The Canadian Report

by NBA News

By. Hailey Salvian

Canadians Shine on All Star-Weekend

Canadians were at the forefront of the NBA in February – and not just the pros.

NBA All-Star Weekend took over Los Angeles, giving Canadian athletes and celebrities their shot at basketball fame.

As mentioned in our special NBA All-Star Canadian Report, Canadian Olympian Andre De Grasse, and fellow Canadian singer Justin Bieber were chosen for the All-Star Celebrity Game.

De Grasse, the Canadian sprinting superstar who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, put his versatility on display by netting 17 points and adding six rebounds in Team Clippers’ 75-66 win over Team Lakers.

On Team Lakers, Bieber netted four points and two rebounds. The Stratford, Ont., native was the MVP of the 2011 Celebrity Game, but took a back seat to fellow music sensation Quavos this time around.

Rising Stars Challenge

Once the celebrities were finished, the NBA’s best up-and-coming talent hit the court in the Rising Stars Challenge. Canadians Jamal Murray and Dillon Brooks were members of the Team World crew that took on Team USA.

Murray had 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds in Team World’s 155-124 triumph. It was his second straight appearance at NBA All-Star Weekend. The Nuggets guard was MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge last year, scoring 36 points and dishing out 11 dimes.

This year, his Team World teammate, Sacramento Kings rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic took home MVP honours by putting on a clinic from beyond the arc.

The Serbian-born Bogdanovic hit seven threes on route to a team-high 26 points.
Brooks made a solid first impression in his All-Star Game debut, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists. . . and one very memorable dunk.

Skills Competitions

Murray was back on the Staples Center court for the Saturday Skills Contest. The 20-year-old from Kitchener, Ont., was expected to play second fiddle in his first-round match-up with Clippers guard Lou Williams.

But the Canadian kid upset the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year before being knocked out by eventual-champion Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets.

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry also participated in the Saturday skills showcase, competing in the Three-Point Contest. He hit 11 threes in the first round and didn’t qualify for the finals.

Casey Trumps DeRozan and Lowry in All-Star Game

In the main event, Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey guided Team LeBron to a 148-145 win over Team Stephen. Casey is the first-ever Raptors coach to lead a team at the All-Star Game.

DeMar DeRozan, voted a starter for the All-Star Game in his hometown, and Lowry squared off against their coach as members of Team Curry. DeRozan tied for a team-high 21 points with Damian Lillard, while Lowry added four points coming off the bench.

Canucks Stand Up and Deliver

Many Canadians – not just All-Stars – turned heads this month.

Dwight Powell had multiple big nights for the Dallas Mavericks, putting together some of the highest-scoring games of his NBA career in the month of February.

In his five games as a starter – which all happened this month – the Toronto native averaged 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds, compared to his season average of just under eight points-per-game. Between Feb. 3 and Feb. 13, he scored 17 to 19 points in five of six contests.

In the NBA G League, Naz Long of Mississauga, Ont., tied his season-high with 32 points, draining eight threes in the Salt Lake City Stars’ win over the Warriors on Feb. 7.

Long, who was selected by the Utah Jazz in the 2017 NBA Draft, has started in 29 of 34 games and is averaging 17.2 points in his rookie season. Only days after his season-high performance, Long was signed to a 10-day contract by the Jazz on Feb. 11. On Feb. 24, Utah announced it had signed him to a second 10-day contract.

And, multiple milestones were hit by Canadians – or members of Canada’s NBA Team – this month. Here are a few:
• Andrew Wiggins, the former No. 1 draft pick, became the sixth youngest player to reach 6,000 career points behind the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant;
https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/961411402673074176/video/1
• Cory Joseph grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in the Indiana Pacers’ win against the Nets on Feb. 15;
• Dwane Casey won his 300th game with the Toronto Raptors;
• Lowry notched the 11,000th point of his career on Feb. 8;


• Oh, and the Raptors veteran also celebrated his 1,000th game with Toronto;

Nash a Step Closer to Springfield

Speaking of Canadian content: Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash is among the 13 finalists for the 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame Class. The retired superstar is nominated alongside Jason Kidd, Ray Allen and Grant Hill for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Canadian won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns, and was an eight-time NBA All-Star. Nash was also a slam-dunk winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s outstanding athlete in 2015.

Nash played 18 seasons in the NBA with the Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 2015.

This is Nash’s first nomination to the HOF. To be inducted, he must receive 18 of 24 votes from the committee. The Hall’s latest class will be announced at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio in March.

WNBA

While the WNBA has yet to tip off its new season, Canada’s Natalie Achonwa was featured in a league video to support National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 7.
Check it out:


Achonwa, from Guelph, Ont., is a two-time Olympian and a forward with the Indiana Fever.

Canada Cruises Through FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

The Canadian men’s team advanced in FIBA World Cup qualifying with a win over the Bahamas on Feb. 25.

The men took down the hosts in Nassau 113-67 and improved to 3-1 in Group D as they battle for a spot in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

The Canadians were led by Brady Heslip who poured in 19 points. Melvin Ejim scored 15, Kyle Landry added 14 while former Ryerson University guard Adika Peter-McNeilly, former Carleton Ravens star Thomas Scrubb and former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett each finished with 10 points.

A 118-89 win over U.S. Virgin Islands on Feb. 22, along with the victory over the Bahamas means Canada will be one of three teams to move on to the second-round qualifications.

Three of the four teams in the group — Canada, Bahamas, Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands — will advance. Canada will host games in Toronto against the Dominican Republic on June 29 and in Ottawa against the Virgin Islands on July 2.

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