Breitmann Tuning » Conference. They were then erased in the division

HOUSTON - It was a long night at the office for the Raptors, who went home empty handed Monday night. It was long, it was ugly and it ended in disappointment. It was not the first time theyve endured such a night. "[There are] no moral victories in this league," Kyle Lowry said, as if he had been practicing the cliche that has become more of a slogan for this team over the years. Its the second time hes used it in 10 days. And hes absolutely right. The Raptors played 58 minutes of basketball, at least 40 of which were hard fought, in a game that elapsed three hours and 17 minutes. They clawed back from 17 down after an atrocious second quarter, overcame injuries and foul trouble while hanging in with a more talented team on the road. Ultimately, a loss is a loss. Toronto now has five of them in eight games. The question is, what can they learn from this one? "I am proud of the way they fought and scrapped and got back in the game," Dwane Casey said after his teams 110-104 double-overtime defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets. "They could have laid down two or three times and they didnt." "Theres no moral victories in this game but, I see our team growing, fighting through things. Its a totally different feel from last year." Their resiliency was notable. Torontos 87-86 lead, following an Amir Johnson put-back with 40 seconds remaining, was its first since early in the opening frame. They scored just 13 points and shot an abysmal 18 per cent in the second. The defensive effort was equally as impressive, holding the Rockets to 44 per cent and neutralizing Dwight Howard and James Harden - for most of the game - as well as you can hope to. Offensively, they were treading water at the best of times. "We had so many opportunities to score," Casey said, "but we have to convert them." They didnt, not often enough to win. In fact, they were fortunate to come so close. Rudy Gay made just 11 of his career-high and franchise-most 37 field goal attempts, while DeMar DeRozan hit just six of 25. Together the pair shot 27 per cent on 62 attempts. Overall the team registered just 10 assists, a season low despite the extra time, on 38 made field goals. "We cant let us not making shots get us frustrated at all," said DeRozan, who had 22 points, second to Gays team-leading 29. "Were going to make shots, theyre going to come but we know we can stay in games with our defence and thats what we did." Those two missed a handful of jumpers they generally tend to hit with some consistency, as they pointed out, but poor shot selection continues to plague the Raptors high-volume duo early in the season. Both players are shooting below 37 per cent through eight games and DeRozan is now 18-for-70 (26 per cent) over his last four. "We being the go-to players on this team, we have to [keep shooting]," DeRozan maintained. "We cant get frustrated if the shots not going. It would be a whole different story if we didnt take the shots, if we were out there being passive and not taking the shots we normally take." "It sucks that were missing a lot of easy shots but were going to continue to fight it out no matter what. We could be out there playing with a bowling ball and were going to continue to shoot it." Gay drew most of the ire from fans for his 37 attempts. With 34 seconds remaining in regulation - knotted up at 87 - Gay, isolated on the wing, winded down the shot clock and launched a 22-footer that clanked off the side of the rim. "We prefer for him to go to the basket," Casey said of that specific play. "Thats what we wanted, to attack the rim. I dont know if it was fatigue or good defence but the play was drawn for him to attack the rim." Fast forward, down three in overtime, Gay knocked down the triple that bought the Raptors an extra five minutes. The true Rudy Gay experience. You take the good with the bad. On this particular night, there was far more of the latter. "Were fighting," Lowry said. "Thats all we can do is keep fighting. Like I said, no moral victories in this league, none of that." "But as long as we fight and play as hard as we can possibly play and do the things we know how to do the basketball gods will help us out a little bit. Well win some games like this." Aches and pains Lowry sat in the locker room after the game, both feet soaking in buckets of ice water. The Raptors point guard sustained a sprained right ankle in Saturdays lopsided win over Utah but said he never had any doubt about playing against his former team in Houston. He struggled early, going 2-of-8 from the floor through three quarters but helped ignite Torontos run in the fourth. Lowry shot 4-for-8 and scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods before eventually fouling out. "Guys are tired," he said after the game. "But guys are spirited, guys are still up. Were not going to put our heads down, were going to learn from the game and weve got another tough test on Wednesday." The point guard admitted his ankle was sore after