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Brooks Koepka vs. Bryson DeChambeau

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Brooks Koepka vs. Bryson DeChambeau

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Sept. 21. It was updated Nov. 23.

In 2004, when Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton paired Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods together at Oakland Hills, it was considered bold.

Not because it was the No. 2- and No. 4-ranked players in the world playing together in one group, but because Mickelson and Woods had a rivalry that was considered unfriendly. The two didn’t say as much publicly, but it was known that they weren’t sharing bottles of wine or comparing calves off the course.

They were partners in two sessions and came away with zero points.

In hindsight, that rivalry now seems benign compared to what current Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker dealt with: the feud between Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

The fact that Mickelson and Woods were paired together at all shows how much more animosity there is between DeChambeau and Koepka, who said prior to the event that we shouldn’t expect the two to play together at Whistling Straits. Koepka went as far to say that they won’t be hanging out at night or high-fiving after any victories, either.

They both agreed to put the feud aside for the week for the good of the team to try to help the United States to victory over Europe. But even that required a conversation with Stricker and the latter having to act like a parent warning their young children that if they act up in front of company, they’ll be grounded.

Whether it was those conversations, the team aspect of the Ryder Cup or the fact that sometimes winning heals all, we actually saw the beef put aside and we even saw some friendliness between the two golfers after America’s victory in the form of a massive bro hug.

Whether we’ll actually see them continue to put the beef aside, or if we’ll see two kids sent to their rooms yelling, “He started it,” isn’t the point. It’s that it has gotten to a level that it needs to be addressed and the two will be forced to be civil in what is supposed to be the game’s greatest team event.

Before the Ryder Cup, the clash has taken on such a wave of momentum that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a new rule geared toward fans yelling, “Brooksy” at DeChambeau during tournaments. Violations could get fans tossed from events.

How did it get to this point that the two hugging it out in the postmatch news conference went viral? To setting a 12-hole match for this Friday (4 p.m. ET on TNT)? What started this back-and-forth and why has it escalated to the point that the adults in the room had to step in to stop it?

It started with slow play

Before this all moved to social media, Koepka made a comment in January 2019 about slow play at the Dubai Desert Classic.

He didn’t mention DeChambeau by name, but at the time, DeChambeau was at the center of conversation for his methodical approach to each shot.

“I just don’t understand how it takes a minute and 20 seconds, a minute and 15 to hit a golf ball; it’s not that hard,” Koepka said at the time. “It’s always between two clubs. There’s a miss short, there’s a miss long. It really drives me nuts especially when it’s a long hitter because you know you’ve got two other guys or at least one guy that’s hitting before you, so you can do all your calculations, you should have your numbers.”

DeChambeau was asked about it, but responded subtly that a lot goes into a shot and there’s a lot of calculating he’s doing in 45 seconds.

Fast forward to August at the Northern Trust, when a video of DeChambeau taking more than three minutes to hit a 70-yard shot went viral.

Another video went viral that week, showing DeChambeau taking more than two minutes to read an 8-foot putt on the eighth hole. The video showed playing partners Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood visibly bored by the amount of time it was taking to read the putt, only to watch DeChambeau miss the birdie try and tap in for par.

Other players, including Luke Donald, Rich Beem, Joel Dahmen, Eddie Pepperell and Ian Poulter, criticized the video on social media and were vocal that the tour needed to step in and do something about the pace of play.

That, of course, caused DeChambeau to go on the defensive and talk about the criticism he has received. He believed it was unfair and pointed to different factors throughout a round that can contribute to slow play.

DeChambeau also noted that there were other players who were also habitually slow and that when people start talking about his slow play and how he is killing the game, it was unfounded criticism.

“Sure, Eddie Pepperell, not fair to say. I would love to speak to him personally and talk about it, because I played with him, actually, at WGC-Mexico. We can talk about that time that we played it in,” DeChambeau said at the time. “When you start personally attacking people on Twitter, it’s like, come on, dude. Let’s have some more, I was going to say something else, but let’s have some more balls and speak to me to my face about that.”

Koepka didn’t say anything more publicly about DeChambeau at the time, so whether or not there was something said behind the scenes or that made its way to DeChambeau through other channels, it’s unknown.

Something caused DeChambeau to confront Koepka’s caddie, Ricky Elliott, on the practice green. He told Elliott that if Koepka has something to say about his slow play, he should say it to his face.

Koepka said he found that ironic that DeChambeau didn’t go to his face to say it, but rather through his caddie, but he did not immediately go on the offensive. The two seemed to have worked something out at the time and had a private conversation on Sunday of the tournament about the brewing feud.

DeChambeau felt as though he was singled out by Koepka in his comments earlier in the year and that had snowballed into heavier criticism from multiple angles.

“It’s not just him. I know he feels singled out, especially when I’m speaking about it,” Koepka said at the time. “But it’s like I told him, I’ve mentioned his name once, and that’s it. There’s so many guys out here where it’s become an issue, and obviously him being probably the best player that’s relatively slow right now, he’s going to be on TV a lot more, so you’re going to catch a lot more of those type of instances.”

DeChambeau acknowledged the conversation and said it was productive. That the two talked about what Koepka had said and it was explained that it was a generalized comment, not meant to just single out DeChambeau or one person.

That conversation led to both golfers agreeing they should keep their comments internal, that they shouldn’t go public with criticism and should try to keep any disagreements or verbal spats in house.

“It was great. I said, ‘I think we got to start internally so we don’t have these issues come out in public and it creates a bad image for the PGA Tour,” DeChambeau said. “We never want that. So, it was great. We had a great conversation, and have a new level of respect for him.”

That conversation seemed to squash any potential issues that could move forward and they both even appeared on SiriusXM radio together with Pat Perez and Michael Collins, where DeChambeau admitted to his slow play on the greens. There was even some jovial banter between the two with DeChambeau saying Koepka would win in a fight and that, “He’d kick my ass.”

Problem solved, right? Nope.

It’s all about The Body

In January 2020, Koepka appeared in ESPN The Magazine’s The Body Issue with other athletes showing off their physique.

DeChambeau either didn’t know how livestreaming works or didn’t care, because he criticized Koepka’s body while livestreaming himself playing a video game on Twitch.

“I don’t know if his genetics even make him look good, to be honest,” DeChambeau said on video. “That Body Issue, he didn’t have any abs, I can tell you that. I got some abs.”

