DENVER -- The banged-up Colorado Avalanche will be without another forward in Jonathan Drouin due to an upper-body injury.

Drouin's expected to miss at least two games before his injury is reassessed. The 29-year-old left winger didn't have a shot on goal in more than 21 minutes of ice time during a season-opening 8-4 loss at Vegas on Wednesday.

His absence is a big offensive blow for a team that's already missing forwards Gabriel Landeskog (knee) and Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder). Another forward, Valeri Nichushkin, is serving a suspension that's in effect until at least mid-November.

"Obviously, every guy that's missing makes the job more difficult," coach Jared Bednar said after practice Friday as his team prepares for its home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. "But it forces our team to dig in on the details and the commitment side of the game right away.

"We said it going in - we have to expect that everyone in our lineup has to be on top of their game, not just be in a role, but driving that role in order to have success. That's a little bit of pressure right out of the gate."

The Avalanche added another goaltender Friday by claiming Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. This comes on the heels of a rough outing from Alexandar Georgiev, who allowed five goals on 16 shots against the Golden Knights, and Justus Annunen, who surrendered two goals on four shots.

The 28-year-old Kahkonen spent last season with the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils, compiling a 7-24-3 mark. He will join the Avalanche organization once he clears immigration.

Kahkonen is 49-67-15 with a 3.33 goals-against average since entering the NHL in 2019-20.

"We've seen better from our goalies than we've seen here recently, and if they can elevate their game, great," Bednar said. "And if Kahkonen and can come in and play well, great. It's about winning hockey games. If we can get incrementally better in any position, we'll try and do it, especially when there's low risk involved."

Mikko Rantanen, fresh off a hat trick to start the season, was pleased to see the team pick up Kahkonen, another player from Finland.

"I know him pretty well. He's my age, from Finland - a pretty small country, so I basically know everybody," Rantanen cracked. "I don't know everybody, but (as) hockey players you know a little bit about everybody. We skated together in the summers, and we won the World Juniors together. It's good to have him. He's a good goalie."

Rantanen said after practice there have been no developments on the contract-extension front. He's in the final year of his deal.

"Like I said before, it's done when it's done," Rantanen said. "We'll see what happens with that. I just try to focus on the ice."

AUSTIN, Texas -- United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino dubbed hosting the 2026 World Cup "a massive, massive responsibility" and has called on U.S. fans to help push the team forward.

Pochettino will lead the USMNT in a match for the first time on Saturday against Panama at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, and he's eager to get his side off to a winning start. But he also has an eye on the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. is co-hosting alongside Canada and Mexico.

That tournament will mark the second time the U.S. has hosted the World Cup, with the first instance taking place in 1994. That World Cup provided a massive boost to the sport in the U.S., with the money made from that tournament helping to launch MLS. Pochettino is hoping to channel that enthusiasm in the run-up to 2026.

"I think it's a massive responsibility for us to try [for] our fans to provide a sport that can be exciting and enjoyable like another sport here that leads the country," he said during a roundtable with reporters, and referencing the most popular sports in the U.S. "And I think that our responsibility is a massive, massive responsibility."

It's a pressure from which Pochettino said he is trying to shield his players. In his very first meeting with the USMNT he mentioned how important it is to rise above any stress they might be feeling.

"In soccer, players need to express themselves. They play because of their talent," Pochettino said. "If you put too much pressure on, then you stop expressing your talent because it's too much thought or too [many] things in your head."

For the Argentine, that is where the fans come in, regardless of whether the team is winning or losing, playing well or not playing well.

Without question the 2024 calendar year has been a frustrating period for USMNT fans. The team failed to get out of the group stage at the 2024 Copa America, and had some tense moments in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal against Jamaica. A 5-1 friendly loss to Colombia was sobering as well.

Pochettino is hoping that with the fans' help, the USMNT can begin to reestablish some momentum.

"Together, we need to build that confidence and trust that we can arrive in two years and be really competitive and to feel proud about a sport that maybe [wasn't born] here but starts to belong here," Pochettino said.

"That I think is going to be really important. But without the fans, it's impossible. We need the fans ... to buy this idea. If not, it's impossible. In Germany, in Argentina, in Brazil, why soccer there is the first thing? Because of the fans."

The men who raised the alarm were the first to fall, an extra cruelty to it all. But at least this way, they were heard.

"If this carries on we will have no option but to go on strike: we're worried it's too much," said the Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez; at the end of September; six days later, he tore an anterior cruciate knee ligament. The European champion, Ballon d'Or candidate and arguably the best player in the world will not play for a year.

