(SportsNetwork. http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/ashley-williams-wales-jersey/ .com) - The Raptors continued to roll with Tuesdays 103-93 victory at Washington thanks to Kyle Lowrys 24 points and 10 assists. "I just was getting more looks, trying to attack a little more," said Lowry. "That first game out of the break is always tough and I didnt want to let that be an excuse for us to lose the game." DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Greivis Vasquez scored 14 points apiece, and both Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas netted 10. The Raptors made 42- of-74 shots (56.8 percent) and have won three straight and nine of the last 13 contests. Toronto now leads the Atlantic Division by four games ahead of Brooklyn and will open a three-game homestand Wednesday versus Chicago, Cleveland and Orlando. The Raptors have won three in a row at home and are 14-10 at Air Canada Centre. Since Jan. 1, the Dinos are 9-2 as the host. However, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau deserves a lot of credit for keeping his team competitive through the course of the season. Thibodeau hopes that success carries over in the post All-Star break schedule, starting with Wednesdays road matchup in Toronto. The Bulls and Raptors are jockeying for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference, as Chicago sits fourth in the standings -- 1 1/2 games behind Toronto. Chicago, which has dealt with a litany of injuries, including the loss of guard Derrick Rose, headed to the break with three straight wins and a 15-7 record since Jan. 2. In last Thursdays 92-76 triumph over the Brooklyn Nets, a 10-point advantage (29-19) after the first quarter set the tone and the Bulls later scored a 23-15 edge in the final stanza. Taj Gibson, who was filling in for Carlos Boozer in the starting lineup, led the way with 16 points off the bench. Boozer had missed three straight games with a calf injury and returned to post 15 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Dunleavy, Jimmy Butler and All-Star Joakim Noah all scored 14 points with Noah grabbing 13 rebounds. "We have to look at our team in totality. For us to achieve, we need Carlos to play well. With our depth up front, we have three starters and they all have to sacrifice," Tom Thibodeau. Noah has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in 23 of his last 24 games, and tallied eight points, five boards and five assists in the All-Star Game. "I had a great time. Im a little tired, but theres time to rest," Noah said of All-Star weekend. "The court is always the best part. It always feels good to win no matter what situation. I like competing. It was fun." The Bulls are last in the NBA offensively with 92.3 ppg, but are second in opponents scoring at 92.3 ppg. Opposing teams are shooting just 43.4 percent against the Bulls, who are 12-15 on the road and recently went 3-3 on a recent trip. Meanwhile, East teams have a 5-10 record north of the border this season. The Raptors have won twice in three meetings with Chicago this season, but dropped a 96-80 decision at home back on Nov. 15. The Bulls have won nine of the past 14 overall matchups in this series and are 13-6 in the previous 19 trips to Air Canada Centre. http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/blank-wales-jersey/ . He failed, so for the third, he shortened up, trying to protect the plate. That ball ended up going out and, boy, did the Arizona Diamondbacks need it. http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/customized/ . Pau Gasol had 23 points and 17 rebounds, and injury-riddled Los Angeles used its sixth different starting point guard of the season in a 110-99 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.SACRAMENTO - The Raptors nearly got away with what should have been one of their most lopsided defeats of the season. Down by 22 early in the fourth quarter, the Raptors - on the heels of yet another fierce comeback - had cut their deficit to six as Kyle Lowry launched what could have been a game-changing three pointer. Kings rookie Ben McLemore closed out hard and the two collided just before Lowrys shot dropped and the whistle blew. Had the bucket counted and, assuming Lowry then connects on the subsequent free throw, the Raptors would have been down by two with 25 seconds remaining. Instead, official Eric Lewis called the foul on the shooter. Lowry had kicked out his leg on the jumper, he explained. The call was bold, to put it mildly, and in disbelief, Lowrys reaction earned him his second technical foul of the game. He was done for the night, heading straight to the locker room, and for all intents and purposes so, too, were the Raptors. On the night, the Raptors were assigned three techs. They finished the game with more personal fouls (35) than Kings field goals (32). Lowry, like the rest of his teammates, didnt say much following Wednesdays 109-101 loss in Sacramento. What he did say spoke volumes. "I cant say what I really want to say," Lowry commented, biting his tongue. "Its as simple as that." Theyve all lived through this narrative before, most recently in Portland this past weekend. Questionable officiating aside - theyve seen their fair share of that, too - slow starts followed by one last-ditch effort to save the day have become the norm. Its a bad habit that the likes of Indiana and Miami can get away with because theyre Indiana and Miami. When the Raptors play with fire, more often than not, theyll get burned. Dwane Casey, moments after lacing into his players in the locker room, could have gone after the officials but wisely chose to save his money and direct his angst at the team. Correct what you can control was the mindset, and the Raptors have displayed a few glaring faults worth correcting. "We havent done anything, Ive been repeating this, we havent done anything in this league yet to come out and play in second gear until we try to turn it on," said the Raptors coach, his team giving up 92 points and trailing by 20 after three quarters Wednesday. "Were not that good and, until we have that disposition from start to finish, were going to be disappointed a lot. Ive said that warning, Ive given that warning and like I just told them, they have to decide how they want to live." The emotions of the evening got the better of them. On a night in which seven players - including the Kings Rudy Gay - faced their former team for the first time since Decembers trade, Sacramento came out with the focus that escaped the Raptors. http://www.soccerwalesshop.com/gareth-bale-wales-jersey/. "Its a business" is a phrase that was uttered over and over on both sides leading up to the much-anticipated reunion between Gay and the Raptors, but only one team followed through on it. "Were out hugging, giving [high] fives and all that," said a disappointed Casey. "This is a business and I didnt think our disposition from start to finish was in the fight mode, the hungry-team mode." The Raptors had rallied around Gay as he made his first trip back to Memphis earlier in the season and the Kings did the same Wednesday. The former Raptors forward and leading scorer had a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds, but he didnt do it alone because he didnt have to. DeMarcus Cousins scored 25 and Isaiah Thomas added 23. Combined, the three Kings accounted for 41 of the Kings 51 free throw attempts. Toronto made just 24 trips to the line. "Its about putting your body on someone," Casey said. "The fundamental box-out, going to get it, getting to rebounds, all the little things that you have to do. And then you put them on the line 51 times because either youre late or out of position." Just like it did in Portland on Saturday, Torontos defence took the first half off. The Kings - a 16-win team going into the evening - scored 30 points in the first quarter and 37 in the second. By halftime, four of their five starters were in double figures. The Raptors are a resilient bunch, sure. Comeback specialist Steve Novak checked in and promptly knocked down three triples. They made a game of it, as theyve been known to do, but when you rely on the miraculous, you leave yourself vulnerable to the unpredictable nature of crunch time in the NBA. Things happen. In Portland, it was a relatively unforced turnover on the games final possession. In Sacramento, it was a bad call. The visitors locker room in Sleep Train Arena - easily the coziest in the league - was filled with frustrated players, packed together like sardines. They had every reason to be frustrated, but as Casey stressed to them, they need to look inward. "We got guys who are going to fight to the end, but we cant let ourselves get down by 20 and think we are going to come back every time," said John Salmons, one of four Raptors who came over in the trade from Sacramento. "Its not going to happen every time." "Like I told the guys in the locker room, it was probably the worst game weve played since I got here," said Chuck Hayes, another former Kings player. "This ones probably going to [cause us to] lose a couple hours of sleep but weve got to get over it." Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '