{allcanada} Hardaway, Pistons top Raptors to clinch playoff berth

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TORONTO - Tim Hardaway Jr. had 23 points as the Detroit Pistons fended off the Toronto Raptors 117-105 on Friday to clinch a playoff berth.

Jalen Duren had a double-double with 21 points and 18 rebounds as Detroit (43-34) hung on to win after leading by as many as 22 points. Malik Beasley added 21 points.

Rookie guard Ja'Kobe Walter led Toronto (28-50) with 22 points. 

Jakob Poeltl had a double-double for the Raptors with 10 points and 11 boards. Immanuel Quickley flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Scottie Barnes was out for the Raptors with a finger contusion on his right hand. RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had the night off to rest.

Before the game Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic said that Brandon Ingram (sprained left ankle) and Gradey Dick (right knee bone bruise) were done for the season.

Takeaways

Pistons: Hardaway went off for 11 points in the third quarter, making all four of his field-goal attempts. He was 3 for 3 from three-point range as Detroit led by as many as 22 points in the quarter.

Raptors: Already eliminated from the post-season picture, Rajakovic relied more heavily on his bench players, even benching his starting lineup for a spell with seven minutes left in the game and the lead within reach. As a result, Toronto's bench outscored Detroit's 44-21. The Raptors reserves did cut the Pistons' lead down to six points in the fourth, however.

Key moment

Detroit held a 10-point lead at the intermission but blew the game open with an 11-0 run in the first three minutes of the third quarter. Duren's emphatic dunk added an exclamation to the run for a 76-55 Pistons lead.

Key stat

Rookie guard Jamal Shead — who came off Toronto's bench Friday — had nine assists to reach 290 on the season and surpass Jose Calderon (288) for second-most helpers by a Raptors rookie. Damon Stoudamire's 653 assists in the 1995-96 season are the most by a rookie in team history.

Up next

Toronto: The Raptors will visit the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday for their fourth-last game of the season.

Detroit: The Pistons will return home to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

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{allcanada} Rose scores, Canadian women's soccer team blanks Argentina

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VANCOUVER - Jade Rose scored her first goal for Canada's women's soccer team, helping the country to a 3-0 victory over Argentina in a friendly matchup on Friday. 

The 22-year-old defender from Markham, Ont., touched a ball over the line off of a free kick in the 24th minute to open the scoring.

Nichelle Prince also scored for the seventh-ranked Canadians, converting a rebound in the 39th minute for her 17th goal for the senior national team. 

Hometown talent Julia Grosso sealed the score in the 87th minute and Kailen Sheridan recorded a clean sheet as Canada improved to 7-0-0 against No. 33 Argentina.

The victory punctuated Casey Stoney's first game on home soil since being appointed head coach of the Canadian squad in mid-January. The team is now 3-0-1 during her tenure. 

The two countries will meet again for another friendly in Langford, B.C., on Tuesday. 

Canada dominated the match from the beginning, testing Argentine 'keeper Solana Pereyra early and often. 

Thirteen minutes in, Canada won a free kick when captain Jessie Fleming was cut down as she charged up the field. Fleming sent the ball sailing into the six-yard box where Pereyra jumped up to collect it. 

Another set piece got Canada on the board in the 24th minute. 

Adriana Leon floated a free kick into the penalty area and Vanessa Gilles nodded a header toward the Argentine goal. Pereyra got a touch on the shot, but couldn't control it and Rose rushed in to push the ball in over the line. 

Canada had another prime opportunity in the 33rd minute when Marie-Yasmine Alidou blasted a header on net, but Pereyra stretched out and tapped the shot away just in time. 

The home side bested the Argentine 'keeper again in the 39th minute.

Leon deked and twisted around several defenders, then slipped a cross to Prince at the back post. The veteran forward unleashed a shot and Pereyra got in front of it, but Prince stayed with it and booted the rebound in to give Canada a 2-0 lead. 

The Canadians appeared to add to their tally in the 49th minute when Leon blasted in a shot from the top of the penalty area, but the offside flag darted up, nullifying the goal. 

Grosso, who came on for Alidou in the 59th minute, made it 3-0 for Canada in the 87th minute after Janine Sonis' shot pinged off the post. Grosso collected the ball and sent a long-range blast sailing in for her fifth goal for the national team.

NOTES: Canadian midfielder Quinn was honoured before kickoff for making their 100th appearance for the national squad last year. … An announced crowd of 12,219 took in the game at B.C. Place.

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{allcanada} Gretzky joins Capitals locker room celebration after Ovechkin ties goals record

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Alex Ovechkin was showered with love in the locker room on Friday, literally.

The Washington Capitals gave their captain a beer shower after he tied Wayne Gretzky on the NHL career goals list during the team's game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Capital One Arena.

Ovechkin threw his arms up in the air as his teammates surrounded him and sprayed him with their beverages.

"Don't waste it," one Capitals players told his captain.

"Best shower of my life," Ovechkin said after the celebration.

Ovechkin scored career goals No. 893 and 894 in the Capitals 5-3 win over the Blackhawks to tie Gretzky on top of the NHL goals list.

Gretzky alongside the entire fan base at Capital One Arena gave Ovechkin a standing ovation after he tied the record.

The "Great One" also stopped by the Capitals locker room to congratulate Ovechkin. The two posed for a picture with goal No. 894's puck.

A special video message from Gretzky to Ovechkin was posted by the Capitals.

"Hello, Ovi! Wayne Gretzky here. Congratulations on typing the record at 894," Gretzky said in the video. "It's a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication. Good for you man. Happy for you and your family and all your friends and more importantly, all your teammates. Good for you!"

Video: https://x.com/Capitals/status/1908344761477398530

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https://x.com/Capitals/status/1908344761477398530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1908344761477398530%7Ctwgr%5E370f39699b80a6aadf7a5c6fa0cdf8efffaf2de9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhl.com%2Fnews%2Fwayne-gretzky-capitals-celebrate-alex-ovechkin-in-locker-room

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{allcanada} Argonauts re-sign global punter Haggerty

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TORONTO - Global punter John Haggerty re-signed with the Toronto Argonauts on Friday.

Contract details weren't divulged. Haggerty became a free agent Feb. 11. 

Haggerty, a 30-year-old Australian, was an East Division all-star in 2024 after posting the CFL's second-best punt average of 50.3 yards, a career high. 

The six-foot-five, 225-pound Haggerty averaged a league-best 48 yards per punt in 2023 and was again a division all-star in 2022.

Toronto selected Haggerty fourth overall in the 2022 CFL global draft. Over three seasons, he has averaged 48.9 yards on 260 career punts in 47 regular-season games.

Haggerty has also helped Toronto win Grey Cup titles in 2022 and '24.

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