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MILWAUKEE - On a Saturday evening in early November the Raptors picked up their first road win of the season, defeating the Bucks in Milwaukee for the first time since 2008, the last year in which they qualified for the playoffs. wholesale nfl jerseys . Its been a long and unpredictable campaign that has ultimately led them back to Wisconsin, where five months later they would make history on the same court where it all began. With their 102-98 victory at Bradley Center on Saturday, the Raptors picked up their 21st road win of the season, a franchise record, also assuring theyll finish the year with a winning record away from home for the first time in team history. The Raptors have exceeded every expectation since that first game in Milwaukee but the most surprising notch on their belt may just be the success theyve enjoyed on the road, an unlikely strength for a young and inexperienced team. "Even the veteran teams I had in Dallas and Seattle, it was tough to win on the road," Dwane Casey said. "Our focus has been good on the road for whatever reason. We keep the same routine, we try to make sure our travel is efficient, which is sometimes hard to do, so guys can get rest." Some of their finest moments have come away from the Air Canada Centre. Their second road triumph came in Memphis, Rudy Gays return to his old stomping grounds, a game Toronto won by 16. Just over a month later, Gay now in Sacramento, they overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat Dallas in overtime only to knock off the Thunder in Oklahoma City two days later, a character-building trip for the emerging Raptors. Theyve won a couple contests in Chicago and stolen one in Brooklyn, thanks to a clutch steal and late-game jumper from Patrick Patterson. Even with those victories in mind, the one that sticks out above the rest came against a Lakers team - now sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference - in Los Angeles on a Sunday evening in December. Mired in a five-game losing streak and undermanned after a franchise-altering trade, the Raptors spoiled Kobe Bryants long anticipated return to the court. That was the night they adopted the us against the world mentality that has stuck with them. With the cards stacked against them, they came together in a special way and just a few days later they would add four veteran pieces to a puzzle that was suddenly falling into place. "We keep everything together," said Greivis Vasquez, shortly after matching a season-high with 26 points and setting a new career mark with six three-pointers on Saturday. "Great chemistry, healthy locker room, great work ethic, were so connected to each other. This is a unique team." For all those impressive road victories on the resume, their 21st was rather forgettable. As Casey stood in front of the media, fuming after a narrow victory over the leagues worst team, the season flashed before all of our eyes. Look how far theyve come. They had just won their third straight, sixth in seven games, and their head coach could not get past their horrid first half. "The first half, we played like crap," he said. Harsh but true. "Theres no nice word you can put to it. We talked about it at halftime and after the game, we cant approach the game that way, its not acceptable for where we want to go and what we want to do. If we want to be average, fine, but to get where we want to go, to be a playoff calibre team, weve got to perform better than that. Doesnt matter if its Indiana or a high school team, it doesnt matter." He wasnt just blowing smoke. The first half was bad, real bad. Following a couple of inspired home wins over quality teams in Houston and Indiana, the 14-win Bucks shot 59 per cent in the opening 24 minutes, outscoring Toronto 38-14 in the paint and led by nine at intermission. "Our approach was not good, terrible," admitted Vasquez. "Were better than that and we understand that. We talked about it at halftime. Coach jumped on us and we reacted pretty well. In the second half we came to play. Thats the real Toronto Raptors." Toronto opened the second half on a 17-4 run to regain the lead minutes into the third quarter. They flipped the switch, something good teams do, and yes, the Raptors have become a good team. DeMar DeRozan scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, where he attempted eight free throws after failing to get to the line in the first half. Expectations have changed. The good news is no one is shying away from them. "We cannot have excuses," Vasquez said. "A team thats going to the playoffs, playing to win a division cannot have excuses. If you talk to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, they will tell you how it is. Were trying to get there. Its going to take us a little time. But we got the win. Ugly, pretty, it was a win and we need to learn from this game. Weve got to understand that weve got to approach games differently. These five games we got left, weve got to run the table." Lowry, Johnson sit out Kyle Lowry missed his third straight game with a bruised left kneecap, while Amir Johnson sat out nursing a sore right ankle. Although both starters were with the team in Milwaukee - Johnson even took jump shots on the court ahead of the game - Casey opted to rest his ailing players with three days off before their next contest, at home to Philadelphia on Wednesday. "We need them we want them but wed rather not risk their health, more than anything else," the Raptors coach said. Although theyre making progress, Casey thought it best to sit them as a precaution, avoiding further injury, on Saturday. Theyre both considered day-to-day and will likely be questionable for Wednesdays game. The stat After a stellar performance against Roy Hibbert and the Pacers on Friday, Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, recording his team-leading 22nd double-double of the season against the Bucks The quote "Ive been in locker rooms, man, I know how it is," said Vasquez, speaking on the teams chemistry. "Egos, money, its none of that here. None of that nonsense. Were just playing great basketball and were happy for each other. This is a real team." cheap nfl jerseys . Zheng won in her last final appearance in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2012, for her fourth career title. She broke Rybarikova six times, and will meet American qualifier Coco Vandeweghe, who beat 2005 champion Klara Koukalova 6-4, 6-2 with nine aces a week after losing to the Czech on Birminghams grass in the second round. cheap jerseys from china .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan had ideal preparation for the playoffs at the Ford World Curling Championships with a pair of hard-fought wins over tenacious opponents Thursday.SEATTLE -- Without wavering, Chris Young will say it each time he is asked: Individual wins are not important to him. Its about the teams success, the veteran right-hander says, going to painstaking lengths to get his point across. Young reached his first double-digit win total in a season since 2006 on Wednesday, but it truly was a team effort this time around as the Seattle Mariners sent the Atlanta Braves to a season-high eighth straight loss with a 7-3 victory. It is the first time since May 2012 that the Braves, who were swept at Dodger Stadium and San Diego before losing two straight at Safeco Field, have lost eight in a row. "You cant get caught up in wins and losses as a starting pitcher. One day the media will stop evaluating us on that," Young said with a laugh. Young (10-6), who allowed all three runs in the third, was immediately picked up by his teammates, as the Mariners responded with a four-run third. Dustin Ackley led off with a home run and Logan Morrison added a three-run shot off Julio Teheran (10-8) for a 5-3 lead. Teheran was wildly inconsistent in six innings, yielding six runs in three frames, while allowing just one baserunner in the other three innings. Even after allowing Ackleys homer, Teheran appeared to have settled down with two quick outs and a 3-2 advantage. Kyle Seager and Chris Taylor hit back-to-back singles, though, and Morrison deposited a fastball into the right-field seats. After Young protected the 5-3 lead through the fifth, the bullpen took over. After a quick hit, four Seattle relievers combined to throw four innings of scoreless relief, allowing three hits. "Its nice to have an eight-man bullpen with so many quality arms down there, so many choices," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. Seager drove in Seeattles first run with a single in the first, and Taylor and Kendrys Morales later added RBI singles. wholesale jerseys. The Braves scored all three runs in the third, with Freddie Freeman driving in two with a bases-loaded double, but Tommy La Stella was thrown out trying to score from first on the play. "Its just not matching up right now," Braves outfielder Jason Heyward said. "Its not clicking on all cylinders at the same time for us." TRAINERS ROOM Braves: SS Andrelton Simmons, who sprained his left ankle during Tuesdays game, was wearing an air cast and using crutches on Wednesday morning. He still hopes to avoid time on the disabled list. Mariners: OF Michael Saunders, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique, will join Triple-A Tacomaon Thursday to begin a rehab assignment. McClendon said Saunders will DH before moving to the outfield. ... INF Willie Bloomquist did not get a positive report after being checked out by a doctor on Wednesday and will get a second opinion on his bruised right knee. UP NEXT Braves: Atlanta returns home to start a 10-game homestand against the Nationals on Friday. Ervin Santana (10-6) lost his only career start against Washington. Mariners: Rookie Roenis Elias (8-9) will make his second career start against the White Sox on Thursday. Elias allowed five runs in five innings in Chicago on July 4. ACK-ATTACK Ackley continues his torrid pace at the plate and is hitting .346 (37-107) since July 1 after collecting two hits, including the home run. HOME VS. AWAY Teheran did nothing to help boost his road stats. The right-hander entered the game 6-6 with a 3.91 ERA away from Turner Field. At home, Teheran is 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA, which is tied for the major league lead in that category. wholesale nfl jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
