Bayern Trupp » moved level with Torino

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Toronto Raptors have had every excuse to give in this season. Theyve had injuries to key players, turned the roster over significantly with an early season trade and had low expectations after a regime change portended a possible tear down and rebuild. Kyle Lowry doesnt make excuses. Dwane Casey doesnt make excuses. And the Raptors havent given an inch while climbing the Eastern Conference ladder. Lowry had 20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his fourth career triple-double, lifting the Raptors to a 111-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points and seven rebounds and Steve Novak hit five 3-pointers for the surprising Raptors (35-26), who have won nine of their last 11 games to surge to third place in the East. They are nine games over .500 for the first time since 2006-07. "We try to keep everybodys spirits high even if its not going well on the basketball court and we dont let nothing get down on us," said DeRozan, whose team shot 58.3 per cent (14 for 24) on 3-pointers. "Thats the cool thing about our team. We continue to keep it going." Kevin Love had 26 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, and Nikola Pekovic added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Minnesota has started a crucial four-game homestand with two losses in three games, and the teams hopes of climbing from 10th in the West into the playoff picture are looking bleak. "Weve got to go out and win games were not supposed to win," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. "Thats the approach you have to take. If youre going to get down and you start moping about it, youre going to lose again." The Raptors got some bad news early in the day when they learned Patrick Patterson, a key member of the bench during their post-Rudy Gay trade surge, would miss the next seven to 10 days with a sprained right elbow. But just as they have done over the last two months, the Raptors found someone else to step up. Novak had played less than 13 minutes over the last month, but he scored a season-high in 18 minutes and Terrence Ross (15), Amir Johnson (15) and Greivis Vasquez (12) all reached double figures in scoring as well to earn a tough road win. "I cant say enough good things about those guys cause its going to take all of us, especially with Patrick being out," Casey said. The Wolves entered the night five games behind Dallas and Phoenix for the eighth and final spot in the West. Theyve now lost two of the first three games of a crucial four-game homestand. They put up a fight in this one, trimming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to 93-91 with five minutes to play. But Lowry drilled a 3-pointer, the Raptors locked down with the kind of defence that has gotten them this far and DeRozan finished the Wolves off with a 3-pointer from the left wing to improve Toronto to 26-2 when leading after three quarters. "Twenty games left, anything can happen," Love said. "We obviously have to go on some sort of a run. But if those other teams keep winning and pulling games out of their you-know-what, were in trouble." When Love sat down for a rest in the second quarter, the Raptors blasted Minnesota with a 15-0 run to take a 46-33 lead. Love ended the run with a jumper, fed Pekovic three straight times with pinpoint entry passes and also drew a charge during a 17-2 run that gave Minnesota a 50-48 lead. DeRozan and Ross both went to the bench early in the third quarter when they each picked up their fourth fouls and thats when Lowry took over. He was tenacious in his attack, hitting two jumpers and feeding Vasquez for a 3 to put Toronto up 75-68. He also played a big role in getting Wolves point guards Ricky Rubio and J.J. Barea in foul trouble with his aggressive penetration. "We needed all of his assists. He did a good job getting in there, penetrating, finding people," Casey said. We needed all his rebounds, especially with the way they crash the boards. He just had an all-around game." NOTES: Love made four 3-pointers, including one in the third quarter that broke Rashad McCants franchise record for 3s in a season. McCants made 142 3-pointers in 2007-08 to set the previous franchise record. ... The Raptors reserves outscored Minnesotas 32-16 for the game. ... Barea had another tough night, going 2 for 8 for five points. ... The Raptors recalled Dwight Buycks from the NBDLs Bakersfield Jam on Sunday. Ron Santo Jersey .J. -- Having Ondrej Pavelec earn his 100th NHL win and seeing Mark Scheifele and Evander Kane break goal droughts were nice highlights for the Winnipeg Jets. Robel Garcia Cubs Jersey .Pete Morelli said the back judge threw a flag on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens on a pass to Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew in Dallas 24-20 wild-card win Sunday. But the head linesman said there wasnt enough contact and that Hitchens was face-guarding, which isnt a penalty in the NFL. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2500t-derek-ho...ersey-cubs.html. "It was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms," he said of his first game against the Boston Celtics. Jose Quintana Cubs Jersey . TSN was honoured with several awards, with Rod Smith and James Duthie sharing the win for Best Sports Host for SportsCentre and the NHL: Season On The Brink coverage, respectively. Kyle Schwarber Cubs Jersey .During the week, McCoy told reporters he respected Hoyer for his intelligence, athleticism and how he conducts himself on and off the field. This wasnt an act, some attempt at psyching out Hoyer.ROME -- Fernando Llorente scored twice in the space of three minutes and Juventus restored its eight-point lead atop Serie A with a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Livorno on Monday. Also, AC Milan won 2-1 at Genoa for its third straight victory with goals from wingers Adel Taarabt and Keisuke Honda, who scored for the first time in the Italian league. At the Juventus Stadium, Llorente struck first 32 minutes in, holding off a defender before launching in a difficult shot from an angle. His second came on a header following a corner from Andrea Pirlo, which Livornos 22-year-old goalkeeper Francesco Bardi got his hands on but couldnt stop. It was a much-needed boost for Juventus to maintain its advantage over second-place Roma, which has won six straight and hosts Juventus in the penultimate round. "The title-race is still open -- wide open," Juventus manager Antonio Conte said. "We have a challenger that is not giving up a centimetre and in our heads we need to think that Roma could win all six matches that remain, including the match against us. So weve got to stay focused and pay full attention." With its 116th straight home win, Juventus matched the Serie A record set by city rival Torino in 1947-48.dddddddddddd With six games remaining, Livorno remained third from bottom, two points behind Chievo Verona and Bologna, with the bottom three to be relegated. Milan, which has earned 10 points in its last four matches, moved level with Torino in 10th. Taarabt, the Morocco midfielder who is on loan from Queens Park Rangers, scored with a bouncing shot in the 20th from beyond the area. Then Honda finished off a counterattack by chipping in a shot over charging Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin. Honda, a key member of Japans World Cup squad, joined Milan from CSKA Moscow in January. He has also scored one goal in the Italian Cup. Marco Motta pulled one back for Genoa in the 73rd with a difficult shot and the hosts then pressed for an equalizer. Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati preserved the lead with a diving save on a shot from Stefano Sturaro in the 75th and defender Philippe Mexes cleared a shot off the line with a header seconds later. Nursing a cold, Mario Balotelli played only the final 16 minutes. Genoa remained 13th. ' ' '