minutes,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “There are small things that we’re striving for. There are a lot of small details that we’re trying to work on, like focusing on our improvement. It’s helpful that we’re playing against some really good teams because that will push us to play extremely hard and use those lessons.”
Feb. 4 seemed to be a special day for William Nylander. The Toronto forward scored three goals on Tuesday, leading the Maple Leafs to a 6-3 win over the Calgary Flames.
This was Nylander’s second career hat trick, with his first coming on Feb. 4, 2017.
“It was nice,” Nylander said, capping off the feat with an empty-net goal with 44 seconds left. “I didn’t really expect that to happen maybe (Tuesday). I’ve had a lot of games where I scored twice and couldn’t get that third. It was nice that it finally went in.”
The Maple Leafs will continue their four-game Western road trip on Thursday night in Seattle. This will be the second and final regular-season game between the teams. Toronto won 4-1 against the Kraken on Oct. 31, with Nylander scoring twice.
Auston Matthews had three assists against Calgary, Matthew Knies scored a goal and had an assist, and goaltender Joseph Woll made 23 saves.
“We did a good job sticking to our structure and game plan,” Woll said. “There were a lot of penalties, and I think we have a solid structure to rely on, and then we let our playmakers make their plays.”
Woll wasn’t surprised when Nylander scored on an odd-man rush late in the second period to give Toronto a 4-2 lead.
“I was just laughing,” Woll said. “In practice yesterday, he scored on me every time he shot. So when he got the puck on the 2-on-1, I knew he was going to score. He’s a special player. He’s dangerous whenever the puck’s on his stick.”
The hat trick brought Nylander’s total to 33 goals for the season, second in the NHL behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (37) through Tuesday.
The Maple Leafs played without forward Mitch Marner, who was a game-time decision with a lower-body injury. Marner leads Toronto with 70 points (16 goals, 54 assists) and is tied for fourth in the league through Tuesday.
Calgary Flames (NHL)
“I thought we did a great job,” Knies said. “Marner is a huge player, and it’s tough to not have him, but I think other guys stepped up, and we played really well.”
The Kraken came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period Tuesday, but lost 5-4 in a shootout to Detroit, which won its seventh straight game.
Shane Wright scored twice, and Joey Daccord made 36 saves for Seattle, which is 1-2-1 in its five-game homestand that ends Thursday.
“I’m really proud of our compete level,” Wright said. “To come back, score two in the third, and force overtime shows a lot of character. It’s not the result we wanted, but I’m proud of how we fought in the third.”
Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken. Beniers was the second overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and Wright was the fourth overall pick in 2022.
“They’re a big part of our team,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “It’s great to see how Matty’s grown in the last 20 games, and Shane continues to step up and score big goals, like his power-play goal a couple of games ago, and both his goals (Tuesday) were huge for us. It’s good to see our young guys contributing.”
William Nylander scored three goals for his second career hat trick, and Matthew Knies added one goal and one assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs win 6-3 against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
John Tavares and Bobby McMann also scored for Toronto, which defeated both Alberta teams to start a four-game road trip. Auston Matthews recorded three assists in his 600th game, while Joseph Woll made 23 saves in net.
The Flames responded with goals from Matt Coronato, Yegor Sharangovich, and Joel Farabee. Goalie Dustin Wolf stopped 24 shots, and MacKenzie Weegar, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Nazem Kadri each had two assists.
Nylander’s empty-net goal, his fifth in three games, finished off his hat trick, which came exactly eight years after his first three-goal game.
Utah 3, Flyers 2 (OT)
Dylan Guenther made an impressive return for the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday, scoring twice and assisting on another goal to help his team defeat Philadelphia 3-2 in overtime.
Guenther had missed 12 games due to a lower-body injury. Mikhail Sergachev added one goal and two assists, Barrett Hayton had two assists, and Karel Vejmelka made 18 saves.
For Philadelphia, Samuel Ersson made a career-high 39 saves. Rodrigo Abols scored his first NHL goal, and Tyson Foerster also found the net. The Flyers lost their fourth game in a row.