That went against what Koepka and DeChambeau had agreed upon previously, to keep any issues in-house and not make any statements public, so the choice of words was strange, to say the least. Especially given that on the platform, a video can be recorded and shared on social media.

Koepka responded.

That seemed like a light-hearted jab back at DeChambeau. Maybe DeChambeau’s criticism was made in jest, as well, but either way, we didn’t see much public bickering until July 2020, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

The tour had just returned from its pandemic shutdown and DeChambeau was featuring his new, bulked-up body and distance off the tee. He had everyone noticing how far he was hitting the ball, but some questioning how he gained so much weight so quickly.

DeChambeau had a confrontation with a cameraman during the tournament after hitting the sand in anger in a bunker. He felt the cameraman was focusing too much on him for too long to capture his outburst. The two had a conversation.

Koepka, who was not playing in the tournament, took notice.

Later in the month, at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, DeChambeau hit an errant tee shot near a tree and on top of a stick on the seventh hole. He called over a rules official to see if he could get relief because he believed his ball was resting on an anthill.

He was hoping for relief under the dangerous animal condition, by saying his ball was on a fire ant nest and the fire ants were potentially dangerous. Dangerous to what or whom, who knows.

He was not given relief.

During the second round of the tournament, Koepka hit a tee shot out to the left, in the rough near some trees, and joked to his caddie that he saw an ant. The discussion was picked up by cameras and microphones and, of course, went viral.

Koepka didn’t mention DeChambeau by name in the steroid tweet or his ant remark, but it can be surmised they were aimed at DeChambeau. Similar to his comment at the PGA Championship about his successful play.

He told a reporter in an interview that there’s no reason to be scientific with the numbers, that he’ll just go out and play. That might not have been targeted, but DeChambeau’s nickname is the Mad Scientist.

Things seemed to cool down for a while. Koepka complimented DeChambeau before the Masters in November 2020. DeChambeau was contemplating using a 48-inch driver for the tournament and Koepka said that length is always an advantage and that DeChambeau has done a good job working to hit the ball as far as he does.

One eye roll changes everything

The feud fizzled for a few months then went straight to a rolling boil in May when Koepka was being interviewed by Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis after his second round at the PGA Championship.

Koepka answered a question as the sound of DeChambeau’s spikes clanking against the cement get within Koepka’s earshot. He lost his train of thought, rolled his eyes and cussed on camera, saying, “I lost my train of thought, yeah, hearing that bulls—.”

Lewis tells Koepka they’re going to have fun with that blooper and Koepka said he wouldn’t care if it was released. Naturally, it was leaked by someone and went viral in no time.

DeChambeau saw the video and commented on an Instagram account that posted the incident, saying, “You know you can fix spike marks now.” He was seemingly referring to the metal spikes he was wearing while walking through the video.

What came next was a flurry of shots on social media as DeChambeau prepared to play in The Match, partnering with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers against Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson.

When the teams and event were announced, Koepka first tweeted at Rodgers about playing with DeChambeau.

Of course, DeChambeau had something to say.

Koepka then replied again with a video of DeChambeau hitting a tee shot while a fan calls him “Brooksy.” In the video, DeChambeau is seen saying, “Whoever is calling me Brooksy needs to get out of here.” Koepka noticed.

The initial tweet from Koepka has more than 110,000 likes. DeChambeau’s reply back has more than 28,000. Koepka’s video reply has more 46,000 likes, showing the reach of the feud online.

Trying to offer some levity, Justin Thomas replied with a GIF of Bill Hader eating popcorn while nodding his head yes. Thomas was all of us that day.

Mickelson tweeted at DeChambeau and Koepka, saying he felt like he was in the middle of something and should step aside. But with Phil being Phil, he added more fuel to the fire on his way out.

The fans have their say

That video tweeted by Koepka escalated the number of fans yelling “Brooksy” at DeChambeau.

It got to the point where three fans were tossed from the Memorial Tournament in June for shouting “Brooksy.” At the time, DeChambeau tried to play it off as best he could and said the chants weren’t impacting him and that the yells were flattering.

He tried his best to make it seem like it wasn’t a bother, but it didn’t stop the fans from doing it.

What probably made it even worse was that Koepka, who wasn’t playing in The Memorial, partnered with Michelob Ultra to give free beer to any fan removed from the tournament.

He started the video by saying, “What’s up guys, it’s Brooksy,” then went on to thank the fans for showing their support by yelling his name.

DeChambeau acknowledged that he saw the video giving away free beer and tried to turn it into a positive.

“I’m happy that there’s more conversation about me, because of the PIP fund,” he said at the time.

The PIP fund is the player impact program that will split a $40 million pot between the 10 golfers that receive the highest-impact score based on social media presence and engagements. So, more mentions equals a bigger opportunity for DeChambeau to get some of that $40 million.

As the feud continued to grow, more yells of “Brooksy” happened at events. Reporters started asking if it had gotten out of hand and if it was actually bad for the game.

Koepka was asked about the feud and the leaked video from his Golf Channel interview. He responded by saying he doesn’t regret anything and that he is OK with everything that he had done up to that point.

“I think it’s good for the game. I really do,” Koepka said. “The fact that golf’s on pretty much every news outlet for about two weeks pretty consistently, I think that’s a good thing. It’s growing the game.”

Growing the game or not, it was becoming bigger than it ever had been. With the Ryder Cup approaching and the idea of the two playing on a team together, Steve Stricker went from an observer to a captain who needed to ensure his players wouldn’t let it be a distraction during the event.

“Yeah, it’s not making my job any easier, you know,” Stricker said in June. “I haven’t talked to either one of them. I will have to at some point. We’ll see where it goes from there. Hopefully, they can put their differences aside for the week, be big boys and come together as a team.”

That month, at the Palmetto Championship, Koepka addressed the idea that it could negatively impact the team.

“I mean, there’s only eight guys that are playing, four guys are sitting, whatever,” He said. “I mean, I play with one other guy. I don’t understand, if let’s say I don’t play with Bryson or Bryson doesn’t play with me, he takes care of his match, and I would take care of my match, and I don’t know how that has any effect. What you do off the golf course doesn’t have any effect on the golf course.”

