TORONTO — He was back. And it didn’t matter.
Last year, after winning his fourth Celebrity Game MVP Award, Kevin Hart announced his retirement. He returned to the game this year to coach, reminding the crowd that he had returned “not for myself, but my country,” adding that his goal was “to crush Canada.”
No such luck, even after Hart made a surprise return to active duty. Team Canada, coached by Drake and led by Win Butler and Tracy McGrady, jumped out to an early lead and led all night Friday, winning 74-63.
Hart, who has averaged 8.7 ppg on 35 percent shooting in four MVP appearances, set a confrontational tone for the evening by having Team USA take the court while chanting “USA! USA!” Team USA guard Jason Sudeikis, who was introduced as having once played against LeBron James in a Saturday Night Live skit, and actually did play against Tyronn Lue in high school, was hot in the first half, racking up 11 first-half points with three 3-pointers. But Sudeikis wasn’t able to continue the momentum in the second half, finishing with 14 points.
For Canada, HGTV’s Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott, teamed with Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler to form a powerful frontline. Butler, who was named the game’s MVP, finished with 15 points. Canada also got banner performances from professional tennis player Milos Raonic, who threw down an impressive two-handed dunk just before halftime, as well as Tracy McGrady, who while technically an American, qualified as a member of Team Canada as a former member of the Toronto Raptors. McGrady finished with 18.
The most dramatic moment of the night came in the third quarter, when Hart abandoned the sideline, leaving Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond to assume coaching duties. Hart activated himself and took the court, but the USA wasn’t able to make up much ground, as Hart airballed a jumper and Canada immediately went on a 7-2 run to open up a 46-35 lead.