playing 47 minutes but doesnt plan to miss any time, with another former team on deck in the Grizzlies. Gay was also icing down a sore ankle that he tweaked during the game. Up next Gay will make his first return to Memphis following last seasons three-team trade when the Raptors visit the Grizzlies Wednesday night. Catch it live on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 8:00pm et. Cheap Yeezy Powerphase Ireland . A wide-eyed 18-year-old visiting North America for only the second time in his young life, Caboclo immediately noticed the "big tower" his new home is best known for. Cheap Adidas Nmd Shoes . The Gatineau Olympiques head coach will lead Canada in its quest to end its gold medal drought at the 2015 world junior hockey championship held in Montreal and Toronto at the end of this year. http://www.cheapnmdsneakersireland.com/ . Eller scored the midway through the third period after Dallas scored twice to tie it, leading Canadiens to a 6-4 win over the Stars on Thursday night. Cheapest Adidas Basketball Shoes . People familiar with the case told The Associated Press on Friday that arbitrator Fredric Horowitz could issue his decision this weekend. Cheap Adidas Nmd Mens Ireland . -- Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday for the first time in his seven-year career because of a swollen muscle in his left upper back.When we last left the National Football League, the power had just come back on in the Superdome in New Orleans and the Baltimore Ravens were celebrating a Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Since that early February day, weve seen lots of changes around the league from superstar players switching teams, to new uniforms and logos. Weve even seen the grand re-arrival and exit of quarterback Tim Tebow with the New England Patriots. The question is which team is favoured to win Super Bowl XLVIII? The defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers are expected to be back in the mix again this season. Theyve added key players on both offence and defence in an attempt to get over the hump and capture their first title since 1995. They even grabbed receiver Anquan Boldin from the Ravens to strengthen their roster and weaken the team that beat them for the title at the end of last season. With a strong offence, defence and starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick entering his first full season at the helm, the Bay Area team looks strong. One of the biggest threats to their Conference crown comes from within the NFC West division, in the form of the Seattle Seahawks. Everything the 49ers do well, the Seahawks are also very proficient at, including running the read option with their mobile quarterback, in this case the versatile Russell Wilson. In the backfield, running back Marshawn Lynch is as physical as they come and dealing with him over four quarters tends to wear out even the best defences. The Seahawks will have to play without superstar acquisition Percy Harvin, who could miss the entire season with an injury, but they didnt have him last season either and came just a few plays short of playing in the Conference final. Always known as a strong regular season team, the Atlanta Falcons turned it up in last seasons playoffs and it took the biggest comeback in NFC Championship history to deny them a shot at the Super Bowl.dddddddddddd Running back Steven Jackson is a great addition to a veteran core offence that boasts Matt Ryan at quarterback and future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. They will face improved competition from their NFC South division, but should find themselves in the playoffs with another real shot at getting all the way to the big game. Over in the AFC, the Denver Broncos behind Peyton Manning look loaded up and ready to take another crack at playoff success. After a rough start to last season, Manning and his new boys found a rhythm and 11 straight victories on their way to the top seed in the Conference. They were then erased in the division round of the playoffs by the eventual champion Ravens. With players like Wes Welker and Quinton Jammer now in the fold, the Broncos are going be tough to beat every night and a tough out in the post-season. Perennial contender New England Patriots are lining up for another shot at the crown as well. Though they have dealt with a lot of turmoil in the offseason, the team is now ready to put the controversies behind them and perform on the field. Quarterback Tom Brady will have to get used to not throwing the ball to Welker who jumped ship to the Broncos, but he has in the past had a history of making the players on the field with him much better. If he can find a way to elevate this group, they have the talent to be the last ones standing at the end of the season. There are many other teams that also find themselves in this conversation including the defending champion Ravens, Green Bay Packers and surging Cincinnati Bengals. The question to you is which team is favoured to win Super Bowl XLVIII? Its Your! Call. ' ' '