No regret here

A week later, at the U.S. Open on June 17, DeChambeau saw an opportunity as Koepka was once again being interviewed by Golf Channel. The interview was set up higher than the walkway where players were going by.

DeChambeau saw the cameras and jumped in the air, waving his arms, to video-bomb Koepka’s interview in more of a quiet fashion.

Koepka didn’t notice it live and didn’t acknowledge whether he saw it afterward, either.

But Koepka was asked about the genesis of the feud. He went back to the time DeChambeau approached Elliott and told him if DeChambeau has something to say, that he should say it to his face.

“We both agreed we’d leave each other out of it and wouldn’t mention each other, just kind of let it die off, wouldn’t mention each other’s names, just go about it,” Koepka said. “So, then he decided, I guess he was going on that little, whatever, playing video games online or whatever, and brought my name up and said a few things, so now it’s fair game.”

He was referencing the fact that DeChambeau took a shot at him on his livestream and made it as public as can be, rather than keeping it in-house. Oddly enough, DeChambeau said in July that he didn’t remember what was said in the conversation.

“We just had a conversation that I really don’t know what happened, because we haven’t really bantered back and forth until now,” DeChambeau said. “So, it’s like, why is this happening now?”

At the time of the conversation, DeChambeau had praised Koepka for talking and working things out. He might not remember the context of the conversation, but previously acknowledging that it took place and what the conversation was about made it seem as though he was on the same page as Koepka at the time.

Regardless of whether he remembered the conversation, the feud had gone full-tilt and was as public as it has ever been.

Koepka digs in on social media

In the beginning of July, DeChambeau parted ways with caddie Tim Tucker before the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. Koepka took the opportunity to again throw shade and tweeted out his support for his own caddie the same day.

DeChambeau was introspective in a media session, telling reporters that he never wanted to be famous growing up. He just wanted to be a golfer. He said he’s human, so naturally he is impacted by things that are said and situations he has been in.

He acknowledged that he hasn’t approached certain situations in the past the best way and that he didn’t set out for this feud to grow into what it is.

“I’m somebody that doesn’t necessarily like controversy. I just like doing my own thing,” he said. “Do I like showcasing something unique and different? Yeah, but I guess what comes with that is controversy, and I guess that’s something that I don’t necessarily deal the best with sometimes.”

That didn’t stop Koepka, though.

On Thursday at The Open, DeChambeau said his driver sucked in an interview after having a poor performance off the tee. He blamed it on the build of the club itself and the physics in how companies create driver heads, instead of his swing.

Koepka pounced on another opportunity.

It’s not just the fact the Koepka says it. It’s the fact that he says it with a smile that shows you how much he’s enjoying taking shots, whether on television or on social media.

At that point, the clash had become somewhat one-sided in the public eye, with Koepka encouraging fans yelling his name at tournaments, tweeting jabs and saying whatever he wanted in interviews.

The captain steps in

Despite the fact that there hadn’t been much back and forth for a while, the Ryder Cup became a bigger point of emphasis in August. Would the two be able to be on the same team? Would they bicker the week of the Ryder Cup? Would it hurt the team chemistry?

Stricker had a conversation with both players and came away assured that the two would be able to quash the beef for the week and that it wouldn’t be a distraction.

“They said it’s not going to be an issue, and I believe them,” Stricker said. “I trust them. As far as I’m concerned, it’s been put to bed.”

Koepka acknowledged the conversation and said he’s willing to put it aside. DeChambeau has refused post-round interviews since before the Olympics, so he hasn’t given his perspective on the feud and the Ryder Cup. But Stricker has said both are on board.

All was well until three days later at the BMW Championship. After a 6-hole playoff, in which DeChambeau lost to Patrick Cantlay, a fan said “Great job, Brooksy,” as DeChambeau was walking toward the clubhouse.

According to ESPN’s Kevin Van Valkenburg, who witnessed the incident, DeChambeau spun around and yelled, “You know what? Get the f— out,” at the fan.

Van Valkenburg said DeChambeau had been dealing with the taunts all week and weathered the storm until that moment.

While Koepka may have agreed to pause the feud, his fans had not.

That moment caused the PGA Tour to get involved, creating a rule that will expel fans for yelling “Brooksy” at DeChambeau.

Now comes the actual Ryder Cup, with the two on the same team as the U.S. tries to bounce back from a rout three years ago in Paris at the hands of the European team. Will these two players on the same team hurt the team? Will fans at Whistling Straits be divided — not by U.S. vs. Europe but by Koepka vs. DeChambeau? Stricker believes he has the players on the same page.

It’s time see if the rivalry takes a break or another chapter of the feud is required.

The hugs to end it all?

We all took Stricker for his word that the feud would be put aside, if for nothing more than the fact that the players have a genuine love for this event and the outcome. Being competitors and wanting to win would supersede any petty riff between the two.

After the win was official, Stricker was interviewed on camera about the team and his focus was on how well this group came together. That included Koepka and DeChambeau.

“They had a mission this week, you could tell it,” Stricker said. “They played great, and they came together. I mean Brooks and Bryson wanted to play together, that’s how much it came together. That shows a lot about this whole team.”

Only a few minutes prior to that, the camera caught the American team congratulating one another and happened to find Koepka and DeChambeau shake hands, and after a brief pause of what looked like a mutual, silent agreement to let their guard down, the two embraced in a half handshake, half hug.

If that weren’t enough, once the final news conference was finished, Justin Thomas took the microphone to make things extra awkward and shouted that DeChambeau and Koepka should hug in front of everyone.

Koepka’s face lit up with a smile, while DeChambeau threw his arms out wide accepting the invitation. The two made their way towards each other, fittingly with the Ryder Cup trophy placed directly behind them, and they hugged it out.

DeChambeau then took to the after party wearing a shirt with a photoshopped picture of his face and Koepka’s face placed over Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s bodies in the infamous Step Brothers movie promotional poster pose.

Whether this moment is what ends this feud or not, the magnitude of the Ryder Cup and what it means to the players was able to bring two of the biggest names in golf, who have been at each other’s throats for over two years, together for a few brief moments.

We won’t see them making any live, laugh, love signs for each other, but two bro hugs is better than none, and it’s a step toward potentially mending a few fences that were broken along the way.

Made-for-TV drama, or the real thing?

