The Raptors Survived A Scare From The Nets To Improve To 2-0 In Their Series

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The Toronto Raptors needed a come from behind effort against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday afternoon to go up 2-0 in their first round series. Despite Brooklyn leading for essentially all of the game’s first three quarters, the Raptors were able to capitalize on 17 Nets turnovers and a late rally to come out on top, 104-99.

The Nets came out like a house of fire. Despite the fact that the team is shorthanded in the Bubble, Brooklyn showed the fight and resiliency that they’ve had from day one. They led for the entirety of the frame, leading by as many as 14 points midway through the quarter. The game did not stay that one-sided, though, because Toronto had Pascal Siakam, who scored 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the first. Siakam played a major role in the team’s 13-0 run that got them back into striking distance.

Still, behind a good quarter from Caris LeVert, a reliable 12 minutes from Jarrett Allen, and some hot shooting — 50 percent from the field, 5-for-9 from three — Brooklyn found itself ahead at the end of the first, 33-29.

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The second quarter was defined largely by Brooklyn’s ability to figure something out when the Raptors looked primed to take the lead. Toronto tied things up or cut the Nets’ lead to one on numerous occasions, but each time, they’d be able to figure something out to get a little breathing room. That changed with 3:13 left in the quarter — after some wretched ball by both teams while the game was tied, Rodions Kurucs picked up a technical foul. Kyle Lowry made the free throw, and for the first time, the Raptors took the lead.

But even after that, the Nets were able to respond. Marc Gasol got a technical of his own, Brooklyn got a little breathing room, and thanks to Toronto going ice cold down the stretch — they only hit two shots from the field in the final six minutes of the quarter — the Nets brought a 53-50 lead into the locker room. Siakam led all scorers with 16, while LeVert stuffed the stat sheet, going for 12 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and a block.

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Brooklyn starting the second quarter as locked in as they did the first. Lowry opened up the scoring with a triple, to which the Nets responded by ripping off 10 points in a row. The good news for the Raptors, though, is that they employ Fred VanVleet, who kept things from getting out of hand. He single-handedly went on a 10-2 run that steadied the waters as things were beginning to look a bit choppy and rendered the Nets’ lead moot.

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Still, Brooklyn kept doing just enough to keep the Raptors at bay. Temple, in particular, did a great job hitting shots — the grizzled veteran forward had 15 points in the quarter, oftentimes giving the Nets an answer whenever Toronto would begin threatening. The 80-74 lead Brooklyn held through three was also aided by shooting woes for their opponents. One of the league’s premier three-point shooting squads, the Raptors only hit nine of their 31 attempts from deep for a paltry 29 percent success rate.

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The game’s familiar thread of “Toronto threatens, Brooklyn comes up with an answer” continued early on in the fourth. But ultimately, the Raptors were able to get over the hump at the 8-minute mark following a pair of free throws by OG Anunoby. And from that point on, Toronto showed off its championship mettle, while the Nets were struck by sloppiness and an inability to hit shots.

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The most impressive part might have been the players to take them home — as Tim Bontemps of ESPN noted, Nick Nurse turned to a seldom-used lineup to see out their win.

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And yet despite all of this, Brooklyn had a chance to win. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot hit a triple with 40 seconds left to pull the Nets to within three, and on the ensuing Toronto possession, Brooklyn was able to force a shot clock violation with 15 seconds left on the clock. But sloppiness did the Nets in, as a turnover led to an uncontested dunk for Norman Powell.

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VanVleet and Powell led the way, with both scoring 24 points. The former added 10 assists and five rebounds, while the latter pulled in six boards. Lowry’s 21 points and nine rebounds were big, as were the 19 points for Siakam. The Nets had six players in double-digits — led by Temple’s 21 — but outside of them, the team score five points. Still, Allen and Joe Harris had matching double-doubles (14 points, 15 rebounds), while LeVert had a double-double in his own right, going for 16 points and 11 dimes.

Game 3 in this series will take place on Friday afternoon. It’s scheduled to tip at 1:30 p.m. EST on NBATV.

Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/raptors-nets-game-2-highlights-videos-nba-playoffs/

College Football Team Works Together To Heroically Save Helpless Woman Hanging From Cliff

A young woman was rappelling down the Sugarloaf Mountain in St George, Utah when her long hair got tangled up in her gear.

She realized she’d gotten herself stuck and began to panic as she hung off the cliff. The man she was with that day called out for help; rescuing her would be no easy task and he needed all the manpower he could get.