A week or so after that, Dani Carvajal was stretchered off at the Santiago Bernabeu, hiding his head in his shirt and sobbing, the screams heard in the silence of the stadium. He had torn two ligaments and a tendon in his right knee. A season that had started with the Real Madrid and Spain defender insisting "it's not chance that there are so many injuries" and telling anyone who would listen that "we can't play 72 games ... the authorities have to analyse this," was over already. Another Ballon d'Or candidate who won't be seen again for many months.

This was not the first time Spain's captains had warned that football risked destroying footballers, and with them, the game itself.

Carvajal was asked during the Euros whether he feared for Lamine Yamal, a 16-year-old who had already played 58 professional games since the previous August and was preparing for the semifinals at the time. Could Lamine be another prodigious Barcelona kid exposed early like Ansu Fati, Pedri and Gavi, all of whom had suffered serious injuries that cut them down young? Carvajal replied that yes, but no ... he feared for every player.

"Personally, I have more energy than ever," Carvajal said. "But looking at what is coming next year: a preseason, a Super Cup outside Spain, an entire month for the Club World Cup, at least two more games in the Champions League, maybe four, the calendar is unviable. And the quality of the games will drop because it is impossible that players keep up that level all year, playing every three days."

Just before Spain's Euros quarterfinal in Stuttgart, Rodri had said: "I sincerely think that something needs to be done. Because there are more and more [games], and it looks like it isn't about to stop. In the end, you have to take care of the player and I am very conscious of that because I reached a point where I can't [do it] anymore, you can't do it anymore."

Rodri was on 61 games for the season and still had two left. As Man City reached the spring, he had already admitted that he was exhausted. In the end, he would reach 185 games over three campaigns. One hundred and eighty-five. In the last of them, the Euro 2024 final in Berlin, he had to go off after 45 minutes. It was time, he intimated before the quarterfinal, with Spain competing for the euros, for players to take collective action.

"In fact," he said, "there have been situations in which we have spoken ... someone has to put their hand up, the people who have power above all, the big organisations, and say, 'Hey, look, this is all well and good but we have to take care.'"

On Saturday, Spain play their first home game since the Euros and two of their best players -- two of the three captains -- will be missing from what should be a triumphant homecoming. They are not the only ones.

"We got to the table, sat down, and said: bloody hell, Rodri's missing, and Dani, Ferran, Olmo ... we miss them," said defender Dani Vivian, having joined up with the national team at their Las Rozas HQ. Nico Williams pulled out next, then Yeremy Pino.

Pino had been involved in the serious injuries suffered by Carvajal and, a couple of weeks earlier, Marc André ter Stegen, the blameless opponent challenging them in both cases ending up in tears. "Yeremy is affected," said the Villarreal coach, Marcelino Garcia Toral. "It's not long since he came back from a serious knee injury of his own; he knows what it is like."

Too many players do. The Spanish league has never reached the second international break of the season having played so many games -- nine weeks have already been played already -- and they have never seen so many injuries. There were 101 in the opening six weeks alone, 94 in September. Fourteen players have already gone under the knife. By the October break, the injury count was up at 200, with more than 10 clubs in double figures. Between the two international breaks, the European teams had played seven club games.

Nor is it just Spain. The past two seasons in the Premier league has seen injuries increase 11% and 21.93%, respectively. Read Carvajal's words again: "it's not chance."

"The increase in the number of games in the Champions League, the Club World Cup [expanded to a month of competition in the summer] and the expansion of the Nations League has seen players rebel, and that rebellion is understandable from those who are immersed in so many competitions," said Pablo de la Torre, the fitness coach at Bournemouth, whose teams have always been characterised by high energy.

"The number of hours has risen and that has been a reason, albeit not the only one, that we have seen an increase in injuries. Those footballers play in leagues where the metrics show that the demands are increasing in terms of high-intensity effort and sprints."

De la Torre is keen not to oversimplify complex questions of cause and effect. But, he added: "There is very recent scientific evidence to show that tissues -- in this case in the hamstring, which is the most commonly occurring injury -- are not fully recovered, ready to compete again every three days, and that shows how those players with international commitments, especially at the end of the season, experience a drop in their output compared to the 10 weeks prior to international competition.

"Other studies suggest that players over 2,500-3,000 minutes have an increased risk of injury, and perhaps that is the human cost of a saturated calendar for star players."

Said Edu Alvarez, a physio who worked at Manchester City and Real Sociedad: "It's not so much that the difference in the number of games is so significant for most players. If you take the GPS figures from 20 years ago, the total distance is similar. Where does it change? In the intensity. We have never run 36 km/h before. Never done so many high intensity repetitions. The duels are not what they were. Football is more physical now. There are many factors, but one of them is that we haven't adapted the calendar, the rest and games to the intensity demanded by modern football."

"There's another thing I think is important," Alvarez added. "Look at NBA, NFL. They have a lot of games but in the summer, the break is bigger. In football, you get guys who can't clear out their system, rest properly and have a good preseason. The rests we are seeing are short."