It was all roses after the Ryder Cup, until DeChambeau and Koepka announced the next edition of The Match. The two will play against each other in a 12-hole match at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas on Friday.

The trash talk had died down until this was announced, and it all ramped up again.

Whether this is just a well-executed publicity stunt after all the hugging at the Ryder Cup, or if the truce is over, we don’t know. We have seen the two go back-and-forth like old times, though, and no one has held back.

Koepka was at a boxing match and was asked which PGA Tour player he’d want to fight in the ring. He responded, after a bit of hesitation, by saying, “You already know that answer.”

DeChambeau took to Instagram to tease that he’s testing a prototype driver from Cobra. He didn’t want to show the actual driver, so naturally someone photoshopped Koepka’s head where the ball would be to disguise the club.

That wouldn’t be the end of it from DeChambeau, though. He poured salt on the wound after Koepka missed two straight cuts at the OHL Classic and Houston Open.

DeChambeau tweeted, “Looks like [Koepka] is ready for the match,” with a screenshot from Koepka’s eye roll video with the two missed cuts noted at the bottom of the picture.

Koepka responded in kind by using one of DeChambeau’s old tweets when DeChambeau told Koepka it was nice living rent-free in his head. Koepka captioned a video by saying, “I don’t rent, I own. Serving beef this year on 11/26.” Beef can be interpreted how you want, whether it’s the feud or a shot at DeChambeau bulking up.

DeChambeau shot a promotional video for the match, in which he hit golf balls off the roof of the Wynn at a target 521 yards away. The target just happened to have a giant picture of Koepka’s head on it.

Koepka pointed out that the target was giant and wouldn’t be very difficult to hit.

Naturally, Tom Brady got involved in the trash talk, because why not? Brady tweeted at both golfers and asked if we can have a hole in the match where Koepka and DeChambeau hit golf balls at each other.

All of this has been the lead-up to the televised match, and a lot of it likely has to do with marketing. We won’t really know whether the feud is back on or if the Ryder Cup healed all wounds. Until then, we can enjoy the barbs thrown back and forth, and know we’ll always have Brady to help poke the two bears.

Tennis: We reduced registration fees to enable more Nigerians players participated in the championship | The Guardian Nigeria News

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Tennis: We reduced registration fees to enable more Nigerians players participated in the championship | The Guardian Nigeria News

Tournament Director for J5 Abuja, International Tennis Federation (ITF) world tennis tour, Musa Saidu, on Monday said the Federation reduced registration fees to have more Nigerians players participate in the Championship.

According to Saidu, the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) says the actual registration fees for J5 is US$ 50 (equivalent to N20,500) for this level.

“For weeks three and four, we have reduced it to US$ 40 for Nigerian players to have more Nigerians participate. However, foreign players are till to pay US$50.

“We started week three last Monday and ended on Sunday. We started week four on Monday and this will end next Sunday.

“This is to give them more opportunities because a lot of players complained that lack of money has deprived them from participating in the tournament.

“Most players are from less-privileged families and looking at the financial aspects, which have brought about the reduction, that’s why we decided to reduce the registration fees for them to enable them to participate,” he said.

Saidu added that the major challenge facing the Federation is the problem of inadequate funds.

“The challenge we are facing is financed and we have no government involvement in the championship.

“The President of the Federation, Akindoju Adedayo, took it upon himself to organise this competition to enhance the growth of grassroots development of the Sports since it is a junior tournament.
“The president has put a lot of his money into the tournament to ensure that kids play the game of the tennis,’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 45 players from eight countries and the host nation are participating.

The countries are Nigeria (host), Germany, US, Sweden, Ghana, Egypt, Great Britain, South Africa and Israel are participating in the championship.

NAN reports that the J5 ITF World Tennis Tour is expected to end on Nov. 28.

Gasly: Very frustrating, our pace was shocking

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Gasly: Very frustrating, our pace was shocking

DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 21: Pierre Gasly of France and Scuderia AlphaTauri prepares to drive on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Losail International Circuit on November 21, 2021 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Pierre Gasly was confounded by the lack of race pace in his AlphaTauri after starting the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on the front row, thanks to a stellar qualifying and some good fortune, but that’s as good as it got for him.

On Saturday, Gasly sparkled under the floodlights of Losail International Circuit, ending fourth fastest and bettering Sergio Perez in the Red Bull, the Frenchman second-best of the Honda-powered quartet.

But this is no surprise because Gasly has been one of the standout drivers of the season, often the wedge between the top two teams and the rest, popping up regularly at the sharp end of proceedings thus from second on the grid, thanks to penalties for Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, expectations for a Baku-style podium were high.

But that is as good as it got, dropping down the order at a place per lap the pace simply not in the car that was so effective 24-hours earlier.

Speaking to reporters after the race, Gasly said: “It was very, very frustrating, our pace was shocking basically,” Gasly said in the written media pen in Qatar following the race.

“At the moment we don’t really have the answer. But we tried to stick with Fernando [Alonso] for the first few laps. I could barely make it, and then after that we tried to go for an aggressive two-stop strategy but the pace was never there.

“It was shocking. I tried to push as hard as I could in the car, and even with fresher tyres than Fernando, I was miles away when he was on used tyres. It was so frustrating.”

While pinpointing Gasly’s lack of pace in the immediate aftermath of the final triple-header (when all are just revving to get back home; post-mortems can wait) would be a tough ask, a clue might be required changes made after Saturday’s qualifying

“We changed the front wing and floor after the incident in quali, I don’t know if it had an impact,” Gasly mused. “We use the medium tyres in quali that we used again in the races, they were not brand new. I don’t know if that had an impact.

“We need to review everything because I was even pushing really hard on the tyre, and the lap times were never there,” insisted Gasly, before adding that an alternate strategy would have made no difference: “We could have done five stops, [or] three, two, one, it doesn’t matter.

“Honestly, it was just our pace. We’re just too slow and even behind Seb [Vettel] I couldn’t pass him. I didn’t have the pace so it’s very, very frustrating.”

Gasly lies ninth in the championships standings and was clearly flummoxed after the race night in Qatar: “I don’t understand how both cars can qualify like that in the top 10 and have good pace, and both go backwards during the entire race and just not show any signs of speed.

“That’s the main thing. Obviously [it is] very frustrating when you see where the Alpines finished, but at the end of the day we just need to be objective with ourselves. They did a much better job than we did, and then yeah, we can just congratulate them,” concluded Gasly.

