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10 things: Pascal Siakam dominates in bounce-back win vs. Kings

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Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 108-89 win over the Sacramento Kings.

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One — The Raptors easily dismantled the Kings to snap their three-game losing skid. The Raptors were sharp and composed from start to finish, both the starters and the reserves were compact defensively, and it was an entirely stress-free viewing experience which saw the Raptors lead by 30 points in the second half. To be fair, the Kings looked like the worst team in the league at times with how discombobulated they were, and they were booed off the floor by the few faithful fans that still remain, but that matters little to the Raptors who have been not that far above Sacramento’s level of late in their losing skid. Hopefully, this gives everyone some confidence ahead of a very difficult game against Golden State.

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Two — Pascal Siakam delivered an emphatic response following his worst game of the year. Siakam torched the Kings from start to finish with the most efficient outing of his career, scoring 32 points on 10-for-12 shooting and 9-for-10 on free throws. Siakam is so difficult to stop when he’s making his jumpers, and he was connecting on everything. His first shot of the game was a confident transition three off a pitch back from Fred VanVleet, and that set the tone for the rest of the game. Siakam would shake his man down on the perimeter until he got to the elbow, and from there he was clinical, hitting 5-for-6 in the midrange including a gorgeous spin move after a quick crossover before fading away into a smooth release. And when Siakam did get downhill, he almost always got the call in the paint as Sacramento’s defence was always late.

Three — Scoring will come and go but Siakam knows he needs to set the tone every night. In an honest moment in the post-game press conference, Siakam spoke about the need to be more engaged defensively which had been the area of the game where he lagged the most since his return. “Some nights I’ll score whatever and it’ll be tough but I have to keep my consistency on defence … and I think that’s something that I have to get better at and I have to bring that intensity every single night so everyone can follow,” he said of his performance. Siakam was much more engaged in this performance, showing a level of physicality and toughness that earned him three stitches across his temple as a reward for standing tall in the paint and blocking Harrison Barnes’ shot.

Four — The Raptors dominated on defence for the first time in weeks. Having a fully healthy frontcourt helped in that regard, but it was just a more compact effort as a whole. The Raptors ditched the hyperaggressive trapping scheme that was picked apart in Utah, prioritized the paint, and that was the biggest key to their win. It helps that the Kings have no spacing, and that they made only six threes in the first three quarters, but the Raptors were able to get out to challenge perimeter shots much more efficiently since the Kings were forced to make difficult kickout passes after finding zero space in the paint. The Kings shot 22-for-45 in the paint as compared to the Jazz who were 23-for-30 in the paint against the Raptors the night prior. Defending the paint without a traditional center does make it difficult for the Raptors, but they have enough length elsewhere to make things difficult. The key is to converge in the paint, rather than sending extra bodies to the three-point line.

Five — Khem Birch led the charge on the defensive end, as in he literally took the Raptors’ second charge of the season. Birch was everywhere in this game, creating deflections, blocking shots, tipping out rebounds, and generally doing everything in his power to will the Raptors to victory. Out of everyone on the roster, Birch is the most disciplined in sticking to his role, and he focuses solely on how he can unselfishly help his teammates. His four steals and two blocks set the tone on defence, and even late in the fourth quarter when the win was assured and others had relaxed, Birch was still diving on the floor for loose balls despite having recently missed time due to knee swelling. Birch isn’t spoken of as a leader for this team, but he is very much the reliable veteran that many of the young Raptors should look to emulate.

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Six — The second unit put in its best shift of the season. The Raptors first took a firm hold of the game in the second quarter through an all-bench lineup that held the Kings to only five points in a five minute span which opened up a double-digit advantage for Toronto. Initially, it was Scottie Barnes who was the one starters in the mix, but Nick Nurse quickly swapped him for Gary Trent Jr. to improve the shooting for that group and it was smart move given the lack of scoring between Svi Mykailiuk, Dalano Banton, Chris Boucher, and Precious Achiuwa. Trent Jr. poured in seven of his 23 points on the night with that group, while also playing his tenacious brand of ball-hawking defence on the opposing team’s point guard. But the real key to the second unit’s success was the length and size of the group, as Boucher and Achiuwa gave the Kings no space to operate in the middle, especially with the 6-foot-9 frame of Dalano Banton ready and waiting with the help defence. Nurse should look to prioritize defence with the second units moving forward, while having one shot-maker with the group to give them one clear cut option on offence.

Seven — Prioritizing size in the second unit leaves Malachi Flynn out of the mix. Flynn is officially credited with three minutes played, but the entirety of that came in garbage time at the end. The only exception was a five-second shift at the end of the first half where Flynn was subbed in purely as a decoy away from the play. This comes on the heels of a rare 22-minute stint for Flynn in Utah, which was a huge missed opportunity in retrospect. Where his next chance comes from is uncertain, especially since he is the one player who clearly doesn’t suit the Raptors’ identity as a long and rangy defensive outfit. Nurse does seem to trust Flynn against small and quick point guards though, so perhaps he gets a short stint against the Warriors.