Brian Moore called it the "perfect storm." A bio-analyst quoted in Marca, Moore said "we have a calendar that is always expanding with more international competitions and preseasons held around the world that bring us ever closer to a season that never ends. In football there have never been so many injuries, and this is going to be another brutal year."

Something must shift, everyone seems to agree. But what? There is a kind of simplistic consensus that the number of games should be reduced. That some of them have to be taken off the calendar. But which ones?

The short answer is: someone else's, and that's the problem.

Getting rid of national teams will fix this. Ditching the cups will fix this. Reducing the leagues will fix this.

A Super league will fix this.

Choose the one that suits you. Everyone else does.

Maheta Molango, the head of the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), has suggested three basic measures: (1) to fix a max number of games per season, probably somewhere between 50 and 60; (2) to agree on a maximum of six matches back to back, such as every three days, in any one stretch; and (3) to protect a summer break of at least three to four weeks.

His opposite number at the Spanish players' union, David Aganzo, said, "The footballing authorities need to protect football more, but they look more at the economic side of it than the footballing side." And that's the thing. Follow the money. It's the economy, stupid. "We're the protagonists of this sport or this business, whatever you want to call it," Rodri said.

"We have to adapt the structure, fixtures, rest and games to the actual demands made on players these days," Alvarez said. "How? That's complex, because there are economic questions, issues beyond the football itself."

The number of games keeps expanding because it's a business, the revenue growing all the time. European football generates 38% more than it did five years ago, according to AS, the game squeezed ever more tightly. Everyone has a vested interest, and arguments are so often conditioned by those, responsibility and blame apportioned elsewhere. With that there often comes a proprietorial, entitled tone.

When players say there are too many games, the classic retort -- which when you think about it, when you contemplate players as employees and workers, is an old favourite across all industries -- is to say: earn less. They might be the only ones whose interests are not solely financial, which is not to say their interests are not also financial. "They say drop your salary, then; we have never said we wouldn't," Carvajal said.

"Maybe the commercialisation of the product has taken us closer to burnout for the main actors; the players are exposed physically and mentally and may come to feel they are in a golden cage," De la Torre said.

It should be noted that for a lot of players, this is not a problem, and that is a factor to take into account when considering where to cut games from, if indeed anyone is willing to do so: a footballer in primera, not playing in Europe and not an international, won't play much more than 40 games a season in any season. This is an elite issue, which leads to another familiar, and often facile target, especially at this time of year: the national teams.

In the media in Spain and among fans, a phrase is always applied: they call it the "FIFA virus," referring to the damage during the international break, and it is something that afflicts clubs and players. It is said as if only international teams play irrelevant games, as if players only get injured when they are with their countries. For many supporters, the international breaks outside of summer tournament season are just periods during which to pray your players come back fit or better still one for them to avoid already.

Which, actually, they sometimes do. This break, with the number of games that lie ahead present in everyone's minds, with what you could almost call a psychosis around injury now as it becomes a subject that dominates everything, the number of international pull-outs has been high. Perhaps even suspiciously high: one Spanish paper called it a "hidden strike," and some in France have put speech marks around the injury that kept Kylian Mbappé out of the latest get-together, preserving him for club commitments.

There is also a sneaking feeling that because this has become such a live issue, players are prioritising certain games even if it is only at some subconscious level. That they are trying to "dosify" their efforts. Some matches are for getting through, others for actually playing.

For Spain especially, the impact of the international team on players' health and their clubs' fortunes has been a sensitive subject, with accusations aimed at the federation and national team coach Luis de la Fuente of failing in their duty of care.

Aged just 18, Pedri's career was set back by injury at the end of a season in which he played 80 games: he went to the Euros and the Olympics in 2021. This summer, so did Fermín López: there was a sense of inevitability and anger when, having barely taken a break, he got injured. There was fear that Yamal would do the same, and relief when he announced that he had decided against it. Gavi, another teenager, suffered a serious knee injury in November 2023 -- the very day after De la Fuente insisted "good players never rest." That phrase bit him hard.

International demands are also growing: the World Cup was moved to the winter, bigger than ever. The Euros will have an expanded field, too. The Nations League brings another competition not on the calendar before, and it will also grow. Many fans, thanks to a media dominated (in Spain at least) by the big clubs, find it hard to care about the rest of the year all that much. In some cases, players travel a long way, across the Atlantic and back. Sometimes they then don't even play. They train differently, routines are broken. And so, the narrative is built, perhaps a little easily: it's the fault of "pointless" international games and national team coaches. And there is a trump card for this argument here of course, often played: it is the clubs that "own" the players.