Capitals 6, Panthers 3
Lars Eller and Nic Dowd each scored early in the third period, and Alex Ovechkin added his 878th career goal to help Washington defeat Florida 6-3.
Ovechkin’s goal was his third in three games, bringing him closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record. Dowd had two assists along with his goal, and Tom Wilson added a short-handed goal. Washington goalie Logan Thompson made 30 saves, and the team snapped a two-game losing streak.
Florida’s Sam Bennett had a goal and an assist, while Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk also scored. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 20 shots in the Panthers’ first loss in four games.
Canadiens 4, Sharks 3
Joel Armia’s short-handed goal late in the third period helped Montreal beat San Jose 4-3.
The win ended Montreal’s five-game winless streak. Alex Newhook scored once and assisted once, while Kirby Dach had two assists. Sam Montembeault made 27 saves.
San Jose’s Matt Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli each had a goal and an assist on the power play. Collin Graf scored his first NHL goal, and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 16 shots for the Sharks, who lost their ninth game in the last ten.
Canucks 3, Avalanche 0
Jake DeBrusk had a goal and an assist, and Thatcher Demko earned a shutout in Vancouver’s 3-0 win over Colorado.
Brock Boeser and Drew O’Connor also scored for Vancouver, and Filip Hronek had two assists. Demko stopped 25 shots for his first shutout of the season.
Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
Mackenzie Blackwood made 28 saves for Colorado, which saw its two-game win streak come to an end.
Oilers 3, Blues 2 (OT)
Connor Brown scored in overtime to give Edmonton a 3-2 win over St. Louis.
Connor McDavid had one goal and two assists, and Leon Draisaitl added one goal and one assist. Stuart Skinner made 20 saves.
St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou and Colton Parayko scored, and Jordan Binnington stopped 35 shots.
Jets 3, Hurricanes 0
Eric Comrie made 29 saves to help Winnipeg beat Carolina 3-0, marking the team’s seventh straight victory.
Nino Niederreiter had a goal and an assist, while Neal Pionk and Rasmus Kupari scored the other goals.
Pyotr Kochetkov made 27 saves for Carolina.
Sabres 3, Blue Jackets 2
Alex Tuch scored twice in the second period, helping Buffalo win 3-2 and extend their winning streak to four games.
Bowen Byram added a goal and an assist, and Jason Zucker had two assists. James Reimer made 27 saves for Buffalo.
Ivan Provorov and Kent Johnson scored for Columbus, which lost its second straight game. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 18 shots.
Bruins 3, Wild 0
Jeremy Swayman stopped 35 shots for his first shutout of the season, and Charlie McAvoy’s goal was the game-winner in Boston’s 3-0 victory over Minnesota.
Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie also scored for Boston, which has now won two straight games.
Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves in his 1,044th career game.
Lightning 4, Senators 3
Brandon Hagel scored the game-winning goal in the third period to help Tampa Bay beat Ottawa 4-3.
Luke Glendening, Nikita Kucherov, and Ryan McDonagh also scored for the Lightning, who snapped Ottawa’s five-game win streak.
Michael Amadio, Claude Giroux, and Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa, with Thomas Chabot recording two assists.
Devils 3, Penguins 2 (SO)
Jack Hughes scored both goals in regulation for New Jersey, and Timo Meier netted the shootout winner to help the Devils beat Pittsburgh 3-2.
Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Jesper Bratt had two assists, and Nico Daws stopped 25 shots.
Rickard Rakell and Kevin Hayes scored for Pittsburgh, which lost in the shootout.
Islanders 2, Golden Knights 1
Brock Nelson scored the game-winning goal in the third period to give the Islanders a 2-1 win over Vegas.
Bo Horvat also scored for New York, which won eight of their last nine games. Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves.
Brandon Saad scored for Vegas, which lost its fourth straight game.
Ducks 2, Stars 1
John Gibson made 26 saves in his 500th NHL game to help Anaheim defeat Dallas 2-1.
