Life after the Milan Cortina Olympics has been tough for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto is a dismal 0-6-2 since the NHL resumed play following the Winter Games. The Leafs’ latest setback was a 3-1 decision in Montreal on Tuesday night.

Toronto did gain a point with a 4-3 shootout loss to New Jersey on March 4 but followed that up with a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., 45 per cent of Proline players backed New Jersey’s win. Thirty-nine per cent had Toronto at +1.5 goals while 57 per cent correctly took the over at six.

But only 31 per cent of players had New York to earn its victory while 57 per cent had the over at six.

And then Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning added to Toronto’s woes with a 5-2 victory. A solid 77 per cent of bettors backed the Lightning while 73 per cent successfully took the over 6.5 goals.

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Also on Saturday, 91 per cent backed the Winnipeg Jets’ 3-2 victory over Vancouver while 61 per cent correctly picked Montreal in its 4-3 victory over Los Angeles. Just eight per cent of bettors had Calgary earning a 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes while 63 per cent saw the Ottawa Senators downing Seattle 7-4.

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Last week wasn’t a great one for the Toronto Raptors, who went 1-2, the lone victory being a 122-92 decision Sunday over the Dallas Mavericks. That followed losses to the New York Knicks (111-95 on March 3) and a 115-107 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 5.

Sixty-nine per cent of bettors backed New York’s win while 77 per cent had the Knicks on the spread at -2.5 points. Twenty per cent took the under at 222 points.

Seventy-three per cent of players backed Minnesota’s win while 51 per cent had the Timberwolves on the spread at -6. Twenty-four per cent had the over of 225.5.

A resounding 91 per cent of bettors had Toronto downing Dallas while 68 per cent had the Raptors on the spread of -10. And 45 per cent had the under at 229 points.

Canada split its first two games at the World Baseball Classic. The Canadians opened with an 8-2 win over Columbia before dropping a 4-3 decision to Panama.

Eighty-four per cent of bettors backed Canada’s opening win with 97 per cent having the Canadians at -1.5 run. Eighty-four per cent had the over at nine.

But only 25 per cent had Panama earning its victory while just 17 per cent of bettors had the winners +4.5 runs. Just 44 per cent took the under at 10.

A digital customer won $1,146.15 on a $2 wager on a six-leg NHL parlay while a retail player turned a $2 bet into a $6,050.40 windfall after hitting on an eight-leg NHL parlay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

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What our Post expert thinks about Knicks vs. Clippers

The Knicks are playing the second game of a back-to-back set in Los Angeles after losing an ugly game against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. There will be no rest for the weary as they head to Inglewood for a meeting with the new-look Clippers.

The Clippers have clawed their way back to respectability this season after a terrible start to their campaign. They enter this game just one game below .500 and have won four of their past five games.

Adding Bennedict Mathurin and Darius Garland has given them the youth and scoring they lacked before the trade deadline. Those additions alongside Kawhi Leonard make the Clippers much more dangerous than their record suggests.

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Why Trust New York Post Betting

Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.

TORONTO – Ryan Nembhard’s had many great influences in his basketball career. His father Claude is the chief executive officer of the Ontario Basketball Association, his brother Andrew is the starting point guard for the Indiana Pacers, he grew up around Toronto Raptors star RJ Barrett.

But now Jason Kidd — one of the best point guards in NBA history — is his head coach on the Dallas Mavericks.

The youngest Nembhard signed a two-way deal with the Mavericks in July and he has become a fixture in Dallas’s rotation, appearing in 43 games so far this season.

The native of Aurora, Ont., said that he’s enjoyed learning from Kidd, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as an individual in 2018 and again in 2025 as a member of the so-called Redeem Team that won men’s Olympic basketball gold for the United States in 2008.

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“One of the greatest guards to ever do it, a super high basketball IQ and just understanding of the game,” said Nembhard on Sunday before Toronto routed the Mavericks 122-92. “He’s taught me a lot, and it’s been nice to learn from him and take a lot in.”

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The 22-year-old Nembhard played two seasons of U.S. collegiate ball at Creighton before transferring to Gonzaga for two more years of NCAA basketball. In the 2024-25 season Nembhard averaged 10.5 points, 9.8 assists and three rebounds over 35 games for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

His 344 assists were the most of any NCAA men’s basketball player that season.

Despite that collegiate success, Nembhard said he still has room to grow.

“It’s been a learning process, obviously, but it’s been good,” said Nembhard in the visitors’ locker room at Scotiabank Arena. “Vets and the team in general have been helping me out throughout the process, just learning on the fly.