But then the Spanish Super Cup is expanded and taken to Saudi Arabia. The Champions League gets bigger at the behest of the clubs (and under threat of a breakaway). The Club World Cup is huge, another Gianni Infantino invention. More and more, played by the same men. And not the men who design the schedules, which are always suited more to TV audiences than to teams.

It's not the international teams that take teams on preseason tours across time zones and territories where the priority is expansion over preparation. (Preseason, De la Torre confirmed, is of vital importance.) While the biggest Spanish clubs have played every 3.1 days over the past month, the international teams will play twice in a 10-day period. Some players confide that it is a welcome break, mentally at least. Clubs too have games that matter less than others, in which they can rotate their team. When there is a small gap in the calendar, what do clubs do? Fly off and play a lucrative friendly somewhere.

"We're not responsible for the fixture list," insisted Santi Denia, Spain's U21 coach. "At the U21 level, the average is that 10% of a player's time is with the national team, 90% with his club, who has to manage this." Next summer, Denia takes his team to the Euros, which happens at the same time as the Club World Cup. And it is his team, not any of the clubs, that will miss out if a player is faced with a clash. And he wants to win too. Everyone does. Competition is paramount; protection, well, that can be someone else's problem. Until the golden goose tears a ligament.

"We are never responsible," De la Fuente told the media, his tone bullish, maybe even irritable. "FIFA did a study: only 3.5% of a player's minutes are with the national team."

There was a sleight of hand there: in tournament years that number is higher, and the demands are too. When Pedri got injured, for example, it was far higher.

"If I was at a club and I had a player for 11 months a year, I would try a different routine in terms of rest and rotation. Here, we have only four get-togethers and we have to choose the best players," De la Fuente continued. "Besides, we have always prioritised players' health. There are some who don't join up with the squad and although we don't say so because it's a private matter, that's why: to look after them. But you have to compete. And when the results are not good, you lot are the first to say so. It's all for the benefit of Spanish football."

The doubt might be whether enough of it -- whether enough of any of it -- is for the benefit of Spanish footballers, the men upon whom the whole thing depends. And in the end, everyone wants the same thing. That's the theory, at least. "The solution I see is dialogue: sit, talk, see," De la Fuente said. "This is a problem that has been identified and has to be discussed. The governing bodies, the clubs, the players, all the interested parties have to sit down. It's evident, but no one takes action."

"There is quantifiable data to show that the demands made on players in the big leagues is going up and the performance level is going in the opposite direction, which maybe diminishes the quality in favour of quantity," De la Torre said, and that is not good for anyone.

And yet if the diagnosis can be shared, if everyone claims to care, then agreeing on a treatment seems to be a different matter.

"I love playing football, but it is true that when you do it so much, so often and so repeatedly there's a point that the body doesn't do what the head wants and that is where the risk is," Mikel Merino said. "We have to look after ourselves and do things the best way possible. We all benefit from players being in the best shape, at 100 percent. That brings more spectacular games, more goals, a higher level. FIFA, UEFA, fans, players, everyone, wants that.

"We don't want to be in a situation where we play more games that are not as good and don't interest anyone. We have to find common ground and get this fixed."

After a high-flying career that traversed 22 seasons, "Air Canada" officially lands at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Vince Carter's enshrinement caps a career defined by big-time slam dunks and impressive longevity. Carter played for eight teams, most notably with the Toronto Raptors during the first 5 seasons of his career followed by 4 seasons with the then-New Jersey Nets.

An eight-time All-Star, he is the only player whose career spanned four different decades, and his 1,541 games are third most in NBA history behind fellow Hall of Famers Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Carter joined the Raptors on draft night in 1998 (originally selected by the Golden State Warriors) and made an instant impact, winning 1998-99 Rookie of the Year. The "Vinsanity" era really took off in 2000 when he won the NBA All-Star Game slam dunk contest, followed by his gravity-defying dunk over 7-foot-2 center Frédéric Weis at the Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Sunday's Hall of Fame ceremony will be the first of several this season honoring Carter, who retired in 2020. On Nov. 2, the Raptors will retire his No. 15 jersey, making him the franchise's first player to receive that honor. The Brooklyn Nets will also retire No. 15 on Jan. 25 for Carter's seasons in New Jersey.

Carter not only left an impression on his teammates and opponents, but on those who covered his game. Ahead of the weekend's ceremonies, ESPN reporters share their favorite moments and memories from Carter's career.

Family ties: How two Hall of Famers found out they were related

I've been fortunate to be teammates with both Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Well, "teammates" in that we've been on the same TV set doing "NBA Today" together. Whenever Vince or Tracy were on, we'd refer to them as cousins. Because they are related, and it's delightful that both will be in the NBA Hall of Fame now.