Trevor Zegras and Cutter Gauthier scored for Anaheim, which won five of its last six games.
Colin Blackwell scored for Dallas, and Jake Oettinger made 26 saves in the loss.
Red Wings 5, Kraken 4
Patrick Kane set a new NHL record with his 53rd career shootout goal, helping Detroit beat Seattle 5-4 in a shootout.
Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, Jonatan Berggren, and Elmer Soderblom scored in regulation for Detroit, while Cam Talbot made 23 saves.
Shane Wright scored twice for Seattle, and Joey Daccord made 36 saves in the loss.
The Toronto Raptors are looking to get revenge for a tough loss when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
The Grizzlies set a franchise record for points in their 155-126 win over the Raptors on December 26.
The Raptors have improved recently, now closer to full strength. Despite losing 121-115 to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, they’ve won eight of their last 11 games.
Toronto made a strong push against the Knicks. After trailing by 23 points, they cut the lead to just one with 3:17 left to play.
“I’m really proud of how we kept our composure during the whole game,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic.
It was a solid night for some younger Raptors players, particularly Jamal Shead. Shead scored 16 points and dished out nine assists in just over 23 minutes, getting significant minutes in the fourth quarter.
“I think that’s a testament to us,” Shead said. “We didn’t shy away from it. I think we accepted the challenge and we looked forward to it. I think it was really fun and we made it fun. We’re young, but that’s how you learn.”
Starting center Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with a hip injury, was limited to five points in 15 minutes and didn’t play in the second half. Rajakovic mentioned the injury has been bothering Poeltl for several games, and he took a hit to the hip during the first half.
Memphis, on the other hand, defeated the San Antonio Spurs 128-109 on Monday and has won nine of their last 10 games. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way with 31 points, followed by GG Jackson with 27, and Ja Morant with 25.
GG Jackson had missed the first 42 games of the season after offseason foot surgery.
Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)
“Really my first injury ever that took me away from the sport, so definitely a lot of mental lapses, a lot of mental battles,” Jackson said.
Brandon Clarke (back) and Desmond Bane (ankle) were out for Memphis on Monday, giving Jackson more opportunities.
“I feel a little bit better from last year,” Jackson said.
Memphis rookie Zach Edey, a Toronto native, will be one of the main focuses in Wednesday’s game. Edey posted 16 points and 14 rebounds against San Antonio and had 21 points and 16 rebounds in the first meeting with the Raptors.
Edey, a Purdue product, was drafted ninth overall by Memphis last June.
Several Canadian players on the Raptors, including Chris Boucher, RJ Barrett, and Kelly Olynyk, have watched Edey’s development closely.
“To see his development, from seeing him in high school to college, and then just how much he’s grown, it’s amazing to see him,” Olynyk said. “It just shows his work ethic, his diligence and his desire to be good. He wants to get better, he’s always asking questions, always putting in extra work, and you don’t see that often from young guys these days.”
“You see it, but it’s not a guarantee. And the way he was dominating college basketball, he didn’t really have to do more and do this or that, but he knew he was going to have to do more and get better to make it at this level and have an impact at this level, and he’s continued to do that, and that’s a testament to him.”
RJ Barrett (concussion protocol) and Chris Boucher (illness) did not play on Tuesday.
Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, and the Toronto Blue Jays completed a $15.5 million, one-year contract on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old pitcher made only nine starts with Texas last year, finishing with a 2-4 record and a 3.95 ERA. He began the season on the injured list due to lower back surgery and was on the IL again from August 2 to September 13 because of shoulder fatigue. Scherzer did not pitch after September 14 because of a left hamstring strain.
Scherzer will join a starting rotation that is expected to include Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Chris Bassitt. The Blue Jays also have Bowden Francis, who had a strong rookie season, and Yariel Rodríguez, who signed a five-year, $32 million contract last February.
The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East with a 74-88 record and have not won a playoff game since they were eliminated by Cleveland in the 2016 AL Championship Series. They were swept in the wild-card round in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Adding Scherzer is Toronto’s second major move of the offseason, following the finalization of a $92.5 million, five-year contract with outfielder Anthony Santander on January 20.