It just so happened that the college football team from Dixie State University was nearby. They visit the red rocks every year during fall training — and they collectively jumped into action like a team of real heroes.

Using a lot of rope, a lot of smart strategizing, and a lot of determination, the rescue began to unfold.

For 45 harrowing minutes, the woman hung off the cliff as the young athletes put their own lives at risk to save her.

The team says they were at the right place at the right time, but they’re now being hailed heroes.

Watch the clip below for footage of the scary incident.

Source : https://www.littlethings.com/college-football-team-cliff/

The 10 for 10 Challenge Might Be Perfect for You if You Love Push-Ups

A popular Instagram challenge that first started going viral back in March this year calls on celebs and everyday people alike to take a step back from their remote working setups and do 10 push-ups. 

From Jennifer Hudson to Justin Bieber and beyond, there’s no shortage of stars who gave a shot to the “10 for 10“ or “See 10, Do 10” challenge. So, what are the most notable attempts posted so far? 

So, what exactly is the 10 for 10 challenge on Instagram?

The challenge is relatively straightforward. To participate, you’ll need your phone or other recording apparatus — alas, the Herculean triumph deserves to be shared with your friends and followers — and the physical strength and perseverance required to do 10 push-ups. 

Once you’re finished, you’ll want to tag an uncapped number of friends, thereby prompting them to create their own videos as well. 

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Some celebs turned out to be more successful than others. One of the most hilarious videos posted so far was made by Jennifer Hudson, who called on Jesus to help her out before setting out to perform the daunting challenge. 

“I’m going to have to call on Jesus for this,” Jennifer said before taking the floor, only to go on to clarify that “I can do one … It’s going to have to count as the ten. … I can’t do no pushups.”

After one push-up, Jennifer decided to re-assign the mighty task to her personal assistant, Walter Williams. Needless to add, he nailed it. 

Quavo approached the task with a more nebulous approach. 

As a YouTube video reveals, the rapper didn’t even break a sweat during the challenge. Wearing a pair of bright turquoise sweatpants and a dazzling necklace, he hopped on the floor, did 10 push-ups, and got right back up. According to the timestamp on the video, the procedure took him less than 20 seconds. 

Justin Bieber’s take on the challenge was similar to Quavo’s in many respects. 

Take, for instance, his outfit. Justin went shirtless just the same, wearing only a cream-colored pair of sweatpants for the challenge. But while Quavo prioritized speed, Justin focused on technique.  

Looking directly into the camera, the Canadian singer-songwriter demonstrated exceptional form that can only be attained through months of practice. He only nominated one person to try the challenge, Ryan Good. 

Source : https://www.distractify.com/p/10-for-10-challenge-instagram

Jurnee Smollett Says Racism Is More Of A Threat Than The Nightmare Creatures On ‘Lovecraft Country’

HBO

HBO’s new breakout series Lovecraft Country may be filled with terrifying creatures like Shoggoth and Cthulhu, but actress Jurnee Smollet wants to make it very clear that there is a much greater threat than the show’s horrifying monsters: racism.

“It affects your livelihood and it affects you on every single level,” Smollet told a Television Critics Association panel. “Our heroes essentially are going on a quest to bring down White supremacy. We are still on that quest today in 2020 as Black Americans. Racism is such a demonic spirit — it’s something that we are still fighting off.”

While Lovecraft Country is especially poignant given the Black Lives Matter protests following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Smollett isn’t a fan of referring to the show as “timely,” and she makes a very good point as to why. While sitting down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Smollet notes that the show would be relevant in 1619 as it is today due to systemic racism that has gone on for generations.

The setting for Lovecraft Country only further proves Smollett’s point that tackling racism will be timely at any point in America’s history. Taking place in the 1950s, the series prominently features “sundown towns,” a Jim Crow-era relic where Blacks were not permitted in certain towns after sundown. However, while Smollett is correct that calling Lovecraft Country timely brushes over centuries of white supremacy, the horror show is connecting with modern audiences in a big way. The debut drew similar numbers to HBO’s Watchmen, another critically-acclaimed series that wove America’s racist atrocities like the Tulsa Massacre into its narrative.

Lovecraft Country airs Sunday nights on HBO.