“I think I’ve picked it up pretty well.”

Nembhard was averaging 6.6 points, 4.7 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 0.3 steals over 18.5 minutes per game heading into Sunday. He had two points, two assists, a rebound and a steal in five minutes of play against the Raptors.

Kidd said that Nembhard isn’t afraid of NBA-calibre competition and that having an older brother in the league likely helps, too.

“So he understands what it means to work and be counted on. He deserves that contract,” said Kidd. “He’s played extremely well for us, and we need him to do that for the rest of the season.”

Barrett, who grew up playing with Andrew Nembhard, said that Ryan Nembhard has “always been around.”

“Him and my little brother (Nathan) were roommates at Montverde Academy (a prep school in Florida) and everything,” said Barrett. “So, Ryan’s like a little brother to me, and it’s great to see him out there.”

Added Barrett with a laugh: “He stole the ball from me, though. I’m just happy to see him out there getting a shot.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had a season-high 31 points to lead the Toronto Raptors in a 122-92 rout of the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Barrett add six rebounds and three assists as Toronto (36-27) won for the first time in three games. Jakob Poeltl had a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards.

Scottie Barnes added 17 points and five assists for the Raptors, who are trying to hold on to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Daniel Gafford’s double-double couldn’t help Dallas (21-43) snap its seven-game losing skid. He had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Rookie sensation Cooper Flagg had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Reserve guard Ryan Nembhard of Aurora, Ont., added two points, two assists and a rebound as the Mavericks cleared their bench with five minutes left to play.

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Trayce Jackson-Davis dislocated his right middle finger during warm-ups, leaving Toronto short-handed at centre with rookie Collin Murray-Boyles already out with a sprained left thumb.

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TAKEAWAYS

Mavericks: Although Dallas had 27 second-chance points to the Raptors’ 12, the visitors were dominated in transition, getting four fast-break points while Toronto scored 21 on the break.

Raptors: A solid 48-for-95 (50.5 per cent) night on field-goal attempts helped Toronto overcome a poor three-point shooting performance where the Raptors went 10-for-36 (27.8 per cent) from beyond the arc. Toronto also shared the ball well, getting 39 assists to the Mavericks’ 22, even as it was outrebounded 48-41. The Raptors took care of the ball with only eight turnovers to Dallas’s 20.

KEY MOMENT

Brandon Ingram’s seven-foot running pull-up shot with 6:28 left in the third quarter capped a 10-0 Raptors run. It also gave Toronto a 21-point lead, its largest of the game to that point.

KEY STAT

Barrett became the eighth Canadian in NBA history to reach 8,000 career points. He joined Steve Nash (17,387), Andrew Wiggins (15,074), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (12,971), Jamal Murray (11,126), Rick Fox (8,966), Kelly Olynyk (8,253) and Dillon Brooks (8,014). Barrett has 8,018 points in his career.

UP NEXT

Dallas: Visits the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

Toronto: Visits the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Every time the Toronto Raptors suffer another loss to a top-10 team, they talk about lessons and process and patience.

But Brandon Ingram also can’t deny that it’s annoying.

“When you fall short, you always get frustrated, especially in the moment,” said Ingram after putting up 31 points in Toronto’s 111-95 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday. “But frustration isn’t always bad, you know? There’s something to learn in every single game.

“Tonight was having some lapses on defence and trying to figure out our fourth-quarter execution. But every game that we go to, we get better, and we’re learning, trying to learn how to win.”

They have been hard — and frequent — lessons.

The Raptors (35-26), fifth in the Eastern Conference, dropped to 4-16 against the 10 teams that are ahead of them in the NBA’s standings. Toronto is 1-12 at Scotiabank Arena against opponents with better records and has lost 14 of its last 15 games against top-10 teams.

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“We’ve got to figure out our fourth-quarter execution, exactly what we want to go to,” said Ingram. “I think every time we play a good team, they know exactly what they want to go to in the fourth quarter, and they do it over again and over again.

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“The good thing is we’re in the games, but we’ve got to figure out how to finish the game.”

Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley scored an eight-foot running pull-up shot with 5:50 left to play and cut New York’s lead to 95-93. The Knicks responded with a 16-2 run to close out the game for a decisive victory.

“We had our chances. We had our opportunities,” said Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic. “This is a really good team, a really good offensive rebounding team. We kept them to seven rebounds. A lot of positive stuff.