Scherzer became a free agent after completing a $130 million, three-year contract with the New York Mets. He signed with the Mets in November 2021 but was traded to Texas in July 2023.
Max Scherzer (MLB)
Scherzer won World Series titles with Washington in 2019 and Texas in 2023.
His first Cy Young Award came in 2013 when he went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts for Detroit. Scherzer won back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards with Washington in 2016 and 2017.
Over 17 seasons, Scherzer is 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA in 466 games, including 457 starts. He has 3,407 strikeouts in 2,878 innings pitched.
Scherzer ranks second among active pitchers in strikeouts, wins, and innings, behind former teammate Justin Verlander in each category.
To make room for Scherzer on the roster, right-hander Michael Petersen was designated for assignment by Toronto.
The Calgary Flames will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, with both teams looking to build on recent close wins.
The Flames are coming off a 3-2 win against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, while the Maple Leafs started their four-game road trip with a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Toronto took a 4-1 lead against Edmonton in the third period but needed 45 saves from Joseph Woll to hold off a late Oilers push.
“I’m not critiquing the wins, because a win’s a win, but I think we could have pushed a little bit more on them,” said Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube. “Woll was great, guys battled, it was a battle, playoff-type game.”
Before this win, Toronto had struggled, scoring just one goal in each of their last three losses. However, they managed to match that total within the first half of Saturday’s game.
“I was looking to get that jump back, get in a rhythm, and this was (a) step in the right direction,” said forward Matthew Knies, who returned from an upper-body injury to score Toronto’s second goal against the Oilers.
Toronto’s three-game losing streak had allowed teams behind them in the standings to close the gap for second place in the Atlantic Division. As of Monday, they were four points ahead of the third-place Ottawa Senators.
The Maple Leafs could be without defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who missed Monday’s practice due to a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
For Calgary, the win over Seattle came after a tough turnaround. The Flames had lost 3-1 at home to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night and didn’t arrive in Seattle until 3 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL)
“That was a tough back-to-back, a tough turnaround,” said Morgan Frost, who scored his first goal for Calgary after being traded from the Philadelphia Flyers. “Obviously, I’m really new here, but it kind of shows the resiliency that this group has. Everybody was confident all day and in between periods, and just a great attitude in the room. It felt like we were going to win all day.”
Frost scored the first goal against Seattle just over 14 minutes into the game, and the Flames added two power-play goals in the first period. They then managed to hold on despite Seattle controlling the play in the final two periods.
“There were a lot of things that we did well, the power play, the penalty kill, and I thought we were skating early,” said Calgary coach Ryan Huska. “Of course, we took water on as it went on, but we’ve had a tough stretch of games as well, with some travel issues (Saturday) night, so I’m really, really pleased.”
The Flames currently hold the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot and are just one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific Division—impressive for a team that many expected to be near the bottom of the standings.
A big reason for Calgary’s playoff push is the strong play of forward Jonathan Huberdeau, who scored his 20th goal of the season on Sunday.
“Been around the net more this year, so been fortunate to get some bounces, and score some goals there,” Huberdeau said. “Hopefully can keep going, can have some more.”
The Raptors will try to keep their momentum going and avoid being swept by the New York Knicks when the teams meet on Tuesday night in Toronto.
The Knicks have won the first three games between the two teams this season and have defeated the Raptors in the last seven matchups. Toronto’s last win against New York was on January 22, 2023.
After struggling with a 1-16 record, the Raptors have won eight of their last 10 games, including a 115-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Coach Darko Rajakovic agreed that it was probably one of their best performances this season.
“Yeah, to be honest with you,” he said. “Every player that stepped on the floor contributed.”
The Knicks could be vulnerable after a tough home win against the Houston Rockets, 124-118, on Monday. They were down by 11 points heading into the fourth quarter when Jalen Brunson stepped up, scoring 17 of his 42 points in the final period.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Brunson said. “We put ourselves in those positions. We knew that we were at fault and obviously we knew they were not going to quit, so we had to step it up. Just having the confidence in each other knowing, knowing we’re not going to quit.”
