smg2_sports

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comes home and thrills Hamilton crowd in Canadian senior basketball team debut

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HAMILTON—My city. My game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the local kid getting to play basketball in his hometown for the first time in about six years, put on some kind of performance here Friday night in his Canadian senior team debut. The 23-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder guard had a dunk on the very first possession and took … Read more

Raptors land free agent Otto Porter Jr.: report

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The Raptors’ first move to augment their roster is a significant one. According to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Toronto has agreed to a free-agent deal with forward Otto Porter Jr., who joins the Raptors after a championship run with the Golden State Warriors. Porter, an eight-year NBA veteran, is the prototypical … Read more

Three things: Blue Jays can’t survive a wild 10th inning

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Three things you need to know about the Blue Jays’ 6-5 loss to the Red Sox at Rogers Centre on Wednesday: Extra-inning letdown David Phelps has been one of the Jays’ more reliable relievers this season, but he couldn’t find the strike zone in the 10th inning. Starting with a runner on second, Phelps issued … Read more

Serena Williams’ return to Wimbledon ends in the first round

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WIMBLEDON—This Grand Slam has lost a chunk of its grandiosity. Serena Williams is gone, one and done. something that had only happened three times before in her 80 majors appearances. But take a bow anyway, lady. The seven-time Wimbledon women’s champion, three months shy of her 41st birthday, gave it a valiant shot in her … Read more

Analysis | ‘Feels like a dream.’ Nazem Kadri and the Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup champions

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The Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup champions again. With Nathan MacKinnon igniting his team with the first goal, a core that bottomed out in 2016 with the worst record in hockey, climbed to the very top on Sunday, defeated the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 6. “It’s heavy, but … Read more

Raptors select Christian Koloko with 33rd pick in NBA draft

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The Raptors now have a new piece they hope to eventually mould into an NBA player, and he has a connection to their current all-star. Toronto selected Cameroonian Christian Koloko with the 33rd pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, pairing him with countryman Pascal Siakam. A year after having the fourth overall pick and turning it … Read more

Colorado’s Nazem Kadri comes back to put Tampa Bay on the brink

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Nazem Kadri made his Stanley Cup final debut a memorable one. The former Maple Leafs star, playing his first game in 18 days due to surgery to repair a broken thumb, scored in overtime to put the Colorado Avalanche one win away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. Their 3-2 win Wednesday gave them a 3-1 … Read more

Auston Matthews wins Hart Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award in historic night for Maple Leafs superstar

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Winning the Hart Memorial Trophy felt great. So did winning the Ted Lindsay Award. But Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews wishes for more. “I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t a little bit of angst, wishing you’re still playing right now,” Matthews said after accepting the two biggest awards at the NHL’s awards … Read more

Crosby. Toews. Stamkos. The case for the Lightning star on the Mount Rushmore of cap-era captains

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DENVER—While the word dynasty is going around when describing the Tampa Bay Lightning, the man at the centre is their captain, Steven Stamkos. And if they win their third Stanley Cup in a row, he could well go down as the greatest captain of the NHL’s salary-cap era. That mantle is probably held by Sidney … Read more

Opinion | Tampa Bay is winning between the lines, regardless of what the Twitter critics think

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Julien BriseBois, the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has the sort of resumé that makes you question what you’ve been doing with your own life. The 45-year-old owns a law degree, a Master’s degree in business administration and has more than 20 years of NHL experience under his belt. His fingerprints are all … Read more