Jaylen Brown returns for Boston Celtics, says hamstring good but not 100% just yet

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Jaylen Brown returns for Boston Celtics, says hamstring good but not 100% just yet
Nov 22, 2021

  • Tim BontempsESPN

BOSTON — Celtics star Jaylen Brown returned after missing eight games with a hamstring strain to score 19 points in 23 minutes in Boston’s 108-90 victory over the hapless Houston Rockets on Monday night.

“It felt good to be back out there, just being with my teammates and competing,” Brown said after shooting 6-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. “I didn’t feel my best out there. I felt good going all the way up until the game, then I had a little bit of tightness. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and keep building. I wasn’t super happy with how my body felt. We’re working through it.”

Celtics coach Ime Udoka had said Brown was pushing to come back last week to play both in his hometown of Atlanta against the Hawks, and then again Friday on national television here against Boston’s forever rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Ultimately, though, a more cautious approach was adopted, with Brown taking another full week before stepping back onto the court.

“Just trusting the medical staff and the team to find ways to get better,” Brown said. “This is a little bit of a nagging injury. I’ve had a hamstring injury a few times now. This one seems to be lingering a little bit.

“But I think that in the next coming days, I’ll get back to feeling 100%, and we’ll get back to adding some wins. This group has played extremely well while I’ve been out. I’ve seen a lot of steps forward from a lot of guys that makes me excited about our potential. I just want to continue to add value, play off those guys and keep winning games.”

Boston, which has now won eight of its last 11, found itself in a dogfight early with the Rockets, who have lost 15 straight and are an NBA-worst 1-16. But after going scoreless in the first quarter, Brown hit a jumper from the top of the key midway through the second, forcing Houston to call timeout. He then got a fast-break layup and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions as part of a 16-2 run that put the Celtics ahead for good.

Brown scored another 10 straight points midway through the third quarter, hitting a pair of free throws and a layup before burying back-to-back 3-pointers to force another Houston timeout. That was part of a 24-2 run to begin the second half for Boston that rendered the final 15 minutes of the game inconsequential.

“He looked good,” Udoka said. “Early in the game, it looked like he took a little time to get warm, get up and down. As much as he’s worked and rehabbed and played with some of the coaches and likewise, it’s nothing like an actual game out there, so it took a little bit of time.

“He got warm and then went on that flurry in the third quarter. He said it still doesn’t feel normal, but to have him back in that third quarter, and see what he did, was a great sign.”

The Celtics (10-8) also got back Robert Williams (knee), who had two points, 15 rebounds and a blocked shot in 23 minutes. However, Josh Richardson sat out with a non-COVID illness.

It was in keeping with what has been the dominant theme of the season for Boston, which has been dealing with a rotating cast of players going on and off the shelf since Brown and Al Horford tested positive for COVID-19 during training camp.

Those cascading absences are something first-year coach Udoka acknowledged before the game has impacted his attempts to build chemistry with his roster.

“We haven’t had a ton of continuity all year, so that doesn’t change much because guys have been in and out,” Udoka said. “But [Jaylen is] a guy that also knows his role and we have sets for him and he’s going to come out and be aggressive. So it’s pretty easy for him to find his spots, but more so with other guys getting used to him getting back and him getting used to what we’ve been doing in the time he’s been gone.”

The Celtics face the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), then play seven of their next eight on the road. The goal now for Brown and the Celtics is to establish some consistency with what they hope will be a full complement of their roster.

“Just continue to build on the things coach keeps harping on and playing with more pace on offense, making sure that we’re moving the ball better,” Horford said. “We did a much better job of that in the second half tonight. That’s the one thing, and then defensively, I feel like we’ve been playing good defense, so continue to stay tight on that and harp on that part.”

FIFA delegation wraps up visits to 2026 World Cup candidate cities with Toronto stop

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FIFA delegation wraps up visits to 2026 World Cup candidate cities with Toronto stop

TORONTO – A FIFA delegation wrapped up its visits to candidate cities for the 2026 World Cup with a stop in Toronto on Monday, having already seen Canadian soccer at its snowy best in Edmonton.

“I commented at the time that it was very chilly but a very warm atmosphere,” Colin Smith, FIFA’s chief tournaments and events officer, said of Edmonton where his group witnessed the Canadian men defeat CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico 2-1 last Tuesday before an announced crowd of 44,212 at Commonwealth Stadium.

“To have the passion of the crowd in these conditions was simply fantastic. And that shows the support that there is for soccer, football as I call it, in Canada.”

Read more:
Canada’s men’s soccer team turning heads, winning games and fans in World Cup qualifying run

There were also kind words for Toronto – the other Canadian candidate city – at a lunchtime news conference high atop the Hotel X, just a stone’s thrown away from BMO Field.

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Victor Montagliani, a Vancouver native who doubles as CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president, called the Toronto pitch – which included a presentation by MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum – “very thorough and excellent.”

“I thought their presentation exemplified not only the nuts and bolts of what’s required … but also showed in terms of what I call the software, not just the hardware – the diversity of the city, what football has meant to the city historically. What football is in this city,” said Montagliani.

“Football has been here for a long time. And obviously in terms of being at the sharp end of the game, it’s gone to another level over the last, I’d say, 10 years at least,” he added.

Added Toronto Mayor John Tory: “We are all in to bring the FIFA World Cup to Toronto in 2026.”

Read more:
Estimated $30M-$40M in economic benefits to Edmonton from World Cup qualifiers

The FIFA delegation has now visited 22 cities encompassing 23 venues with the two Canadian cities plus Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle and Washington, D.C. in the U.S., and Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey in Mexico.

The 2026 tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, up from 32, with 80 games in total. The initial plan from the bid committee called for Canada and Mexico to host 10 games each with the U.S. hosting 60, including all games from the quarterfinals on.

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While the number of host cities was initially pegged at 16, Smith said the final number has not been defined.

“We’ll wrap up these visits and then we’ll decide what’s the most appropriate number that we need to host the tournament,” he said.


Click to play video: 'Canada scores historic win over Mexico in World Cup qualifier'







Canada scores historic win over Mexico in World Cup qualifier

Canada scores historic win over Mexico in World Cup qualifier

The host city selection process is expected to be finalized in April.