What you might not know is that they found out they were cousins only when McGrady was a senior in high school and Carter at North Carolina. According to McGrady, they grew up playing for the same AAU team and traveled in many of the same circles. But it wasn't until McGrady visited Chapel Hill to play in a pickup game that the familial connection was made.

"No one was letting me use their locker," McGrady recalled. "So Vince was like, 'Yo man, you can use my locker. Just because of our times on Team Florida together, I guess."

A few days later, McGrady attended a family reunion in Florida.

"I'm having a conversation with my grandmother with a table full of people," he said. "And we started talking about basketball, obviously. This lady goes, my grandson is playing college ball in North Carolina.

"I was like, ' Where is he at?' She was like, 'Chapel Hill. He's a Tar Heel.' ... She called him Vincent. I said, 'Hold on, Vincent?'

"She said, 'Vincent Carter.' I said, 'Vince?' She's like, 'Yeah, that's my grandson.

"I looked at my grandmother, and I said, 'Are you two related?' She was like, 'Yes.'"

McGrady immediately called his newly discovered cousin.

"He was like, 'Bro, I know you f---ing lying.' He didn't believe it. ... You just left me. What are you talking about?

"I say, 'Bro, I'm sitting here with your grandmother right now at the family reunion."

McGrady went straight from high school to the NBA, being drafted ninth in the 1997 draft by the Raptors. The following season, Carter declared for the draft after three years at UNC. McGrady mentioned his older cousin to then-Raptors coach Butch Carter.

"I told him, 'We got to draft him, man. We got to draft. I mean, I was 18 years old, in a foreign country, and if y'all trying to make me the future of this franchise, I need some input and I want somebody to go with me that I feel comfortable with. Plus, he's the most talented cat in this draft. Put us together."

The Raptors obliged, and NBA history was born. "It was just such a joy," McGrady said. "Unbelievable. To have him as a teammate and finding out we was cousins at the same time. Then to watch someone become a star right before your eyes and take the league by storm at such a young age.

"He came in his rookie year and he was doing some s--- that we never seen before. And what I tell you, I was like the biggest Vince Carter fan." -- Ramona Shelburne

'It's over' in Oakland: Carter's iconic slam dunk

There are a lot of Vince Carter memories to choose from, but the one that will always stand out to me was the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk competition in Oakland, California. That was my first season covering the NBA, and it was cool to see my first All-Star Weekend back at home.

There was oddly a lot of rain that weekend, but the scene inside for the dunk contest at the Arena at Oakland was a vibe. Shaquille O'Neal famously recorded the event from a handheld camcorder while the likes of Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Dikembe Mutombo sat courtside. The field was a solid one with Ricky Davis, Steve Francis, Larry Hughes, Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse among the competition.

As someone who had loved watching the dunk contest since childhood, I was looking forward to this event more than the actual All-Star Game. Carter opened with a beautiful and punishing reverse 360 slam, and there was an eruption from the crowd that shifted the spotlight to him and only him for the rest of the night.

Kenny Smith was yelling, 'Let's go home,' over and over on TV. Fans were holding up "10" signs and NBA stars' mouths were wide open with amazement. With the crowd in the palm of his hands, Carter's momentum continued as he put the ball through his legs for his third dunk and turned to the camera and said, "It's over."

It was, indeed, over. Carter turned in one of the most dominating and memorable performances in dunk contest history. After the dust settled, I went to a party in San Francisco with performances by artists such as Snoop Dogg and Destiny's Child where Carter's name was the humming topic of conversation over the music. -- Marc J. Spears

How Carter's arrival to the Nets changed the franchise

The impact that Vince had on the New Jersey Nets is immeasurable and not talked about enough. After two straight NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003, and then a second-round loss to the eventual champion Detroit Pistons in 2004 (I still blame Chauncey Billups for the half-court shot that forced overtime in Game 5), ownership decided that offseason to break up the team.

Before the 2004-05 season, Kenyon Martin was dealt to the Denver Nuggets via sign-and-trade for three first-round picks. Kerry Kittles was sent to the LA Clippers for a second-round pick. Sixth-man Lucious Harris was waived. Jason Kidd had microfracture surgery on his left knee that kept him out for the beginning of the season. The turnover of the roster resulted in New Jersey stumbling out of the gates with just two wins in its first 13 games. The organization was listless and with no direction.

But on Dec. 17, 2004, that all changed when team president of basketball operations Rod Thorn pulled off one of the biggest trades in franchise history. I was part of the Nets' front office during that time. It was a cold Friday, and I still remember walking into Rod's office. He handed me a piece of paper and asked me to run the numbers on the trade. The first name that appeared was Vince Carter. I was stunned and in disbelief.

The next day Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and two of the two first-round picks that were acquired from Denver in the Martin trade were sent to Toronto for Carter. It got the team back on track. Carter averaged 27.5 points that season and formed a formidable backcourt partnership with Kidd once he returned.