The Knicks were without former Raptor OG Anunoby (right foot) on Monday. He was part of the trade last season that brought RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto.
Anunoby had played every game until Monday, when he got injured during the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday with what Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau called a mild sprain.
New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs
The coach wasn’t sure if Anunoby would be able to play on Tuesday.
“We’ll see how he responds to the treatment,” Thibodeau said. “It would be premature to say. You deal with the reality of it. It’s good that it’s a mild sprain. Just work your way through the treatment and get ready to go. … Next guy get in there and get the job done.”
Precious Achiuwa, who also came to the Knicks in the trade, started in place of Anunoby on Monday. He scored seven points, grabbed nine rebounds, and had two steals.
The Raptors are a different team than the one that lost 112-98 at New York on January 8, during a five-game losing streak. The return of injured players has helped, and they’ve been able to finish games stronger.
“There’s so much change with our roster in the past couple weeks, with guys coming back,” said Gradey Dick, who scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting on Sunday.
“I think it’s just knowing in our heads we don’t need to change really anything. We just need to go out there and play hard.”
It also helped that the Raptors shot 51.8 percent (44-for-85) from the field on Sunday, and were even better from 3-point range, making 52.0 percent (13-for-25).
The Raptors are slowly moving up in the standings, entering Monday just 4 1/2 games out of the last play-in spot. However, Rajakovic said this won’t change his approach.
“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I do not look into the standings at all, I really don’t,” Rajakovic said at practice on Monday. “That’s not going to change anything on how we go about the business. That’s not going to change our preparation. That’s not going to change our motivation.”
RJ Barrett scored 20 points and had seven assists, leading the Toronto Raptors to a 115-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. The Raptors broke a tie at halftime with a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Clippers 31-16, fueled by 19 fast-break points. This victory allowed them to split the season series with the Clippers.
Scottie Barnes added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who are playing four straight home games, splitting the first two. Jakob Poeltl contributed a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Gradey Dick scored 18 points, Ochai Agbaji added 12, Immanuel Quickley had 11, and Ja’Kobe Walter chipped in 10.
For the Clippers, James Harden led the way with 25 points, helping the team finish a 2-2 road trip. Ivica Zubac added 18 points, and former Raptor Kawhi Leonard scored 14. Kevin Porter Jr. had 17 points, and Nicolas Batum added 11. Norman Powell, another former Raptor, did not play due to a hip injury.
Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Hornets
Toronto played at a fast pace, taking a 36-32 lead after the first quarter. The Clippers erased a seven-point deficit to go up 45-44 on a pull-up jumper by Porter with 8:00 left in the second quarter.
The Clippers held a three-point lead with 59 seconds remaining in the half, but Poeltl made a huge block to stop Zubac from scoring on a dunk. Toronto then scored six straight points, and Amir Coffey’s 3-pointer at the buzzer tied the game 61-61 at halftime.
In the third, Toronto took control, going up by five with 6:06 left after a nice pass from Barnes to Dick for an easy layup. The Raptors then went on an 8-0 run, increasing the lead to 11 when Dick dunked with 3:31 remaining. The lead grew to 18 by the end of the third, with Agbaji scoring a layup off a defensive rebound from Walter, giving Toronto a 92-77 advantage.
In the fourth, Leonard hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 10, but missed two free throws soon after. Walter’s 3-pointer with 5:47 left pushed the lead back to 15. Barrett took a hard fall after making a layup with 4:50 to play but was able to continue playing.
Fans boo as the United States national anthem is sung before the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings play an NHL hockey game
Fans at a Toronto Raptors game took part in a growing trend of booing the American national anthem at sports events in Canada on Sunday.
The crowd at the NBA’s only Canadian team joined similar reactions that happened the night before at NHL games in Ottawa, Ontario, and Calgary, Alberta. This came after U.S. President Donald Trump made good on his threat to impose tariffs on Canada.
