Coach Nurse leads Raptors to win while grieving
Nick Nurse coached the Toronto Raptors to a 123-99 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday morning (Singapore time), one day after his mum's death.
Marcella Nurse died on Monday at the age of 94 in Carroll, Iowa, Nick Nurse's hometown.
"I'm here because my mother wouldn't want it any other way," Nurse, 51, said before the game at Staples Center.
"I'll coach the game, and then I'll coach the next one tomorrow, and then we'll go back and take care of business."
The Raptors, the top team in the Eastern Conference at 22-7, were playing without Kawhi Leonard, who was ruled out just hours before tip-off due to a sore hip.
Toronto's road trip sees them play defending champions Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California, this morning, with games against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday and the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
"She had a big impact because she had nine of us and I was the last one," Nurse said of his mother.
"Lots of games - 94 years, nine kids and about 80,000 games watched are her final stats."
Meanwhile, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich earned his 1,211st career win with a 111-86 victory over the Phoenix Suns, moving him past Pat Riley for fourth place on the all-time NBA coaching victories list. - REUTERS
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