A late-season push saw New Jersey squeak into the 2005 playoffs on the last day of the regular season. Carter and the Nets fared better in 2006, reaching the second round of the playoffs before losing to the eventual champion Miami Heat. In 2007, it was another second-round exit -- this time at the hands of LeBron James on his way to his first NBA Finals appearance with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nets never reached the Finals with Carter, but the organization changed for the better after he arrived. -- Bobby Marks

The best in-person NBA dunk? Carter puts 'Zo on a poster

When Vince Carter arrived to the Nets in 2004, I immediately knew I would be seeing dunks like I've never seen before. Having covered the Nets era that included back-to-back NBA Finals appearances from 2001 to 2003, I saw my fair share of jaw-dropping, no-look alley-oops from Jason Kidd to Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson.

But the greatest dunk I've ever witnessed live was in Miami courtesy of Carter.

The play started with Jefferson driving and missing a shot over Alonzo Mourning, who, in 2005, was one of the most intimidating shot blockers in the game. Mourning couldn't secure the rebound, and the ball bounced off his hands toward Carter on the right wing. With Jason Williams chasing after the ball, Carter snatched the loose ball with his right hand and, incredibly, dribbled behind his back before moving and catching the ball with his right hand to elude Williams.

Watch the replay! The move itself was a highlight. You don't notice it because of what comes next.

I was sitting baseline behind the basket, and Vince was heading straight toward me. He had a clear path to the paint, and it looked like the seas had parted. Mourning was the only one standing in the way of the rim. Mourning was the only one standing in the way. It didn't matter. Carter took off. It seemed like he kept rising and with his right arm cocked back, threw down the most ridiculous poster dunk right on top of Mourning.

Heat legend Dwyane Wade later said, "That's top 10 ... in the whole history of the NBA."

Even sweeter was the fact that Mourning, who played for the Nets in the previous season but wanted out of New Jersey, had been traded for Carter. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

Carter's late-game heroics haunt his former team in Toronto

Toronto has long been one of the coldest stops in the NBA for visiting teams, but few experienced as chilly of a reception as Carter after being traded to New Jersey in 2004.

After being named Rookie of the Year and then earning five straight All-Star bids with the franchise, Carter's star stalled in Canada as he led the Raptors to just one playoff series win in six years.

Following the trade, the high-flying forward became a symbol of untapped potential for the fan base, and Torontonians ruthlessly let him hear it whenever he returned as an opponent.

By the time Jan. 8, 2006, came around, Carter had already gone 2-0 in his first trips north of the border when he returned a third time to put together a masterful performance.

"He was amazing the whole game. Lobs, pin-downs, 3s," former Raptors guard Jose Calderon told ESPN, looking back at the game. "He made shot after shot. It didn't matter what kind of defense."

Calderon, just a rookie at the time, went to the free throw line with Toronto up by one with 7.2 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second.

Then Carter took over.

"He pulled up for a deep 3 to win the game," Calderon said about the Nets' 105-104 win. "What a return."

That shot capped Carter's 42-point performance, with 24 coming in the fourth quarter.

As amazing as that was for Carter, it was only half as impressive as his win in Toronto two years later.

On Nov. 21, 2008 -- against a Raptors team that had revamped by building around Chris Bosh and 2006 No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani -- Carter came up clutch twice. Trailing by three with 3.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Carter received an inbounds pass from beyond the arc, squared up and nailed a triple to tie the score and force overtime.

Then, in the extra session, he flashed his signature hops to win it for the Nets by throwing down a two-handed, reverse dunk off an alley-oop pass inbounded from near half court to give New Jersey the go-ahead score. -- Dave McMenamin

Carter turns back the clock in Mavs playoff thriller

Carter's mind flashed back to one of the toughest moments of his career as the huddle broke and he walked onto the court at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

There were 1.7 seconds remaining in Game 3 of the Dallas Mavericks' 2014 first-round series against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs. Dallas trailed by two points. Carter wasn't the primary option on the play, but then-Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told him during the timeout that he'd likely get the winning look.

"Hey, let's make this one," Carter said after the game, remembering his previous opportunity to win a playoff game with a buzzer-beater.

Carter was referring to May 20, 2001 -- a date he could never forget. It was Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Carter, then a young superstar at the peak of "Vinsanity," came off a screen, caught the inbounds pass on the left wing, pump-faked to get the defender to fly by ... and missed the jumper off the back iron.

It ended up being Carter's final playoff appearance in a Raptors uniform. Four teams and 13 years later, an eerily similar opportunity ended up in hands of Carter, who has transitioned into a gray-bearded sixth man.

