01-11-2020, 01:07 AM
TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan had zero intention of losing to the Golden State Warriors for a second time this season. B. J. Sams Jersey . DeRozan had one of his best games of the season as he scored 32 points to lead the Raptors past the Warriors 104-98 on Sunday afternoon, with the memory of Toronto giving up a 27-point lead to Golden State in December still lingering in his mind. "It was a big win, big win against a great Western Conference team," DeRozan said. "Especially with the way we lost at their place. The way that we lost was definitely tough, we understood that coming into tonight so it was definitely a big win." Acknowledging that the December loss was something Raptors players had thought about coming into Sundays contest, DeRozan downplayed his own stellar offensive output. "I just got out and played, to be honest," DeRozan said. "Just try to go out there and play to win. I understand that every game we go out and play, how important it is and everybody in this locker-room really wants to make the playoffs so Im just going out there doing whatever I can." DeRozan did more than just play on Sunday afternoon. He won the efficiency battle against Stephen Curry to give Toronto its first victory against the Warriors with Golden States all-star guard in the lineup. While Curry finished with 34 points on 13-for-27 shooting, DeRozan put in an all-star performance, scoring his 32 points on 10-for-16 shooting from the floor and 11-for-12 from the line. He also recorded four rebounds, six assists and a steal. Kyle Lowry added 13 points and eight assists for Toronto (33-26), while Patrick Patterson had 12 points and five rebounds. Currys 34 points for Golden State (36-24) were a game-high. David Lee added 20 points and 11 rebounds. While DeRozan was quiet about his own big night, he was effusive in his praise of his point guard. "Whatever I say about Kyle is an understatement," DeRozan said. "We go off him to be honest, man. We just ride off him, thats a hell of a player right there. Hes there reason why Im getting 30 points." Golden State went ahead by five points early in the fourth quarter before the Raptors reeled off an 11-0 run to take a 92-86 lead with less than six minutes remaining. Torontos fourth quarter scoring attack was led by DeRozan who scored 12 of his 32 in the quarter. "We just lost our composure on the offensive end a little bit and didnt play solid enough on the other end in the last five minutes," Curry said. "We had a five-point lead with eight minutes left, they went on an 11-0 run and we didnt have an answer for it." The game was close throughout, with Toronto holding a five-point lead at halftime. Things remained tight in the third with Curry scoring 14 in the quarter. The Warriors took a three-point advantage into the final quarter, ahead 78-75. Toronto shot 57 per cent through the first quarter, but found themselves behind by three at the end of one. Terrence Ross missed the game for the Raptors after spraining his ankle in the first half of Torontos triple-overtime loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Landry Fields started in his place. It was the second start for Fields this season and he made his presence felt early, scoring six points in the opening quarter. After the game, Fields was singled out by coach and teammates for stepping up when he was needed. Casey said he went with Fields in the starting lineup because of what he could bring to the floor defensively. "He got switched off on Curry a few times and I thought his length helped us," Casey said. "Im a defensive guy and if guys are willing to play defence theyre going to have a big advantage over guys who are not defensive minded. Landry has done that for us and I commend him on his professionalism. Not playing at all, he was ready to go when his number was called." Lowry echoed the words of his coach. "Landrys just being professional," Lowry said. "He hasnt played in a while and he comes in tonight, unbelievable defensive effort. Saved me a few times by cutting backdoor, just being there and being athletic the way he can play. Hes been through a lot and youre just happy for him as a player, as a teammate. Youre happy for the opportunity and the things he was able to do tonight." For a team that has continued to say that they are 15 players deep, seeing a teammate step up meant a lot to the Raptors locker room. "Weve got great 15, 14, 13 guys. Weve got guys, Julyan (Stone), (Dwight) Buycks, Landry (Fields), Steve (Novak), theyve been true professionals. People dont see it from the outside looking in, but theyre as big a part as this team as anybody." Jermaine ONeal was not available for the Warriors after the team discovered he was missing his passport. ONeal had been with the team for their previous game against New York and head coach Mark Jackson said the team would meet him in Indiana for their Tuesday night game against the Pacers. Former NHLer and star of the 1972 Summit Series Paul Henderson was in attendance as was current Toronto Maple Leaf Joffrey Lupul. Kyle Richardson Jersey . Both sides of the deal have formally announced acquisitions: TFC introduced Jozy Altidore as a designated player on Friday, while their counterparts announced a three-and-a-half-year deal with Jermain Defoe. Michael Pierce Jersey . The Opening Day starter played 53 games this season hitting .192 with nine home runs and 25 RBI. Red Sox manager John Farrell has decided to start Jose Iglesias at third base as of late instead of Middlebrooks. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom...-163d.html .Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been neck and neck all season, with 17 points separating the rivals and double points on offer for the race.Tensions between them have spilled over during the campaign and the pairs fragile relationship was evident during Thursdays pre-race news conference, when Rosberg goaded Hamilton by advising him to race cleanly. MILAN, Italy -- AC Milan got off to a great start under new coach Filippo Inzaghi as it eased to a 3-1 win over Lazio in its Serie A opener on Sunday. Goals from Keisuke Honda and Sulley Muntari and a penalty from Jeremy Menez gave Milan a comfortable lead before Lazio pulled one back with an own goal from new Rossoneri signing Alex. New Milan goalkeeper Diego Lopez saved Antonio Candrevas penalty in stoppage time. It was a convincing performance from Milan, which showed how little it missed star striker Mario Balotelli, who moved to Liverpool last week. Balotellis replacement, Fernando Torres, was watching in the stands at San Siro after completing his two-year loan move from Chelsea. "Im happy, I saw a good spirit," Inzaghi said. "We have to improve our game but the team is coming off the back of a difficult season. Results like this are good for them. I hope we can be the surprise of the season." Inter Milans new signing Nemanja Vidic had a less than impressive Serie A debut as he gave away a penalty and was sent off in stoppage time in his sides 0-0 draw at Torino. Jonathan de Guzman had a better debut as his last-gasp goal saw Napoli snatch a late 2-1 win at Genoa, while 10-man Sampdoria also scored late to draw 1-1 against newly promoted-Palermo. Andrea Stramaccioni got off to a winning start at Udinese with a 2-0 win over promoted side Empoli -- with veteran striker Antonio Di Natale scoring twice -- while new Cagliari coach Zdenek Zeman drew 1-1 at Sassuolo. Elsewhere it was: Atalanta 0, Hellas Verona 0; and Cesena 1, Parma 0. It was Inzaghis debut as first team coach after he was promoted from the clubs youth sector, replacing another former Milan great, Clarence Seedorf. The 41-year-old had the perfect start as Milan took the lead with less than seven minutes on the clock. Stephan El Shaarawy burst down the left flank with a brilliant run before putting a delightful ball into the area for an unmarked Honda to slot past Lazio goalkeeper Etrit Berisha. More poor Lazio defending allowed Milan to double its lead in the 56th minute. There were four Lazio defenders surrounding Muntari in the box, but they alll failed to pick him up as he volleyed home Ignazio Abates cross. Jaleel Scott Jersey. Milan further extended its advantage shortly after the hour mark when Menez was brought down by Stefan de Vrij. Menez, who had been signed from Paris Saint-Germain in the off-season, notched a debut goal with a perfectly placed penalty into the bottom left corner. Lazio got one back minutes later in chaotic circumstances as Alex got the final touch on Candrevas cross toward Filip Djordjevic. It almost grabbed another consolation deep into stoppage time when Candreva was brought down by Abate, but Lopez saved the resulting penalty. In Genoa, Napoli was keen to get its Serie A campaign off to a good start after its Champions League playoff defeat to Athletic Bilbao. Jose Callejon gave it the lead in the third minute when he volleyed home Gonzalo Higuains cross to the far post. Genoa pressed hard for the equalizer and found it five minutes from halftime when Mauricio Pinilla -- who had been denied several times by Napoli goalkeeper Rafael -- headed in Giovanni Marcheses cross. Napoli seemed to be heading for a draw before De Guzman netted in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Torino went close to taking the lead when it was awarded a penalty after Vidic brought down Fabio Quagliarella. However, Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic is known for his skill at saving penalties and he kept out Marcelo Larrondos spot kick. Vidic was sent off in stoppage time for sarcastically applauding the referee. "It definitely wasnt a penalty," Inter coach Walter Mazzarri said. "We should have had one that was a lot clearer. The referee committed a blunder with Vidic. As they do in England, Vidic applauded a foul that was signalled and the referee interpreted it badly. Its an absurd red card." Di Natale had said in the off-season he wanted to break the 200-goal mark for Udinese in Serie A and he got his campaign off to a great start with a double at home against his former team Empoli to take his tally to 195 topflight goals. There are only seven players who have scored more Serie A goals than Di Natale, who is in his 11th season at Udinese. ' ' '