Montreal was also a Canadian candidate city but withdrew in July.

That followed a decision by the provincial government to withdraw its support, citing cost overruns that would have been difficult to justify to taxpayers.

B.C. Premier John Horgan subsequently said his province was prepared to “entertain” the possibility of hosting games in Vancouver. Horgan said Montreal’s decision to step away creates “a real opportunity for Vancouver.”

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Asked about Vancouver’s status, Montagliani was noncommittal.

“I know that the premier of British Columbia had expressed some interest and that’s great,” he said. “But right now we’re dealing with the players we have, not the players that are not on the team.”


Click to play video: 'Canada men’s soccer comes to Edmonton for World Cup qualifiers'







Canada men’s soccer comes to Edmonton for World Cup qualifiers

Canada men’s soccer comes to Edmonton for World Cup qualifiers – Oct 19, 2021

Smith reiterated that FIFA was working with the original cities that remain on board. “That’s absolutely the focus,” he said.

Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium was a major part of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, hosting nine matches including the final. But the FIFA timeline seems not to favour a late bid.

The candidate city site visits cover venue management, infrastructure and sustainability as well as commercial, legal and legacy matters. They also include inspections of stadiums, training facilities and potential FIFA fan festival venues.

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The FIFA delegation visited BMO Field after Monday’s news conference. If chosen, the lakefront stadium would be fitted with temporary seating to bring it up to the FIFA minimum capacity of 45,000.




© 2021 The Canadian Press

Tyson Fury called out for February bout by undefeated British heavyweight rival | Boxing | Sport

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Tyson Fury called out for February bout by undefeated British heavyweight rival | Boxing | Sport

It was widely expected that the sanctioning body would officially call for the fight at their convention last week, but it did not take place.

“Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte will not be ordered today,” talkSPORT boxing editor Michael Benson wrote on Twitter on Tuesday November 18.

“The WBC have stated at their convention that they cannot order the mandatory as their legal arbitration with Whyte is ongoing and must be resolved first.”

Fury’s US promoter Bob Arum recently told Boxing News 24: “Dillian Whyte is not the mandatory, and that’s what the WBC hasn’t done. Dillian Whyte has an obligation to fight Wallin, and we’ll see.

‘Gernot Rohr can’t be sacked without recourse to contract terms’ | The Guardian Nigeria News

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‘Gernot Rohr can’t be sacked without recourse to contract terms’ | The Guardian Nigeria News

• N5billion budget inadequate for sports, says Senate Committee boss

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development, Senator Obinna Ogba, has cautioned sports enthusiasts, who have been calling for the sack of the Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, to exercise some patience.

Speaking after defending the 2022 budget of the ministry before the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Ogba said that sacking of a coach is not as easy as they think because it is a contract.

Many Nigerians were not impressed by the Super Eagles lacklustre performance against Cape Verde, which ended 1-1. Hence, sports enthusiasts have been calling for his sack without further delay.

Senator Ogba continued: “Yes, so many persons have called for his sack. It needs to be discussed because there was an agreement with the sports operators in football.

“There is a way you will sack him, and if you don’t pay him certain amount of money, FIFA will ban Nigeria and when they ban us, you will complain. Why not allow football operators discuss the issues by finding a way out?

“Mind you, part of the agreement is for him to qualify Nigeria for Nations Cup, and he has done that. No matter how he qualified.

“The next thing is the World Cup, and it is still on. For me, I am not Amaju Pinnick, who is the president of NFF. But I am also a board member, and I can tell you authoritatively that among us, many have asked that he should step aside. But it is not something you say for saying sake.

“It has to be a discussion, meetings, and so many things have to be taken into consideration. Even if it warrants sacking him, we will sack him, otherwise we allow him be,” he stated.

Ogba debunked the insinuation that there are crises in sports. “In every situation, some persons will like something and others will not like it. But we have to look for the best.”

On the budget of the ministry, he said it is very inadequate, adding that something needs to be done about it. According to him, the N5billion earmarked for the ministry cannot take the ministry anywhere.

Hakkinen: Advantage Hamilton – GRAND PRIX 247

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Hakkinen: Advantage Hamilton – GRAND PRIX 247

Mika Hakkinen, looked back on the 2021 Qatar GP, which Lewis Hamilton won from Max Verstappen, saying it was 'advantage Hamilton'.

Mika Hakkinen, looked back on the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton was victorious, with Max Verstappen chasing in second, the Finn saying it was ‘advantage Hamilton’.

The two-time Formula 1 World Champion reflected in his Unibet column, on the state of affairs in this year’s Title fight, as the season closes to a conclusion, with two races remaining, and Hamilton hitting hard in Brazil and Qatar.

Hakkinen wrote: “IF Formula 1 was a tennis match I would say that it was ‘advantage Hamilton’ following his dominant wins in Brazil and Qatar.

“Although Max Verstappen leads the World Championship by 8 points, Mercedes has responded by giving Lewis Hamilton a car with which he can really fight to defend his title.

“On Sunday Lewis was totally in control following his strong qualifying performance,” he went on. “His Mercedes did not have same straight-line speed advantage he enjoyed in Brazil, when he took a new engine, but through Qatar’s sweeping curves his car had a clear advantage over his Red Bull-Honda rival.”

Max on the backfoot this time

Whereas Hamilton suffered from a disqualification and grid penalties in Brazil, the tide turned in Qatar, with Verstappen being on the receiving end.

“After the dramas in Brazil it was Max’s turns to take a grid penalty in Qatar as a result of failing to slow down for a double-yellow flag – one of Formula 1’s most important safely rules which requires drivers to slow down and be prepared to stop,” Hakkinen said.

“Just like Lewis did in Brazil, Max recovered quickly in the race, moving into 4th place on the first lap,” he pointed out, admitting that: “The world championship rivals were on another level, the competition far behind.

“It was interesting to see Pierre Gasly help Max to gain another position,” the 53-year-old revealed.

“It’s sometimes easy to forget that Red Bull owns two Formula 1 teams and, with the championship at stake, we should not be surprised that Red Bull Racing and Alpha Tauri are going to work together when the need arises.”

But regardless of the assistance Verstappen might have received from Gasly ang AlphTauri, Hamilton was out of reach on the day.