He popped out to the left corner, turned toward the basket with his heels raised safely above the sideline, pump-faked to get Manu Ginobili to fly by and launched a jumper. This one swished through the net as the red lights framed the backboard, giving the underdog Mavs the lead in a series they stretched to seven games, the Spurs' toughest battle in that season's title run.

"I can take that shot with confidence, and I can live with it," Carter said minutes after the buzzer sounded and Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the Mavs' roster mobbed him.

"Sometimes you miss a big shot -- 2001 -- and you hold on to it for a while until you get the opportunity again. I'm just glad it worked out this time years later." -- Tim MacMahon

Major League Baseball spring training facilities on Florida's west coast appear to have been mostly spared major damage during Hurricane Milton.

Unlike two years ago when Hurricane Ian caused extensive damage that shut down the Tampa Bay Rays' spring home in Port Charlotte, no teams have reported Milton causing serious issues that might impact operations this winter.

The Rays continue to assess the situation at their training complex and stadium in Port Charlotte, as well as at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, where Milton shredded the roof of the domed stadium that has been their regular-season home since the franchise's inception in 1998.

The damage from Hurricane Ian cost more than $17 million to fix and forced the Rays to split workouts and spring training games between Disney World, near Orlando, and St. Petersburg in 2023.

The Port Charlotte complex, which includes Charlotte Sports Park, reopened in time for spring training last winter.

The Atlanta Braves, who train in the Venice, Florida, area, were still assessing the situation there Friday.

The Boston Red Sox reported JetBlue Park in Fort Myers suffered minimal wind and water damage and did not lose power at the stadium throughout the storm.

The team said Lee County will stage 2,000 rescue workers at the ballpark over the next two weeks to aid in cleanup efforts in and around the Fort Myers area.

The Pittsburgh Pirates train in Bradenton, just south of St. Petersburg. A portion of the padding on the outfield wall was knocked down at LECOM Park, and a batter's eye was destroyed at Pirates City, where workouts are held.

"While we appreciate the curiosity, this pales in comparison to what others are facing in the wake of both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton," said Brian Warecki, Pirates senior vice president of communications and broadcasting. "We continue to work alongside Bradenton area first responders ... willing to help in any way we can."

At the New York Yankees complex in Tampa, damage was limited to blown-down foul poles and fences. Seventy-five families used the complex as shelter during the storm.

The Philadelphia Phillies did not report any major damage in Clearwater, but did incur several inches of water in the lower level at BayCare Ballpark. The team is working with the city to repair damage from wind and flooding. The complex was still without power Friday, and there was no word on when normal operations will resume.

On Florida's east coast, an initial report out of Port St. Lucie -- hit hard by tornadoes ahead of Milton's arrival -- indicated no significant damage to the New York Mets' spring home. The team said officials were still assessing the situation.

Glasgow: Rowe, Dobie, Jones, McDowall (c), Cordero, Hastings, Horne;Bhatti, Matthews, Fagerson, Brown, Cummings, Ferrie, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Stewart, McBeth, Schickerling, Samuel, Williamson, Venter, Afshar, Jordan.

Zebre: Prisciantelli, Trulla, Paea, Gregory, Gesi, Da Re, Garcia; Rizzoli, Ribaldi, Nocera, Krumov, Zambonin, Ferrari, Andreani, Licata (c).

Replacements: Bigi, Taddei, Neculai, Canali, Bianchi, Fusco, Mazza, Cambriani.

Sale: Carpenter; Roebuck, Addison, Bedlow, Reed; R du Preez, Warr; McIntyre, Cowan-Dickie, Harper, Bamber, Andrews, Van Rhyn, B Curry, T Curry.

Replacements: Caine, Onasanya, Opoku-Fordjour, Beaumont, D du Preez, Thomas, Curtis, Dugdale.

Sin-bin: Cowan-Dickie (50)

Newcastle: Obatoyinbo; Radwan, Spencer, Hutchison, Stevenson; Grayson, Stuart; Brocklebank, Blamire, Palframan, Rubiolo, Hawkins, Van der Walt, Gordon, Chick.

Replacements: Fletcher, Du Bruin, McCallum, Lockwood, Scott, Davis, Metcalf, Brown.

Sin-bin: Chick (29)

Referee: Karl Dickson

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL draft, is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and missed the team's practice Friday.

Coach Ryan Warsofsky said he didn't know if Celebrini would be available for the Sharks' home game Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks because he was being evaluated.

Celebrini had been dealing with a lower-body injury during training camp and the preseason.

Warsofsky didn't provide additional comment on the circumstances.

Celebrini, 18, made history in his NHL debut, scoring a goal and recording an assist in the Sharks' 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues at home on Thursday.

The goal came 7:01 into the game, when Celebrini tried a pass from the right circle to teammate William Eklund in the slot. The puck deflected off Blues defenseman Matt Kessel's leg and went past goaltender Joel Hofer.