“We’re just going to get back to work and continue getting better.”

Jalen Brunson finished with 26 points and 10 assists as New York (40-22) won its third consecutive game. Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points with 13 rebounds.

Quickley had a double-double with 13 points and 12 assists for the Raptors and RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., scored 20, with nine points in the fourth quarter.

“We couldn’t really get our offence going the way we wanted to in the last couple minutes,” said starting centre Jakob Poeltl. “It’s another learning experience for us to be better in those situations.

“They’re a team that has playoff experience and stuff like that. They’re used to these kind of situations, and I feel like we’re getting there, but we’re obviously not on that level yet.”

Rookie centre Collin Murray-Boyles, who has earned 22 starts with the Raptors this season, sat out with a left thumb sprain. Rajakovic said his presence was missed throughout the game.

“His ability to rebound the ball, his ability to run in transition and provide us an outlet on the baseline,” said Rajakovic. “He’s setting really good screens, good roller.

“Defensively, he’s a guy who can pick up on any matchup and does a really good job of that. He was missed tonight, big time.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

TORONTO – When Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady bought a minority stake in the Buffalo Bills, they insisted they’d do more than just contribute to the NFL team financially.

That was evident as they hosted Bills Night on Tuesday as the Toronto Raptors hosted the New York Knicks. Carter, whose jersey was retired by the Raptors in an emotional ceremony last season, said that the collaboration was all about fun.

“The appreciation for both sports, coming together, learning what American football is about,” said Carter in the media centre at Scotiabank Arena, noting there were a couple of Bills players attending the game. “They’ve never had the opportunity to experience what Raptors basketball looks like nowadays and that’s what we want.

“We want the appreciation to both sides, and that’s why we were excited about joining the Bills, having the opportunity to bring this collaboration together.”

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Carter and McGrady, cousins who both started their careers with the Raptors in the late 1990s, said they hoped the passionate fanbases of the NBA and NFL teams would rub off on each other.

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“Seeing what Jurassic Park looks like, particularly when they’re on the road during the playoffs and those things,” said Carter, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. “Seeing what Bills Mafia, if you’ve never had that opportunity, I recommend it, if you’re not a part of it, just to watch it.

“It’s just something special and (we want) both sides to kind of collab and do it together.”

Carter, McGrady and former Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore are part of a group of private equity investors that bought a 20 per cent stake in the Bills in December 2024.

Bills players DeWayne Carter, Landon Jackson, and Michael Hoecht of Oakville, Ont., were introduced to the sold-out crowd at Scotiabank Arena during a stoppage of play in the first quarter, throwing signed footballs to fans. Combo Raptors-Bills T-shirts were also given away to all spectators in attendance.

McGrady and Carter both grew up in Florida and said that football was formative to them as kids. McGrady said that one particular memory stuck with him.

“My mom worked at Disney World, and I remember the day I was, like nine years old, she came home and she brought me a Randall Cunningham autograph,” said McGrady, who was inducted into basketball’s Hall of Fame in 2017. “They used to have the Pro Bowl in Orlando, right? So she came home, I was super excited.

“I was a fan of all sports, that was my life, even as a kid, but it was definitely embedded in me.”

That love of all sports remains in McGrady who said that he even intends to go through the Bills Mafia tradition of jumping through a folding table, probably.

“I’ve already told him, I’m going to do it,” said McGrady, gesturing to Carter.

“Right now, I can’t do it,” added McGrady, rubbing his knee. “We’re going to build to it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Plagued by slow starts, this time, the Warriors couldn’t finish.

After coach Steve Kerr called out the Warriors’ effort while falling behind early in their last game against the Lakers, they responded by jumping out to a 17-point first half lead against the Clippers.

It all fell apart after halftime in a 114-101 loss.

Kris Dunn drained a corner 3 on the first possession of the fourth quarter to give the Clippers their first lead since early in the first period and scored nine of his 16 points after halftime. 

Matched up almost exclusively against Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard’s 37-game streak of scoring 20 or more looked to be in serious jeopardy — until he exploded for 15 in the second half to finish with 23. Benedict Mathurin added 15 after halftime to finish with 17, and Darius Garland contributed 12 in his Clippers debut.

Golden State was locked in from the get-go on defense, turning six turnovers into nine points and holding the Clippers to 7-of-24 from the field while jumping out to a 31-19 lead after one.

Brandin Podziemski poured in 20 points in the first half but added only two points to that total after halftime. Al Horford finished with 17 — a team-best 11 in the second half — but Golden State couldn’t pick up the slack.