Eight — It was an off night for Scottie Barnes who shot 1-for-8 from the field. Barnes went 0-for-3 at the rim, which is an area in which he had been dominant thus far in his rookie campaign, but the process was good as it was just a case of bad luck with close shots spilling out but he made the right moves in the first place to get himself those chances. What was encouraging was Barnes’ playmaking which remained strong thanks to his sharp instincts. Three of his assists came from him pushing the pace in transition, where he was able to press the advantage to create odd numbered rushes for his teammates to capitalize. He also picked out a gorgeous dime off a drive in the fourth quarter, throwing a dart into the paint for Achiuwa to finish down low.

Nine — Achiuwa returned to the lineup after three games off and it was clear just how much his physicality was missing. Achiuwa playing center freed up Boucher to sweep in to clean up the glass, and the two players combined well on defence to force missed shots on the inside. Achiuwa was even decent in his finishing, although one habit he needs to avoid is getting pinned too deep under the basket. Achiuwa is strong and athletic, but he is still only 6-foot-8 and it’s hard to surface above the trees because he’s got a long way to go before getting to the basket. He should look to position himself at the edges of the paint and try to face the rim as much as possible to give himself easier looks.

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Ten — Nurse’s instructions came through loud and clear on the broadcast last night. This was not the first time it’s happened where the mixing of the game picked up Nurse’s calls, and each time it is enjoyable. One common refrain from Nurse was him directing Barnes “to the rim!” each time he received the ball, which confirms what Nurse had been saying about Barnes in most press conferences.



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Blake Snell Had Another Must-See Start Monday

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(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

 

For months, San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell has been competing with Justin Steele, Spencer Strider, Zac Gallen, Zack Wheeler, Logan Webb and others to see who wins the NL Cy Young award this season.

Snell, however, has been able to use his phenomenal bat-missing ability to really set himself apart in the Cy Young race.

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On Monday, he probably sealed the deal with another brilliant, scoreless outing.

“Did Blake Snell cement the 2023 NL Cy Young award tonight? 6 IP | 0 R | 4 H | 2 BB | 7 K | 2.25 ERA,” MLB on FOX tweeted.

The answer to that question is probably “yes” at this point.

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Even if the Padres won’t go to the postseason, Snell has been a monster for them.

On Monday, he held the San Francisco Giants off the scoreboard for six frames in which he conceded just four hits and a couple of walks, with seven strikeouts.

His Padres lost because Webb was equally dominant for longer, but barring a huge surprise, Snell probably locked up his second Cy Young with the outing.

Over the course of the long 2023 season, he has a 2.25 ERA in 180 frames, with 14 wins and 234 strikeouts (a career-high).

The ERA is his best since he had a 1.89 mark in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays.

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He won his first Cy Young award that year and is close to joining a group formed by Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay, and Max Scherzer.

Those are the only pitchers in history to win the Cy Young award in both leagues.

The post Blake Snell Had Another Must-See Start Monday appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Paris Olympics looking for cooks, security guards, others to fill 16,000 jobs

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SAINT-DENIS, France — Paris Olympics organizers and their partners set up a giant job fair on Tuesday meant to help fill about 16,000 vacancies in key sectors including catering, security, transport and cleaning, 10 months before the opening of the Games.

About 50 companies are now recruiting in various fields to be able to welcome millions of spectators and more than 14,500 athletes next year for the Olympics and Paralympics.

The job fair was organized in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of the French capital, on the future site of the Olympic village. Jobseekers can also apply via a specific website.

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“There are many opportunities globally in France, for Paris 2024 and beyond, because definitely there are also some jobs that will have for sure a second life after the Olympics,” said Tony Estanguet, the organizing committee president for Paris 2024.

“We will welcome the world in 300 days. And definitely we are more than determined to be at the best level,” he added.

The working-class, multicultural area of Saint-Denis is also one of the poorest places in France’s mainland, where the unemployment rate reaches about 10% — or three points above the national average. The Olympic committee worked with the state and local authorities to encourage companies to hire local workers and disadvantaged people.

Working for the Games “is a source of personal pride,” Estanguet stressed.

“It’s also a very rare professional experience, quite exceptional, which I think will benefit those who need to find a job,” he said. “Having an Olympic experience on your CV is very valuable.”

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The recruitment may especially prove a challenge in fields where the country’s businesses already have difficulties to fill job vacancies, like restaurants and security services.

Sodexo Live, which is in charge of the catering during the Olympics, is looking to fill 6,000 jobs. The company noted that many don’t require specific qualifications and that those who are hired will be offered training.

Elise Patry, in charge of human resources communication at Sodexo Live, said “we’re recruiting for 14 competition venues and also for the Olympic village, where we’ll set up the world’s largest restaurant.”

About 3,000 jobs are estimated to be needed to take care of cleaning and waste management. French metro and rail groups RATP and SNCF are also hiring people on long-term contracts to operate transports during the Games.

The Olympic organizing committee estimated that between 2018 and 2024, more than 181,000 people will have worked directly in relation with the organization of the Games.

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How the 'tush push' is becoming the NFL's most unstoppable play

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The most unstoppable play in the NFL was on full display Monday night, with the Eagles using the “tush push” to success four times against the Buccaneers.



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