(Via UPI)

Source: https://uproxx.com/tv/jurnee-smollett-racism-bigger-threat-lovecraft-country/

These Supercharged White Blood Cells are Going Back Into a Patient to Fight Cancer

t cell immunotherapy cancer white blood cells in bag These Supercharged White Blood Cells are Going Back Into a Patient to Fight Cancer

Photograph by sarahjewel on reddit

 

The advances being made in medical science continue to astound. For example, the bag above contains white blood cells which were removed from a patient and genetically modified at a laboratory. Now they are about to go back into the patient in hopes of curing their cancer.

This treatment is known at CAR T-Cell Immunotherapy, which was named as the “2017 & 2018 Advance of the Year” by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO):

 

In CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapy, a person’s T cells are removed and taken to a laboratory. The T cells are genetically changed so they will attack cancer cells. These CAR T cells are grown in large numbers and then injected into the patient. One of the remarkable things about this treatment is that it is a “living therapy.” CAR T cells typically have to be injected only once, because they go on to multiply in the body. CAR T cells continue fighting the cancer in the patient’s body, and their effectiveness may even grow over time. [source]

 

 

picture of the day button These Supercharged White Blood Cells are Going Back Into a Patient to Fight Cancer

twistedsifter on facebook These Supercharged White Blood Cells are Going Back Into a Patient to Fight Cancer

 

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Source: https://twistedsifter.com/2020/08/supercharged-white-blood-cells-going-back-into-patient-to-fight-cancer/

Viral Post Gets Real About the Shocking Number of COVID-19 Deaths in the U.S.

As of August 18, 169,870 people in the United States have died of COVID-19. There have been 5.4 million cases. And these numbers are only continuing to rise. It can be difficult to grasp just what these numbers mean and actually look like. 

Sure, it was bad when it was 50,000 deaths, worse when it hit 100,000, and devastating when it hit 150,000. But a potential part of the reason the country isn’t banding together to do more about this pandemic crisis is that without context, those numbers can be hard to visualize and understand. 

For some, it’s not enough to say that these numbers are extreme and horrifying and wildly out of the ordinary, that we should be up in arms about nearly 170,000 people dying within six months. One viral Facebook post intends to clarify what these numbers really mean, to put them in a context that most people can understand.

“I was listening to the news this week when one of the anchors said that we needed to put the 137,000 people dead in four months with COVID-19 into context so people can understand,” her post reads. “He said to imagine those 137,000 dead people were airline passengers, all dying from airplane crashes.

“Losing 137,000 people in four months could be equivalent to 50 planes a week crashing, for four months, with all on board dying. 50 PLANE CRASHES A WEEK. For four months. All on board, DEAD.

“He said if planes were falling out of the sky at a rate of 50 per week, not only would people be horrified, but they would expect something to be done. The government wouldn’t be shrugging their shoulders and acting like it was no big deal.”

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Source: iStock Photo

Her post continues, “I thought this was a great way to put it. No one would or could ignore that. No one would call it a hoax. No one would question the ‘science.’ No one would ignore it for four months. People would want answers, and they would be afraid to get on a plane until something was done. 

“People would say, ‘Planes are crashing around us and no one is taking it seriously.’ This is 171 people per plane, 50 times a week. Let that sink in.”

Has it sunk in yet? This is not normal. This is the equivalent of 50 plane crashes a week. Holly Yan puts it another way in an article for CNN: “If the U.S. suffered a loss of life on the scale of the 9/11 attacks — 50 times over — the tragedy would be incomprehensible. But that’s how many lives coronavirus has claimed in the U.S. since the pandemic started just six months ago.”

She writes that every day, “an average of more than 850 Americans have died from COVID-19.” She reiterates that it can be easy to turn a blind eye or simply not realize how staggering those numbers are. 

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Source: iStock Photo

But it’s imperative that we don’t lose sight of what these numbers actually mean. As Yan, points out, we still have a long way to go before achieving herd immunity, and it might be months and months before a vaccine is available. 

Some estimates put us at 300,000 deaths before the end of the year, deaths that could have been prevented had the U.S. stepped up and taken the necessary steps to stop the spread of the virus.

Source : https://www.distractify.com/p/covid-19-deaths-plane-crashes

MAGIC at BUCKS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | August 18, 2020

MAGIC at BUCKS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | August 18, 2020
MAGIC at BUCKS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | August 18, 2020

The Orlando Magic defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 122-110. Nikola Vucevic tallied a playoff career-high 35 PTS and 14 REB, while Terrence Ross added 18 PTS and 6 REB in the victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 31 PTS, 17 REB and 7 AST for the Bucks.

Game 2: Thursday, August 20 at 6pm/et on ESPN!

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