At the Raptors game, fans first cheered for the 15-year-old female singer before booing during “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The mixed sounds of boos and cheers were followed by applause when the Canadian anthem, “O Canada,” played.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, fans booed when Agasha Mutesasira started singing the American anthem at the NHL game between the Canucks and the Detroit Red Wings. “I mean, it’s too bad, right? It is what it is,” said Red Wings forward Patrick Kane, who is from New York. “I guess you can maybe understand it from this side, but seems like it’s a thing that’s going around the league right now.”
Trump declared an economic emergency on Saturday, imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on imports from China. This includes a 10% tax on Canadian energy imports, such as oil, gas, and electricity. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s president announced retaliatory tariffs on American goods.
Raptors forward Chris Boucher, who is from Canada, was asked after his team’s win against the Los Angeles Clippers if he had ever seen anything like the anthem booing.
Toronto Raptors forwards Bruce Brown, Scottie Barnes, and Chris Boucher react as fans boo the United States national anthem before NBA basketball game action
“No, no, no,” he said. “But have you ever seen us getting taxed like that?”
Joseph Chua, a Toronto resident attending the game, said he would feel the tariffs “pretty directly” in his job as an importer. However, he didn’t agree with the booing. He chose to stay seated instead.
“I have a bunch of American family, friends that live in the states that are Americans, we travel to America all the time, but I thought chanting, ‘Canada,’ would be a more appropriate stance,” Chua said. “Usually, I will stand. I’ve always stood during both anthems. I’ve taken my hat off to show respect to the American national anthem, but today we’re feeling a little bitter about things.”
“We were already talking about what businesses are Canadian, specifically, what are American, specifically, what to avoid. When I go grocery shopping, I will definitely be trying to avoid American products and groceries.”
While booing the U.S. anthem in Canada is rare, it’s not unheard of, especially in response to global events. In the early 2000s, Canadian fans booed the U.S. anthem to show their opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who won an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019, and coach Tyronn Lue did not comment on the booing. However, Lue did sing along to “O Canada,” saying he just enjoys the song.
“I heard it a lot of times being in the playoffs here, so I know it by heart,” Lue said.
Coby White scored 25 points and had six assists to help the Chicago Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors 122-106 on Friday, ending the Raptors’ five-game winning streak.
The Bulls, who won just their second game in five tries, had previously beaten the Raptors 122-121 in Toronto on December 16.
Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls’ center, scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the first quarter, finishing the game with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Josh Giddey added 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Chicago got strong support from its bench, with Jalen Smith scoring 17 points, Matas Buzelis adding 12, Patrick Williams contributing 11 points and nine rebounds, and Dalen Terry scoring 10 points.
For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes had 20 points and 10 rebounds, RJ Barrett finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Immanuel Quickley, returning from injury, scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half. Jacob Poeltl had eight points, nine rebounds, and five blocked shots. Ja’Kobe Walter, coming off the bench, scored 14 points, and Gradey Dick added 13.
Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls
The Bulls used the pick-and-roll effectively to take a 30-27 lead after the first quarter. The Raptors blocked four shots in that quarter, with three from Poeltl.
Chicago’s seven-point lead was cut to one when Walter and Davion Mitchell hit consecutive 3-pointers with 6:16 left in the second quarter. The Bulls recovered, regaining a seven-point lead before going into halftime with a 55-50 advantage.
Toronto got within one point with 7:37 left in the third quarter when Dick dunked after a nice pass from Barnes. The Raptors took the lead briefly on a layup by Barrett, but White responded with his fourth 3-pointer of the game, starting an 18-4 run that gave the Bulls an 88-74 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Raptors’ energy seemed to fade as Williams made a powerful dunk against Poeltl with 8:01 left in the fourth. Ayo Dosunmu followed with a 3-pointer, and White added a layup, extending Chicago’s lead to 19.
Jamal Shead (illness) did not play for Toronto, while Zach LaVine (personal) was out for Chicago.
The Raptors’ last winning streak longer than five games was an eight-game streak from January 29 to February 10, 2022.