The Warriors committed 10 turnovers that led to 17 points and shot 15-of-45 (33.3%) from the field as they watched a 56-42 halftime lead turn into a double-digit defeat.

What it means

There are now just 1.5 games separating the Warriors and the Clippers in the Western Conference playoff picture. LA is currently in ninth place and if Ty Lue’s squad can overtake Golden State, it would send the Warriors to the No. 9-10 play-in matchup.

The teams meet once more, on the final day of the regular season.

Turning point

When Leonard stepped back and drained his first bucket of the second half.

The Warriors still held a 58-44 lead at the time, not quite a minute into the third quarter. By the time the fourth quarter began, Golden State’s advantage had been cut to 79-77.

The Warriors never reclaimed a lead after Dunn sank the 3 to start the fourth.

MVP: Nate Williams

Who? The newcomer to the Warriors — signed to a two-way contract on Feb. 17 — scored 15 points in 17 minutes in only his second game with Golden State.

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard who attended nearby Prolific Prep (Napa) also occasionally switched onto Leonard, even forcing a steal and a loose-ball foul that sent him to the foul line.

It wasn’t quite a career-high for the 27-year-old but was his best NBA scoring game since he was a rookie with the Rockets in 2022-23.

Stat of the game: -18

Kerr strategically staggered Green’s minutes to match up with the Clippers’ top option, and it mostly worked — for the first half. Green faceguarded Leonard all game, and Golden State was a plus-seven in his minutes before halftime — minus-2 for Leonard.

Just like the scoreboard, that flipped in the second half.

Green finished the game minus-18, while Leonard was plus-16.

Up next

The Warriors hit the road for three games, beginning Thursday at the Rockets. It will be difficult to win without Curry at Houston, or against the Thunder on Saturday, but they end the trip with a gettable game against the Jazz in Utah.

In addition to Curry, whose earliest return is March 13, it hasn’t been determined whether Kristaps Porzingis will make the trip after missing his fifth straight game with an illness Kerr described as “a little mysterious.”

Who can stop the Spurs?

Two of the NBA’s largest superstars, Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama, will converge on the Garden floor for a Sunday matinee.

The Knicks, who are third overall in the East, are pegged as 2.5-point underdogs while the Spurs, closely trailing the West lead, roll in on an eleven-game win streak.

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What our Post expert thinks about Knicks vs. Spurs

These two played in San Antonio on New Year’s Eve, when the Spurs edged the Knicks 134-132. The Spurs’ balance was on full display with Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie scoring 31 and 36 points, respectively, and De’Aron Fox recording 26.

Now, both head into this game as top-five teams in net rating, with the Spurs ranking No. 3 (6.9) and the Knicks (5.4).

This projects to be a high-scoring affair with both teams ranking within the top-seven of offensive rating and the Knicks averaging 119.3 points at home.

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Why Trust New York Post Betting

Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.

Friday’s game between the Pistons and Cavaliers was delayed for roughly 12 minutes — all because the horn at Little Caesars Arena would not turn off.

During a timeout midway through the third quarter with the Pistons leading 65-64, an electrical malfunction caused the horn to keep running, prompting officials to stop the game until arena staff could fix the issue.

“I’m here at the scorer’s table, and there was a complete malfunction electrical-wise here,” sideline reporter Jorge Sedano said during the ESPN broadcast. “You can see this gentleman here working frantically to try and get everything reset.”

Sedano added that both the clocks and the score went out across the entire arena.

“Clearly you hear the horn still going off, and there’s a level of frustration here trying to figure that out,” he said. “I spoke to both coaching staffs — [Pistons head coach] J.B. Bickerstaff and [Cavaliers head coach] Kenny Atkinson — and asked them, ‘Guys, have you ever dealt with anything like this at any level?’

“They both shook their heads and said, ‘No, this is definitely a first.’”

According to the Associated Press, the malfunction was ultimately caused by a power surge.

Fans across the arena looked visibly frustrated — as some covered their ears — as the horn continued to blare.

The delay was also long enough that both the Pistons and Cavaliers started to warm up again until it was fixed.

The horn finally turned off after 12 minutes, which prompted a loud roar from the Detroit crowd.

“There you go,” play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco said on the broadcast once the horn turned off. “The horn is stopped, and the fans applaud.”

For the remainder of the game, the scoring crew was tasked with using a manual airhorn while the arena was without the main scoreboard.