04-22-2019, 01:58 AM
The Toronto Raptors begin their throwback campaign in retro purple jerseys tonight as the streaking Washington Wizards visit for the first game of seven in a row at home for the club. Toronto has won back-to-back games and will play the next seven at home. Forward Amir Johnson (ankle) and centre Jonas Valanciunas (facial and hand contusions) will likely be game-time decisions with head coach Dwane Casey saying if the two arent fully ready to return then the team wont risk it. In a 110-107 victory at Boston on Wednesday, Kyle Lowry scored 35 points and made 12 of his 17 shots from the field. DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and Patrick Patterson added 14 in a winning cause. The Raptors trailed 35-23 after the first quarter, but came alive in the final three quarters of play. Im happy with the win, Lowry said. But we gotta start off better than the way we started off. Toronto will also host Philadelphia, Orlando, Chicago, Utah, Memphis and Milwaukee on this franchise-record homestand. Casey needs four wins to tie Lenny Wilkens (113) for second on the teams all-time coaching victories list. Sam Mitchell holds the record with 156 victories. The Raptors went 3-1 against Washington last season and have won six of the past nine meetings between the teams. The Wizards have lost seven of nine trips to Air Canada Centre. The Wizards lost their season opener at Miami and have rebounded with four straight wins, including Wednesdays 96-94 overtime triumph over the Indiana Pacers. John Wall went off for 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting, 10 assists and six rebounds, while Garrett Temple provided 16 points. I was just being aggressive, taking shots that were there, Wall said. Marcin Gortat aided the cause with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, which is 4-1 to start a season for the first time since going 5-1 in 2005-06. Paul Pierce ended with 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers. The Wizards survived for the win even though they shot 37.4 percent. Meanwhile, Wall is currently the only player in the NBA averaging at least 21 points, 10 assists and four rebounds per game. Pierce is two assists shy of 4,500 in his career. The Wizards will visit Indiana Saturday night. Curt Schilling Jersey . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys .“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece. http://www.diamondbackssale.com/diamondb...ez-jersey/. Its not intended to be some magical formula and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. This remedial statistical method has gone 9-5 in picks through the first three rounds. Zack Greinke Jersey . Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris, city natives, handled the catering for teammates that begged them for the tasty postgame feast. Randy Johnson Jersey . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest.ATLANTA -- Tre Mason struck a pose -- a Heisman Trophy pose. Theres something the Auburn Tigers running back wants even more than an individual award. A shot at the national title. Mason rushed for 304 yards and four touchdowns, leading No. 3 Auburn to a wild 59-42 victory over No. 5 Missouri in a Southeastern Conference title showdown Saturday that looked more like a video game. Auburn (12-1) kept alive its hopes of playing for the national championship, though the Tigers would likely need either top-ranked Florida State or No. 2 Ohio State to lose in their respective conference title games, which began about the time Auburn was wrapping up the shootout at the Georgia Dome. "We won the SEC championship," receiver Sammie Coates said. "What else do you want us to do?" Added Mason: "We feel like we beat the best teams .... We feel like we deserve to be in the game." The Auburn players headed off to watch the games that could decide their fate, the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in Charlotte, N.C., and the Big Ten title contest in Indianapolis. If Auburn misses out on the big game, it will head to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC champion. Missouri (11-2) should be in the mix for a New Years Day bowl, with the Capital One, Cotton and Outback games among the possible destinations. "Were playing our best football right now," said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, making his pitch for a trip to Pasadena. "I dont know if any other team can say that." Auburn is certainly playing its best offensively. The Tigers set an SEC championship record with 677 yards, including 545 on the ground. Mason had scoring runs of 7, 3 and 1 yards before bursting up the middle on a 13-yard TD that clinched the victory with 4:22 remaining. He carried the ball a staggering 46 times, an easy choice as the games MVP. He celebrated by breaking out the familiar Heisman pose, his longshot candidacy getting a huge boost. "Youre looking at one of the top running backs in college football," Malzahn said. "He was a warrior today. Unbelievable." In a game where neither team played a lick of defence, Auburn finally stopped Missouri on fourth-and-1 deep in its own territory, setting up Masons final score. Chris Davis broke up the pass, not quite as thrilling as his 109-yard return of a missed field goal to beat Alabama, but another huge play for the nations biggest turnaround team. Auburn, which was 3-9 a year ago and didnt win a game in the SEC, cclaimed the title in its first year under Malzahn.dddddddddddd The Tigers didnt even need a dramatic finish to do it, holding Missouri scoreless in the final quarter while Mason notched two more TDs to break open a game that was close most of the way. Missouri had its own impressive bounce-back after struggling its first year in the SEC. But coach Gary Pinkels team was denied a quick championship in its new league after leaving the Big 12, unable to slow -- must less stop -- Auburns dynamic offence. "Theres a real frustration that comes over you on defence when theyre coming after you over and over and over again," Pinkel said. "We had trouble stopping it, obviously, and couldnt get it fixed." James Franklin passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while Dorial Green-Beckham hauled in six passes for 144 yards and a couple of scores. Missouri piled up 534 yards -- the teams combined for 1,211 yards in a conference supposedly known for defence -- but it wasnt nearly enough against Auburns hurry-up spread. Coming into the game, Missouri was one of the top teams in the nation against the run and ranked second in the SEC behind Alabama. The most yards they had given up on the ground was 184 the previous week in a victory over 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M. Mason had more yards than that in the first half, putting up 195 by the time he trotted to the locker room and just 6 yards off the SEC championship game record. He broke the mark set by LSUs Justin Vincent in 2003 on the second play of the second half -- and kept right on going from there. "Ive never had holes that big to run through," Mason said, crediting the guys in the trenches. "No one expected 300 yards. I didnt expect it." Quarterback Nick Marshall shook off two early fumbles, one of which Missouri returned for a touchdown. He ran for 101 yards and a touchdown and passed for 132 yards and another score. The lead changed hands seven times. Missouris last gasp was Franklins 5-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion, that closed the gap to 45-42 heading to the final period. But Auburn dominated the final 15 minutes behind the play of Mason. Late in the game, when Auburn had finally wrapped it up, Mason got a hug on the sideline from Auburns greatest back, Bo Jackson. "Hes one of the better players ever to wear an Auburn helmet," Malzahn said, referring to Mason, not Bo. "Thanks, coach," Mason said. ' ' '