It was the second-fastest goal for a No. 1 pick in his debut, bested only by Mario Lemieux's score 2:59 into his first game for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Celebrini is the sixth-youngest player, at 18 years and 119 days, to score in his NHL debut.

He added his first assist to Tyler Toffoli at the 17:14 mark of the first period.

Celebrini had 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 games last season as a freshman at Boston University. At 17, he became the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award, voted as the top men's player in the NCAA.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says the onus should be on clubs to rest players, not national teams, amid an increase in injuries across European football.

Six of the Spain team that started the European Championship final win over England in the summer will miss this week's UEFA Nations League games against Denmark and Serbia due to injury.

It has led to closer scrutiny of the game time being racked up by Lamine Yamal for club and country, but De la Fuente knocked back the idea of resting the Barcelona teenager this week.

"I speak with Lamine, he's young and we have to manage everyone's minutes, but it's difficult with the national team," the Spain boss said ahead of Saturday's fixture against Denmark in Murcia.

"It's easier to do if I have 70 games [a year] to coach, but I have two a month and we're playing for qualification in every match.

"There's a FIFA study that says just 3.5% of games played by [international] players are with the national team. So, I don't think the responsibility for managing minutes or not falls on the national team. It should fall on those who spend more time with the players."

Yamal, who has started 12 of a possible 13 games for club and country this season, has been handed the No. 10 shirt for Spain this week and the 17-year-old will lead a team missing some of its best players.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri and Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal have both been ruled out for the rest of the season, while Unai Simón, Robin Le Normand, Dani Olmo and Nico Williams are also absent for La Roja.

"It's the ugly part of football, but it's an opportunity for other players," De la Fuente added of the injured players.

"Now those other players have the chance to prove themselves. They are all good players. We won't miss anyone. We do what we have to do: build a competitive team to represent a county.

"We are responsible for our decisions and look out for the health of the players. You can speculate [why there are so many injuries], but it's a combination of factors. The number of games, physical preparation ... All parties should sit down and talk and look for a solution."

Rodri's place in the side will be taken by Real Sociedad's Martín Zubimendi, who came close to joining Liverpool in the summer, and De la Fuente said he has complete confidence in the midfielder.

"Martin's been playing games of this caliber for a long time," he said. "He is first class. If Rodri's the best in the world in his position, Martin is second.

"We don't have any doubts about Zubi, he is so reliable. These are the moments for players to take advantage of their chance and prove their potential. And he never fails."

Ferran Torres, Bryan Gil and Yeremy Pino have all dropped out of the Spain squad in the last week due to injuries, too, while Gavi remains a long-term absentee due to an ACL tear suffered while representing his country last November.

Spain have four points from their first two games in Nations League A Group 4, while Saturday's opponents Denmark sit top of the group with six points.

Serbia, Spain's rival on Tuesday, are third with one point, ahead of Switzerland who are yet to get off the mark.

Denzel Dumfries headed a late equaliser for the Netherlands to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw with Hungary in their Nations League A Group 3 clash in Budapest on Friday, where the visitors finished with 10 men after captain Virgil van Dijk was sent off.

Hungary had the lead on 32 minutes as Tijjani Reijnders lost possession in midfield and Zsolt Nagy's cross to the back post was volleyed into the net by Roland Sallai, who had been an injury doubt before kick-off.

The Dutch created numerous chances, but looked to be heading for a frustrating defeat, made worse when Van Dijk received two yellow cards in the space of three minutes, before Dumfries headed in Cody Gakpo's free-kick to equalise.

Germany lead the Group 3 table at the halfway mark with seven points from their three games, followed by the Netherlands on five. Hungary (two points) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (one) are dropping out of contention for top spot.

Hungary had been hoping for a first win over the Netherlands in 40 years, but did at least end a run of nine straight defeats against the Dutch.

It was a game of possession for the visitors with Hungary trying to hit them on the break, which they managed to do for Sallai's expertly finished opener.

Before that he struck the post having been fed on the edge of the box by Dominik Szoboszlai, with Sallai curling his effort against the woodwork.

The Netherlands had over 80% possession in the first half but did not create all that much in the way of chances, though Cody Gakpo forced a good low save from Hungary goalkeeper Dénes Dibusz.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first as the home side sat back and held on to their lead.

Reijnders had only Dibusz to beat but delayed his shot and forced himself wide with a heavy touch to spurn the chance, before he chose to shoot when a ball across goal to Dumfries would have left the latter with a tap-in at the back post.

With the Dutch growing in frustration, Van Dijk was yellow-carded for dissent before a second booking for a foul left the visitors with 10 men for the final 11 minutes.

Dumfries' powerful header from Gakpo's delivery gave them a deserved point on a night that had looked as though it would end in frustration.