Zigeunerzelt » Ivo Ilicevics strike against the

TORONTO -- To Dwane Caseys way of thinking, it was more than just overtime. It was an invaluable lesson. So, through much of the fourth quarter and two extra sessions Monday night, the Toronto Raptors head coach never thought of returning his starters to the floor against the New York Knicks. This is the pre-season, a time to learn about your team. And for your players to learn about themselves. The Raptors reserves got to play a starring role in a 123-120 double overtime win before 15,701 at the Air Canada Centre, improving their pre-season record to an impressive 5-1. "It was a great experience for those young kids to really play in those situations," Casey said. "In the regular season, most likely, unless something catastrophic happens, theyre not going to be out there." Second-year guard Terrence Ross led the way, hitting six of the 13 three-point shots he attempted on the night. None was bigger than a rainbow from beyond the arc as the buzzer sounded to end the first overtime period, tying the game at 113-113 and setting the stage for another five-minute session. "It prepares you for future games if you ever get in that situation, what to do, what not to do," said Ross, who finished the night as the games high scorer with 27 points. "Its always kind of nerve-wracking (in a game) no matter how many times you go over it in practice. "So, getting in that live experience it helps." The games dont count. But that doesnt mean they dont matter. Casey said because "nobodys guaranteed minutes," it was great to see the bench players battle down the stretch and eventually pick up the win. Especially after they struggled earlier in the game. "I owe it to the players to try and execute down the stretch," Casey said. Toronto power forward Tyler Hansbrough, who since signing from Indianapolis in the off-season has already become a fan favourite for his aggressive style of play, forced overtime with a dunk in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. He took a pass at the top of the key, spun on his defender and waltzed to the basket. "Theyre very important minutes," Hansbrough said of the fourth quarter and overtimes. "You never know if a starter is going to go down or something and youre going to be in that situation, especially late in the game. "It was important to get some guys some experience." Among the starters, DeMar DeRozan had 21 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes while Rudy Gay added 19 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. Kyle Lowry chipped in 11 points in 24 minutes. "It was entertaining to watch, especially to see the other guys get out there and get a chance to compete," said DeRozan. "It definitely helps because you have to understand every play and every situation is critical." The Raptors were an impressive 6-1 in the pre-season last year but ended up posting a 34-48 record in the games that count for something in the standings. They missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. The Knicks took a 79-77 lead into the final quarter after Toure Murrys one-handed prayer from centre court found the mark at the buzzer. The shot restored a New York lead, which climbed as high as 13 points earlier in the quarter before Toronto went on a nice run to bring the crowd back into it. The Raptors, who host Memphis on Wednesday and finish the pre-season at Milwaukee on Friday, open the regular season on Oct. 30 when the Boston Celtics visit Air Canada Centre. The Knicks took a 60-51 lead into the locker room at halftime as Metta World Peace had eight points in eight second-quarter minutes off the bench. The former Ron Artest, who signed a two-year deal with New York after four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, hit a pair of three-pointers in the quarter. The Knicks bench was the difference in the first half, outscoring their Raptors counterparts 30-14. The Raptors had led 30-29 after one quarter on the strength of Gays 11 points and 10 from DeRozan. Cheap Authentic Jordan 1 Nz . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Air Jordan 1 Nz Cheap . The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. http://www.cheapairjordan1nz.com/ . LOUIS -- The Atlanta Braves used a two-run rally in the ninth to end their road trip with a win. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Nz Sale . First-half goals by Will Bruin and Oscar Boniek Garcia sucked the life out of the Impact as the Houston Dynamo bounced them from Major League Soccers post-season with a 3-0 victory on Thursday. Jordan 1 Retro Sale Nz . 42 sitting next to the bench. The 57-year-old with greying hair couldnt box out or grab a rebound, but owner Ted Leonsis waved his red towel and egged on a cheering crowd that chanted "Free Nene!" The Wizards did just fine without the suspended Brazilian forward.DENVER - A little bit tired and drained entering the second night of back-to-back games, the Portland Trail Blazers nevertheless put together a startling offensive flurry.So startling that Damian Lillard had to take a moment to fully comprehend what his team accomplished — 84 points in the first half.Thats the points you score in a full game, Lillard said.It certainly made for an easy rest of the way.Lillard had 27 points and a season-high nine assists as the Blazers used a big first half to rout the Denver Nuggets 130-113 on Wednesday night.The 84 points by the Blazers in the opening half was one basket away from matching the team record for a half (86) set against Golden State on Jan. 5, 1986. It was the most points scored in the first half by a Denver opponent since Phoenix scored an NBA-record 107 points on Nov. 10, 1990, according to Nuggets officials.Even more, the last time a team scored that many in any half was March 25, 2011, when Golden State had 84 in the first half against Toronto, according to STATSIt felt great, because everything that we wanted to do, youre in the flow of doing it, Lillard said. You want to get out in transition, play unselfish, you want to make shots. You want to defend. We did all those things. Thats as well as weve done that all season.So, was that as good as Portland can play?I dont want to put a ceiling on that, said Robin Lopez, who scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half. We were a little fortunate. Shots were falling. Part of that is kismet. Part of that is moving the ball. Part of that is us.The Blazers showed no signs of fatigue, despite expending plenty of energy the night before in coming back from a 23-point deficit to hold off Charlotte at the buzzer.They also beat Denver in Portland on Sunday, in a tighter game (116-100). This time they expected more energy out of the Nuggets, who dropped their sixth straight game in front of a small crowd on a bitterly cold night.We were expecting their best shot, expecting them to come out fired up, Lillard said. It felt kind of dry, with the crowd andd everything.dddddddddddd We knew that we would have to create our own energy.We did that.LaMarcus Aldridge usually gives the Nuggets nightmares, but he was kept in check, finishing with 12 points. He averaged 28.3 points against Denver a season ago, and had a career-high 44 points in a game last January.This was the first time all year Nuggets coach Brian Shaw had a full squad at his disposal. It didnt help. Shaw couldnt find the right combination to slow down the Blazers, who led 84-50 at the break. Thats quite a first-half explosion, especially considering Indiana beat Miami 81-75 earlier in the night.On a frigid night outside the Pepsi Center — minus-3 degrees and falling — the Nuggets were just as cold inside. They shot 37.8 per cent in the first half, including 1 for 8 from 3-point range, leading to plenty of boos from the sparse crowd.Its not easy for them to see us play like that, Danilo Gallinari said. I understand them. Hopefully, we can turn those boos into applause the next game.Lapses on defence proved costly for Denver, said Ty Lawson, who led the team with 32 points.Have to play better, he said.Denver actually went on a 15-0 run in the third quarter and still trailed by 21 points. Lillard ended any chance of a comeback when he hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the quarter to restore the big lead.The game was so lopsided that Portlands starters were on the bench for the final quarter.I didnt (see this coming), Lillard said. Everybody was focused.___TIP INSTrail Blazers: Allen Crabbe filled in for Nicolas Batum, who was sidelined with a bruised knee. Crabbe finished with seven points. ... Reserve Chris Kaman had 16 points.Nuggets: The minute restrictions were finally lifted for Nate Robinson and Gallinari, who are both returning from knee injuries. ... J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 11 rebounds in his second game back. He missed the opening five games of the year, serving a suspension for violating the leagues anti-drug program.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: Host Brooklyn on Saturday.Nuggets: Visit Indiana on Friday. 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