ether one good outing after another. "Do I want to be standing

TORONTO - Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters just minutes before tipoff Saturday night that when his team finally had its edge back, everyone would know.Youll see it. Everybody will see it. Its that obvious, Casey said — perhaps sensing the end of the slump.Turns out, Casey was right. Everybody saw it Saturday night in a dominant 109-96 victory over the Boston Celtics that saw Torontos four-game losing skid come to an end, and the Raptors play with more energy — especially on the defensive end — than theyve shown in weeks.I thought our defensive mojo was back, Casey said after the win. I saw guys moving their feet, cracking down, rebounding, doing the things we needed to do with activity and anticipation.Kyle Lowry scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Lou Williams also had 19 points, while James Johnson, Amir Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 15 apiece for Toronto (25-11). Patrick Patterson finished with 10 points.I think we just got more defensive-minded and we really werent worried about the offensive end, Lowry said. We knew shots would fall. I think we put a real emphasis on defence tonight.Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., had 23 points — his best-ever performance in Toronto — to top the Celtics (12-23), while Avery Bradley added 17.The Raptors had been mired in their worst slump in over a year, losers of five of their previous seven games before Saturday. Prior to this cold spell, they hadnt lost more than two in a row this season.Casey shook up the lineup, reinserting the athletic and hardworking James Johnson into the starting five. He covers up a lot of mistakes. He covers a lot of floor, a lot of ground. His effort has been unbelievable this season and we need him to keep it up, Lowry said of Johnson. We love his energy, we love his enthusiastic nature and what he brings to the table.The Raptors got off to another sluggish start, but picked it up in the second quarter, and broke the game open in the third. Lowrys step-back jumper with just under three minutes to play in the third capped a 23-6 run that put Toronto up by 15 points, brought the capacity crowd of 19,800 out of their seats, and breathed some life back into the Air Canada Centre.We were tired of it, James Johnson said, of the change in momentum. Everybody buckled in. Everybody took responsibility for what they were doing and we started playing Toronto Raptors defence.The Raptors, who were playing Game 2 of a six-game homestand, took an 82-65 lead into the fourth, and back-to-back three-pointers by Lowry, Amir Johnson, then Lowry again, gave them a 100-80 lead with 5:29 to play.The Celtics responded with threes from Olynyk and Jared Sullinger to cut Torontos lead to 12 points, but that was as close as Boston would come.Caseys pre-game talk with reporters was dominated by the Raptors funk. He said they badley needed to break out of it, but added that its something that every team goes through at some point in a season.Im watching the games (Friday) night, and there are teams that look like theyre playing in mud. Theyre trying. Theyre running. Their arms are flailing. But theyre just not going anywhere. In an 82-game season, you have stretches, Casey said. But you go through that. Every year Ive been in the league Ive gone through it.DeMar DeRozans absence certainly hasnt helped the Raptors, who played their 20th game without him Saturday. The all-star had targeted this week for his return, but he and the team are playing it safe rather than taking any risks by rushing him back. DeRozan said hes looking to play some time next week.It was a strong performance in what was a homecoming of sorts for Olynyk. He was born in Toronto, where his mom Arlene was a scorekeeper for the Raptors and his dad Ken was the head basketball coach at the University of Toronto. The family moved to Kamloops when he was 12.Canada basketball is huge up here. . ., Olynyk said afterward. Its always nice to come up here and play well in front of your country.The rebuilding Celtics were playing the day after sending Brandan Wright to Phoenix in a trade for a protected first-round draft pick. Wright came to Boston in the Dec. 18 trade that sent guard Rajon Rondo to Dallas.Theyre at a different level than we are right now and we need to look at them as a team that we can learn a lot from, Boston coach Brad Stevens said of Toronto.The Raptors got off to yet another woeful start — the ninth time in 11 games theyve been outscored in the first quarter. A running layup by Olynyk put the Celtics up by nine midway through the frame, and they led 26-19 going into the second.Toronto used a 12-0 run in the second to take a three-point lead with a minute-and-a-half to play in the first half. Williams finished off a steal and pass from Patterson with a slam dunk to send the Raptors into halftime with a 47-43 lead.The Raptors kept their foot on the gas in the third, outscoring the Celtics 35-22 in the quarter to lead by 17 at the end of the period.Toronto hosts Detroit on Monday, then Philadelphia, and Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta, before capping its homestand Jan. 18 versus New Orleans. Julio Jones Jersey . Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year. Austin Hooper Jersey . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. http://www.officialatlantafalconsfootbal...y-jersey-womens. - This win was more the New Jersey Devils style. Ty Sambrailo Jersey . The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers. Robert Alford Jersey .28 mph. Logano will start on the front row next to Penske Ford teammate Brad Keselowski, who came in second Friday at 193.099. The Penske drivers swept the top two spots for the second straight race, reversing their qualifying finish in Phoenix a week ago.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bills coach Doug Marrone is maintaining his faith and patience in EJ Manuel despite the rookie quarterbacks latest dud. "He has the ability to do it," Marrone said Monday. "Theres no doubt in my mind." That doesnt mean Marrone is anywhere close to being satisfied with Manuels development, and the lack of consistency the first-round pick out of Florida State has shown in failing to string together one good outing after another. "Do I want to be standing here today having to go through these pains of whats going on? Absolutely not," he said. "But Ive learned over the years that this is the stuff you go through. And you have to just put your head down and just keep working." Manuels performance is under the microscope a day after a 27-6 loss at Tampa Bay that pushed the Bills (4-9) to the brink of extending the NFLs longest active playoff drought to 14 consecutive seasons. In dropping to 3-6 on the season, and 0-4 on the road, Manuel went 18 of 33 for 184 yards while throwing four interceptions to double his season total. He led an offence that managed a season-low 214 yards, converted just one of 11 third-down opportunities and crossed midfield just three times. "He did not play well," Marrone said. And yet when it came to laying blame, the coach noted there was plenty to go around in a game where very little went right for a young team showing signs of regressing in having lost seven of nine. "Hey, if everything was going well around him and he was the culprit, it would be easy for me to say wed go ahead and pull him and put another quarterback in there. I dont have any problem with that," Marrone said. "But at the end of the day, we need to make sure that people around him are doing what theyre supposed to do." Two of Manuels interceptions came on passes that glanced off receivers hands. Protection was an issue, with Manuel being sacked seven times. The running game -- usually the Bills streength -- was relatively non-existent in managing a season-low 67 yards and led by Manuel, who scrambled five times for 29 yards.dddddddddddd And penalties were an issue, with Buffalo being flagged 11 times for 114 yards. That included an offensive holding penalty against rookie receiver Robert Woods, which negated C.J. Spillers 83-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter. The Bills defence was inconsistent, too. Buffalo limited the Buccaneers to two field goals off five turnovers and held them to 28 yards offence in the second half. The damage, however, was done in the first half, when the Bills gave up two lengthy scores, starting with Bobby Raineys 80-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage. Add it up and Buffalo, which travels to play Jacksonville (4-9) on Sunday, is assured of finishing its ninth straight season without a winning record. "We will get this thing turned around," running back Fred Jackson said. He then paused, before adding: "Im sure people are sick of us saying that." Frustration is beginning to set in a day after the Bills veteran leaders were given the opportunity to voice their concerns during a closed-door, 25-minute meeting immediately following the loss. Centre Eric Wood, on Monday, said the Bills need to "grow up" if they want to make the transformation from losers to winners. "Just a couple of weeks ago, we were saying were not far off from where we want to be as a team, and then you go and lay an egg like yesterday, and you feel like youre starting over at Square 1," Wood said. "Were not. We have good players on this team. Weve just got to do some growing up." Defensive tackle Kyle Williams said player accountability is a concern. "I think you look at where we stand right now, you can question everything," Williams said. "Everythings a red flag. Everythings discouraging right now. But we have to get guys, all of us, to respond and respond better." 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