Dein erstes Forum » Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame

TORONTO - Torontos Kyle Lowry had spent big chunks of Sundays game on the bench, part of the coaching and medical staffs plan to manage the minutes of their battered and bruised team leader. Unleashed in the fourth quarter, Lowry scored seven of his 25 points in the games final minute to lift the Raptors to a 96-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. After three horrible quarters, the Raptors outscored the Hawks 36-15 in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. "Weve got a group of guys who are resilient, we want to win games, weve got a goal in mind," Lowry said. "Its fun to win games and when youve found the recipe to win in the fourth, you have to stick with it." Lowry also had four assists and four steals in just 27 minutes. With the Raptors poised to make their first playoff appearance in six years, the team is being careful with his playing time. "Hes had a lot of minutes," said coach Dwane Casey. "Its hard believe me, as a coach and for him as a competitor, it looks like were going at each other but we both understand the situation. If its close I may close my eyes and forget time, but we have to watch his minutes." DeMar DeRozan added 21 points Sunday, while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Greivis Vasquez chipped in with 12 points for the Raptors (39-30). Lowry, who has struggled with a groin injury in the past, wouldnt say if anything specific is sore. "My full body has aches and pains right now," he said. "I dont think any player in the NBA right now feels 100 per cent. Its that time of year where everybody has knicks and knacks and bruises." DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap scored 17 points apiece to top the Hawks (31-37), while Jeff Teague added 16. Coming off a an energetic 119-118 loss in double overtime two nights earlier to Oklahoma City, the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors looked like a different team Sunday through three quarters of sloppy passes, horrible shooting and lackadaisical defence. One highlight on an afternoon that had almost none: the return of The Raptor mascot, who missed over five months after rupturing an Achilles tendon during training camp. Casey passed Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment boss Tim Leiweke in the hallway after the game, and told him it was like "pulling teeth, it was like going to the dentists office that first half." "Weve got to be pros like I told our players, whether its five oclock in the morning, midnight, two oclock, weve got to get ourselves going," Casey said. "With season ticket-holders paying big money to watch us play, we came out and gave them a bad performance in the first half." Casey gave his players an earful at halftime. "Aw man, he came in here yelling," DeRozan said. "Once Casey yells, youve got to do your job or youll hear him yelling after the game. We understood ... we were still in the game and we were playing terrible that first half." The Hawks, who are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, led by as many as 14 points in the first half and were up by 71-60 heading into the fourth quarter. Finally showing some life, the Raptors chipped away at the difference and when Johnson tipped in his own miss with 5:18 left to play, it tied the game 79-79. Lowry scored on a hook shot with 44 seconds left to give the Raptors a five-point lead and some precious breathing room, then he stole the ball off an inbounds pass and scored again to help put the game away. There was a scary moment late in the game when workhorse Amir Johnson went down in a heap clutching his left knee after Shelvin Mack had fallen awkwardly on it. "You dont know if its a soccer move (embellishment) or what," Casey said. "He had my heart in my throat there for a little bit." Lowry called Johnson the teams "heart and soul." "So when that happened it kind of scared us a little bit," Lowry said. "Oh yeah, Im still scared when he falls. But hes a great player, he gives it all, and it makes everybody else give it their all too." Added DeRozan: "Ive seen Amir get hit by a Mack truck and get back up. One thing about Amir, hell play through anything and everything, but he kind of scared me tonight. When he grabbed at the knee, I kind of cussed at him a little to make sure he was alright." Johnson, who was limping in the locker-room after the game, said the initial pain was bad, but he was able to walk it off. The Raptors had lost to the Hawks earlier in the week, dropping a 118-113 decision in overtime in Atlanta on Tuesday. "We just lost focus," Millsap said on the Hawks inability to close out Sundays game. "Lost focus and they hit a few shots. We dropped our heads a little bit but we have to be more mentally tough." Toronto got off to a poor start Sunday, turning over the ball seven times in the opening quarter. The Raptors shot just 28 per cent while allowing the Hawks to shoot 56 per cent. Atlanta went up by 11 before leading 25-16 to end the quarter. A three-pointer by Millsap gave the Hawks a 14-point lead midway through the second. But the Raptors closed the quarter with a 16-9 run that included a monstrous dunk by Terrence Ross and went into the locker-room at halftime trailing 49-42. The Raptors carried that momentum into the third, cutting the Hawks lead to two points on a hook shot by Valanciunas, but abruptly went cold again. Atlanta took an 11-point advantage into the final 12 minutes. Notes: The Raptors are in Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Tuesday, then meet the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday before returning home to host Boston on Friday. ... 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Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. http://www.wholesaledolphinsjerseys.com/...tyer-jersey.com) - Maria Sharapova rallied for a three- set win over Ana Ivanovic on Saturday to capture the season-opening Brisbane International tennis tournament. Chandler Cox Jersey . - IndyCar racing officials expressed confidence on Monday that the NOLA Motorsports Park will be able to complete more $4. Mike Gesicki Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Kevin Hogan threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, Remound Wright ran for three short scores and Stanford overwhelmed Maryland 45-21 in the Foster Farms Bowl on Tuesday night. On a chilly, windy night in Silicon Valley, the Cardinal (8-5) blew past the Terrapins with the kind of complete performance that had eluded them most of the season. Stanford outgained Maryland 414 to 222 yards and looked right at home at Levis Stadium, only about 11 miles from its campus. It was the most points scored in a bowl game in Stanford history. Maryland missed a chance for its first post-season win since 2010, when it beat East Carolina in the Military Bowl. The Terrapins (7-6) lost three of their final four games. It was a forgettable finale for coach Randy Edsalls team. The Terps travelled about 2,800 miles to play in the $1.3 billion home of the San Francisco 49ers but never really came out of their shells. Outgoing quarterback C.J. Brown moved the offence early, though he was sacked six times and his receivers -- other than star Stefon Diggs -- often struggled to create separation. Brown finished 16-for-28 passing for 214 yards and one interception. He also ran for a late touchdown. Diggs caught 10 passes for 138 yards, Wes Brown ran for a 1-yard TD early in second quarter, and William Likely returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score in the fourth after the game had become a rout. About the only other highlight for the Terps came in the first quarter, when Andre Monroe became Marylands career sacks leader after bringing down Hogan. It was Monroes 25th sack, passing Mike Corvinos mark of 24 from 1979-82.dddddddddddd. While the sun shined across the Bay Area for the last week, the temperature dipped into the 40s at kickoff with a wind chill that made it feel like it was in the 30s -- frosty weather by Northern California standards. The patchy field, where the 49ers logos could easily be seen under the school names painted in each end zone, also made quick movements tricky at the sparsely filled stadium. The Cardinal overcame the conditions -- and the absence of top playmaker Ty Montgomery (sprained right shoulder) for the second straight game -- to end a down season on an upbeat note. Stanford had made a BCS bowl each of the previous four seasons, including back-to-back Pac-12 titles, before falling back in 2014 in large part because of its inefficient offence. Not this time. Hogan, who has yet to announce whether hell return for his final season of eligibility, completed 14 of 20 passes. Wright tied the bowl record for touchdowns rushing and the nations second-ranked scoring defence did the rest. Without Montgomery on the field, nine receivers caught passes. Devon Cajuste (four receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns) and tight end Austin Hooper (five receptions for 71 yards) led the way. Fifth-year senior Ricky Seale also ran for his first career touchdown -- a 1-yard plunge that put Stanford up 42-7 early in the fourth -- for a feel-good moment to cap the Cardinals season. Stanfords 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the 2011 Orange Bowl was its previous highest-scoring post-season performance.