2 Montrealers are facing off in the NBA Finals. But only 1 will be a champion
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Hamilton Spectator
15 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian women set to square off with U.S. in AmeriCup semifinals
SANTIAGO - Canada and the United States will square off in Saturday's semifinal at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup tournament. Canada punched its ticket to the final four for a ninth consecutive time in the event with a 73-49 win over Colombia in Friday's quarterfinals. The U.S. squashed the Dominican Republic 110-44. Brazil and Argentina will meet in the other semifinal. Canada, which has a 4-1 record in the 2025 tournament, broke Friday's game wide open in the second quarter, turning a seven-point lead into a 21-point advantage at halftime. Shay Colley led Canada with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting from two-point range, while adding eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. She now has 212 career points at the Women's AmeriCup, moving to sixth all-time among Canadians since 2003. 'We're excited about being able to move on to the next round and play in the semifinals,' said Canadian head coach Nell Fortner. 'I thought our defence was pretty strong today. There are some areas we need to clean up, but we were locked in defensively. If we can smooth out the offence (on Saturday), it'll put us in a better position.' Yvonne Ejim matched Colley's 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Kayla Alexander contributed across the board with eight points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks in the win. 'I thought we did a great job as a team coming in and applying pressure, pushing the pace at the start of the game,' said Colley. Canada dominated the glass with a 46-32 rebounding advantage and generated 15 points off 18 Colombian turnovers. Six players scored seven or more points, and the team collected 12 steals in a well-rounded defensive performance. Canada also outscored Colombia 13-4 in fast-break points and held its opponent to zero second-chance opportunities. Through five games, Canada's average margin of victory stands at plus-28 — the team's highest at the AmeriCup since 2015. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Forbes
OKC Thunder 2025 Summer League Roster And Full Two-Event Schedule Finalized
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 28: Ajay Mitchell #25 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ... More ball up court during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on December 28, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) While the Oklahoma City Thunder recently won an NBA Championship and already have 15 players accounted for on next season's roster, NBA Summer League is still an important milestone in the offseason. Over the next few weeks, the Thunder will play at least eight games across two cities in an effort to develop young talent and get a look at other interesting prospects across the league. Oklahoma City will participate in both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas circuits, which means plenty of action in the coming days. It all begins on Saturday, andthen will continue for multiple weeks. Here's everything you need to know about the Thunder's upcoming NBA Summer League action. Oklahoma City officially unveiled its roster for NBA Summer League on Friday afternoon, which gives insight into what to expect over the next few weeks. It's largely an inexperienced group of players, primarily built with rookies with zero NBA experience and five players with just one season under their belt. As such, Ajay Mitchell, Alex Ducas, Brandon Carlson, Malevy Leons and Jazian Gortman will be the veterans on this team, despite having minimal experience. Here's the Thunder's official roster for NBA Summer League: Thunder NBA Summer League Roster Nikola Topic is undoubtedly the most interesting player on this roster. Viewed as a potential top-five pick 18 months ago leading into the 2024 NBA Draft, he dealt with a knee injury and ultimately slipped to the Thunder at No. 12 before undergoing surgery and missing all of last season. NBA Summer League will be his first time playing game action in an Oklahoma City uniform. Alongside him in the backcourt will be Ajay Mitchell, who carved out a spot in the Thunder's rotation last season as a rookie and will likely be the best player on the roster this summer. From there, Brandon Carlson and Alex Ducas are among the notable players on the roster, as both were on a two-way contract in Oklahoma City last season and will be looking to prove their worth another. Furthermore, Viktor Lakhin is a legitimate NBA talent, but he recently suffered a foot injury and won't be able to compete. Similarly, it's important to note that Thomas Sorber and Payton Sandfort are on the roster, but not expected to play. Sorber is still recovering from a season-ending foot injury, while Sandfort is also rehabbing a dual shoulder issue. Both are among the most promising on this list of players, but won't be on the floor this summer in game action. Once again, the Thunder will compete in a smaller NBA Summer League in Salt Lake City to kick off its long stretch of action in July. Only four teams compete in this event, which has become a tradition for each of these franchises every summer. From there, the Thunder heads to Las Vegas for at least five more games right after wrapping up in Utah. The Las Vegas event is the bigger of the two that OKC participates in, as all 30 NBA teams compete in that one. As outlined by the NBA, after each team's first four games, the top four teams will advance to participate in the playoffs. The four playoff teams and their seeds for playoff games will be determined by winning percentage in each team's first four games, with tiebreaker criteria available here. The 26 teams that do not advance to the four-team playoff will play a fifth game to round out their summer. NBA Summer League is important for not just the players on every team, but also for the teams themselves. This is one of the best forums to evaluate young talent to win on the margins. Especially for the Thunder, filling out the two-way contracts with real contributors who could have the chance to make their way to the 15-man roster at some point is a huge advantage when it comes to roster building.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Sam Presti tells 2 stories about Jaylin Williams' personality: 'He's a source of energy'
As the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrated their 2025 NBA championship in their parade, Jaylin Williams was one of the highlights of the event. He made it worth it for the thousands of folks who battled through the high heat by voicing an epic WWE-esque speech that made Stone Cold Steve Austin smile. The Thunder rewarded Williams for his development with a three-year, $24 million contract extension a week later. For outsiders, to see somebody who only played 14 minutes in the NBA Finals was a little puzzling. But anybody who followed the NBA champion understands his value. Sam Presti told two stories in his 2024-25 end-of-season press conference about Williams. You usually don't get such in-depth answers about a team's third-string center, but the 23-year-old's affectionate personality refuses to pigeonhole him in such a micro-role. The first involved a morning shootaround. The Thunder were set to face the Philadelphia 76ers. They typically hold their shootarounds at the opposition's arena when on the road. That meant they went to Wells Fargo Center a few hours before tip. Presti noted that Williams kept the mood upbeat. He fought against the elements as the indoor temperature rivaled the outside. Which is quite a statement considering how cold it can get in Philly. He helped his teammates forget about the freezing temperature. "I just think he's a unique guy," Presti said about Williams. "He's a source of energy." The other story was the one that stuck out to most. Presti wind the clock back to November. After suffering a hip fracture that cost him three months, Chet Holmgren slammed his hand in frustration and pain. As most know, the 23-year-old took a while to get up. Once you realized Holmgren couldn't get off the floor without help, everybody in the arena went as quiet as a funeral. The lasting image of the seven-footer's injury was being helped off the floor by Isaiah Hartenstein and Williams. In a sick twist of irony, they were both also out dealing with their own injuries. Hartenstein with a hand fracture and Williams with a hamstring strain. While the public saw the beginnings of that group's time together, Presti revealed more details on how Hartenstein and Williams stayed by Holmgren's side inside the tunnels and away from the cameras during another career low point. "In all my years doing this, I've never, ever seen a player in that much pain. I mean, it was really tough. Hart and J-Will stayed with him the whole time in the back, and it was uncomfortable," Presti said. "It was uncomfortable because when someone is in that much pain, it's hard to be a bystander." Presti said Holmgren couldn't even sit down properly because of the amount of pain he was in. A hip fracture is about as bad as it gets. Any 9th-grade biology class will teach that to you. Hartenstein and Williams stayed by his side until he eventually left the arena to go to the hospital. "Those guys were both injured at the time. It was the greatest act of team support and teammate support I had ever seen. I don't know that it will ever be matched," Presti said. "They sat with him. They supported him." Despite a shakiness in his role, Williams remains a positive force on the Thunder. Those are the type of intangibles you can't see. As cheesy as it might be to outsiders, the 23-year-old's warm energy helped OKC win off the court, too.