“Max pushed hard, but Lewis was already 4 seconds ahead when the Red Bull driver moved into 2nd position,” Hakkinen explained.

“This really was a controlled performance from Lewis, and he covered off any attempt by Red Bull to put his strategy under pressure,” he insisted.

It is a sporting war

With Red Bull and Mercedes fighting over almost anything, Red Bull doubting the legality of their rivals’ car, with the latter requesting reviews regarding Verstappen’s on track actions against Hamilton in Brazil, the Flying Finn simply admits, it’s war.

“In my opinion we are seeing a sporting war between Mercedes and Red Bull,” he said. “It’s a battle between Lewis and Max, team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, and the 2000 people who work for them.

“We have already seen some tense moments and I know we will see some more,” the 20-time-winner claimed, who was sympathetic towards the FIA, who are stuck policing the actions of the title contenders and their respective teams.

“In the middle comes the FIA with an incredibly tough job to do,” Hakkinen pointed out. “They made some difficult decisions in Brazil and they had to do the same in Qatar.

“What it shows is that the officials are trying hard to take a balanced approach, to let the drivers race but also to make everyone remember that the rules have to be followed.

“Otherwise we have chaos,” the ex-McLaren racer warned.

Some nice words for Fernando Alonso

Hakkinen hailed fellow double World Champion Fernando Alonso, who on Sunday in Qatar, achieved his first podium since his return to F1 in 2021.

“It was brilliant to see Fernando Alonso finish on the podium for Alpine,” he said. “He started racing in Formula 1 18 months after I retired, and his first podium was over 18 years ago!

“Congratulations to him for keeping the focus, fitness and passion to race at this level for so long.

“Once again Fernando showed his great skill at the start of the race, taking advantage of a good grid position following the penalties awarded to Max and Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes,” the Finn explained.

“I thought his move around the outside of Pierre Gasly on lap 1 showed all his years of experience and the confidence that brings. It was liked ‘old times’ to see Hamilton-Alonso on the leader board.”

Hakkinen tries to predict the Championship outcome

Looking ahead to the coming races in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, Hakkinen wrote: “Both championships could swing either way.

“Max could even win the World Championship in Jeddah if Lewis has a bad result,” he said. “But on a circuit that seems to favour cars with good straight line speed, and Mercedes planning to use the ‘Brazil engine’ in Lewis’s car, the defending champion will be looking for nothing less than a win.

“If Lewis wins again in Saudi Arabia and sets fastest lap, with Max finishing 2nd – a strong possibility – the two drivers would go to the final round of the World Championship in equal points.

“It would be an extraordinary end to what has been an amazingly close season,” the holder of 26 F1 pole positions concluded.

Inside Carmelo Anthony’s 19-year scoring evolution

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Inside Carmelo Anthony’s 19-year scoring evolution

From his days as a rookie with the Denver Nuggets, to becoming a featured act in New York, to picking up monikers based on his apparel, to his preeminence in international competition, Carmelo Anthony‘s basketball reputation has morphed in his 19 years in the NBA.

Yet, as Anthony begins to carve out a role with his sixth franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers, some things have stayed the same.

“He’s been a pain on the ass on every one of those teams,” said San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has tailored defensive schemes to try to thwart the No. 9 scorer in league history for nearly two decades now.

Throughout Anthony’s career, just as omnipresent as his megawatt smile, has been his branding as a certified bucket getter.

“A threat,” is how LeBron James described him. “He is a sniper. What we call it in our league — guys that don’t need much airspace to get it off because of his quick trigger.”

Anthony averaged 20-plus points in each of his first 14 seasons with the Nuggets and New York Knicks, winning the scoring title in 2012-13 with 28.7 points per game for New York.

He has scored 50 points four times and topped 40 points 40 times.

“I’m still here doing it,” the 37-year-old Anthony said. “I think that’s what I’m honestly excited about. I’m here in Year 19 still doing what I’m able to do. Still passionate about the game. Still passionate about coming to work every day and getting better.”

While Anthony was the undisputed No. 1 option on those Nuggets and Knicks teams, his role took on different forms in recent stops, refining his game to fit the rosters he found himself on as a complementary player, rather than as the top dog.

Here’s how he got from a supernova with the Nuggets to a high-level role player in L.A.

Olympic Melo

As the most decorated Olympian (three gold medals, one bronze) in U.S. men’s basketball history, Anthony’s time for Team USA will likely be looked back on as the best basketball of his career.

He started on the 2008 “Redeem Team” in Beijing but was at his peak during the London Games in 2012 as the second-leading scorer behind Kevin Durant, averaging 16.3 points on 53.5% from the field and 50% from 3 off the bench. While Durant averaged 19.5 points during the United States’ 8-0 run to gold, he did it in 26.1 minutes a game, with Anthony playing just 17.9 minutes per game as a reserve.

Anthony averaged more points than James, the No. 3 scorer in league history, and Kobe Bryant, the No. 4.

During that run, he had one of the most mind-boggling performances in international hoops history, scoring 37 points in just 14 minutes and 29 seconds of playing time against Nigeria. Anthony went 10-for-12 from 3 in that game, and Team USA won by 83 points.

“Once he started coming off the bench, it was seamless,” Jim Boeheim, Anthony’s college coach at Syracuse and an assistant on Team USA, told ESPN. “He had the game against Nigeria, he made about a hundred 3s. … It was crazy.”

Anthony is the second all-time leading scorer (336 points) and the top rebounder (125 rebounds) in U.S. men’s basketball national team history.

For Boeheim, who coached Anthony as a teenager when he led the Orange to the 2003 NCAA title, and again years later as part of multiple Olympic teams, it was obvious that Anthony could fit his game to match whatever team he played for.

“The thing that’s interesting is when everybody didn’t want to pick him up three years ago or whatever it was, I told a few people, ‘Well, he’s come off the bench in the Olympics and played well. He does what he does. It’s not like he’s not going to be able to come off the bench and make shots because that’s what he does,'” Boeheim recalled. “So that’s what surprised me a little bit about the whole thing.”

Thunder/Rockets/Trail Blazers Melo

The last half-decade has seen Anthony hop to a handful of teams, including a nearly year-long hiatus when he was out of the league.

The period of upheaval started with a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder just before the start of the 2017-18 season.

“I loved Carmelo,” said Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who coached Anthony in OKC. “He was great to work with. I think that it was a really, really hard situation for all of us because the trade for him happened the day before training camp.”

Anthony went from averaging 18.8 shots per game with the Knicks to 15 per game for the Thunder. He started all 78 games he played in the regular season and all six he appeared in during Oklahoma City’s first-round loss to the Utah Jazz. He struggled in the postseason, averaging 11.8 points on 21.4% shooting from 3. This, of course, after setting the tone for his time in Oklahoma City with a news conference answer during training camp that some around the league viewed as him being unwilling to change.

“Who, me?” Anthony quipped back to a reporter when it was suggested that he could come off the bench for the Thunder. “I don’t know where that started, where that came from. Hey, P [Paul George], they said I got to come off the bench.”

Looking back, Donovan said that Anthony’s reputation took an unfair hit.

“All this stuff about starting, coming off the bench, I’ve always found Carmelo to be a really, really good team guy,” Donovan said. “Really good in the locker room. I think guys really enjoy being around him. I think he’s an authentic, genuine, sincere, real guy. And everything we asked him to do, he tried to do to the best of his ability.”

The OKC experiment lasted just one season. Following a trade to the Atlanta Hawks, who waived him following a contract buyout, Anthony formed a new big three in Houston with James Harden and Chris Paul.

And that experiment lasted just 10 games — two of them in which Anthony appeared as a bench player for the first time in his NBA career — before he was told by the Rockets, in essence, to go home. He was eventually traded to the Chicago Bulls and waived without playing a game.

Then came the year-plus period when Anthony was without a team before the Portland Trail Blazers, scuffling along at the start of the 2019-20 season, signed him, with their stars, guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, endorsing the move.

“It was close to almost nobody taking a chance,” Boeheim said. “Just think if Portland hadn’t done that, I don’t think he plays. And then everybody has a whole different outlook on him.”

Anthony started 58 games in his first season with the Blazers and proved he still could perform in the clutch, hitting key late-game jumpers in the seeding round in the Orlando, Florida, bubble.

“He was great,” Boeheim continued. “I mean, he’d go eight minutes without taking a shot and on that team, you might not get a shot. And then he’d make two. And to their credit, they would go to him down the stretch, he would end up making a 3 at the end of the game to win the game. It was crazy, really.”

Anthony played one more season in Portland and came off the bench in 66 of 69 games. In the playoffs, even though Portland lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round in six games, Anthony fared better as a reserve than he had as a postseason starter with OKC, averaging 12.3 points in 23.9 minutes while shooting 37.8% from 3.

Lakers Melo

While the Lakers’ season has been up and down, Anthony has been a bright spot.

Through his first 18 games, all but three of which he came off the bench, he’s shooting a career-best 46.1% from 3. Anthony has been even better at home, where the L.A. crowd has quickly fallen in love with him, shooting 53.2% from 3 — best in the NBA for any player playing in home games with a minimum of 30 3-point attempts.

“He knows who he is as a player and he finds places to be where he can be helpful, and this is a great example of that,” said Popovich of Anthony’s success in L.A. “He’s done it again. He takes care of himself. He’s a pro. And he makes every team better. So, I’m just happy for him.”

Anthony is averaging 15.2 points on just 11.2 shots per game and is often being asked to fill the wings and get open. He has made 47 catch-and-shoot 3s this season, the best in the league heading into Monday’s games, edging Milwaukee’s Grayson Allen (46), according to Second Spectrum tracking.

“He’s in a great rhythm,” James said. “He’s just taking his shots and knocking them down.”

While Anthony hasn’t gone so far as to chastise the Rockets for alienating him and the 28 teams other than the Blazers for not signing him, he has relished in his time with the Lakers.

“As far as what I can do on the court, I don’t think that’s going to change,” Anthony said. “I don’t require a lot. I pick my spots, I get to open spots, I shoot when I’m open, my teammates look for me. Now, I’m not the every possession guy coming down the court when the offense is playing through me, so I’m able to see the game differently, from a different perspective.”

Anthony has already garnered some Sixth Man of the Year buzz and has been key to the Lakers’ success. L.A. is 7-2 this season when Anthony scores 15 points or more, and he is a huge difference-maker for the offense. The Lakers average 108.6 points per 100 possessions with Anthony on the court and just 97.0 points per 100 possessions without him. That differential in offensive rating, a plus-11.6, is tied with James for the largest on the team.

“I don’t think that he would say that he’s looking at it as a role player,” Boeheim said. “I think when he goes in, he’s looking at it as, ‘I’m going to put points up there.’ You average 14-15 a game in what, 22-23 minutes? That’s almost star-quality play. So I think when you go in, whoever you are, you got to think, ‘I’m a star.’ And he believes in himself, he always has, and there’s reason for it. He’s good. I mean, he’s proven.

“What’s he, the f—ing ninth all-time scorer in the NBA? That’s pretty good.”

Morant and the Grizzlies take on the Raptors

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Morant and the Grizzlies take on the Raptors

Toronto Raptors (8-10, 12th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (9-8, sixth in the Western Conference)

Memphis, Tennessee; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Ja Morant leads Memphis into a matchup with Toronto. He’s ninth in the NBA scoring 25.5 points per game.

The Grizzlies have gone 6-3 at home. Memphis gives up 114.9 points and has been outscored by 4.8 points per game.

The Raptors are 6-4 on the road. Toronto has a 3-6 record against teams above .500.

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TOP PERFORMERS: Desmond Bane is shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc with 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Grizzlies, while averaging 15.6 points. Morant is averaging 23.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals over the past 10 games for Memphis.

Fred VanVleet averages 3.1 made 3-pointers per game for the Raptors, scoring 19.2 points while shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc. Gary Trent Jr. is shooting 46.5% and averaging 18.6 points over the past 10 games for Toronto.

LAST 10 GAMES: Grizzlies: 5-5, averaging 109.3 points, 46.0 rebounds, 24.8 assists, 9.3 steals and 6.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.4 points per game.

Raptors: 3-7, averaging 106.5 points, 42.3 rebounds, 21.5 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 44.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.3 points.

INJURIES: Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks: out (hamstring), Sam Merrill: out (ankle), De’Anthony Melton: out (groin).

Raptors: OG Anunoby: day to day (hip), Yuta Watanabe: day to day (calf).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




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