Grüße und Vorstellung » But after returning home Tuesday

TORONTO - If you had been up early to watch the Canadian mens hockey team win gold Sunday morning, the Raptors first-half lullaby likely put you back to sleep. Rickey Henderson Jersey . "I think we set basketball back probably 15 years in the first half," Dwane Casey admitted, speaking of his teams lackadaisical effort at the outset of a 105-90 win over the lowly Orlando Magic. Slow starts have become a troublesome trend for the Raptors, who scored 44 points on 42 per cent shooting in the opening 24 minutes Sunday, but theyve also developed a fondness for the second-half explosion, which seems to bail them out more often than not. Whatever Casey is saying or doing in the locker room at intermission, its been working. Once considered to be one of the worst third-quarter teams in the association, the Raptors looked like an inspired team coming out of the halftime break. "Like I told our guys, were going to have a lot of games where were going to have to grind it out," Casey said. "For whatever reason we struggle in the first half [and] come through, turn it on [in the second half], but I think thats also a little bit of growth on our part. Ive seen times when it had been a struggle for close to 40 minutes." The Raptors have indeed turned a corner in that regard, establishing themselves as a lethal second-half club. Toronto has outscored, or tied, its opponent in the second half in 13 straight contests, holding teams to 39 per cent shooting and besting them by 91 total points during that stretch. Since the season-altering trade of Rudy Gay, the Raptors lead the NBA in second-half point differential, outscoring foes by 216 points, 47 more than the second-ranked Indiana Pacers. Led by its dynamic backcourt, Toronto missed just two of its 14 field goal attempts in the third, besting the Magic 36-24 and turning a three-point halftime lead into a 15-point advantage going into the fourth. Neither guard, Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan, missed a shot in the frame. The two combined for 26 of Torontos 36 points. Lowry, who shot just 1-of-7 in the first half, was in the zone. As the clock ticked down to end the period, the Raptors point guard pulled up from 25-feet and drained his fourth three-pointer, putting the finishing touch on a perfect (5-for-5 from the field, 4-for-4 from three, 3-for-3 from the line) 17-point quarter. Although the Raptors have outscored the Magic and Cavaliers 73-45, shooting 76 per cent from the floor in their last two third quarters - en route to a pair of home victories - Lowry and his teammates are wisely concerned about their customary slow starts. "Were not that good of a team to just ease our way into the game," said Lowry, who finished with 28 points on Sunday. "Weve got to come out and play with [that] intensity from the start." Whats behind the teams late wake-up calls? "I cant really put a finger on it," DeRozan said after scoring 17 of his 24 in the second half. "Maybe we just like a challenge sometimes. [We] put ourselves in a tough situation so we can fight ourselves out, but weve got to stop that and understand weve got to come out of the gate so we dont make the game that hard on us." Fortunately, the Raptors were playing host to the leagues worst road team. The Magic, riding a 15-game losing streak away from home, were missing leading scorer Arron Afflalo, absent as a result of an ankle injury. They scored just 14 points in the opening quarter and didnt put up much resistance when the Raptors guards seized control of the game. Toronto managed to seal a double-digit victory despite committing a season-high 24 turnovers, 18 of them coming from Lowry, DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas. While six of Torontos next seven games come against losing teams, this is not a habit that will be kind to the playoff-bound Raptors as they approach the stretch run. "We cant rely on that," DeRozan said of his teams second-half success, "because when we run into the top teams its going to be tough to try to make a comeback against those teams." "So weve got to start a habit of that now," he continued, "even when were playing teams like Orlando so well be ready and we know what to expect when we play the good teams." Jake Smolinski Jersey . - The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is set to ask a judge to throw out allegations that she lied to a grand jury. Bruce Maxwell Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.athleticsrookiestore.com/Athletics-Joe-Morgan-Kids-Jersey/ . "Im not doing enough to help them," Durant told The Oklahoman on Monday of his 28-9 team. "Im shooting too much. Im shooting too many threes. Im not helping them out at all.SAN DIEGO -- In what has been an emotional stretch for the San Diego Padres they have played their best baseball. The Padres ninth-inning rally on Friday night produced a 6-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, their third straight victory. "This has been a tough week for San Diego," Padres manager Bud Black said. "When you look at the whole week, it has been more so than just the game. This was a good win for the city." Hall of Famer and Padres icon Tony Gwynn died Monday at age 54 after a long battle with cancer. The team has been struggling with the emotional aftermath since. But after returning home Tuesday, the Padres havent lost. With Gwynns No. 19 etched in right field, the Padres came back to beat the Mariners twice and added another thrilling win against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen (0-3). "Its unacceptable to pitch a game like that," Jansen said. Everth Cabreras sacrifice fly capped San Diegos three-run ninth. "When I hit the fly ball I celebrate like it was a walk-off bomb," Cabrera said. "Especially against the Dodgers with all their fans from L.A. here." It was the Padres third consecutive win and it snapped a three-game winning streak by the Dodgers. Trailing 5-3, Alexi Amarista opened the San Diego ninth with a single off Jansen and scored on Carlos Quentins pinch-hit double. Venable tied the game when his double scored pinch-runner Andrew Cashner. Venable took third on Rene Riveras sacrifice and scored on Cabreras deep fly to right. "The last three days, we played real baseball," Cabrera said. Dale Thayer (3-2) pitched the ninth for the victory. Yasiel Puig, who had two RBIs for the Dodgers, left in the eighth inning with a mild left hip muscle strain. Seth Smith homered twice, doubled and walked for the Padres. It was Smiths sixth multi-homer game of his career. "I came in early and worked on some things," Smith said. "Its fun when you put in the work and you see the results." The Padres bullpen, which has been strong all season, tthrew four scoreless innings to keep the game close. Custom Oakland Athletics Jerseys. "All year long those guys have done their thing," Black said. After Smiths second homer in the sixth, the Padres had the tying runs aboard when Cameron Maybin reached on a fielders choice and Amarista walked. But Jace Peterson struck out to end the threat. The Dodgers scored three times in the fifth, aided by two wild pitches and an error by Amarista at third base. With runners in scoring position and the infield playing up, Puig hit a one-out grounder between third and shortstop which deflected off the gloves of Amarista and Cabrera into short let field to score Dee Gordon. Amarista retrieved the ball and when his throw home was wide, Hanley Ramirez scored on the error. Puig advanced to third on the play and scored on Adrian Gonzalezs sacrifice fly for a 5-1 lead. Gordon opened the game with a triple and scored on Petersons errant relay throw to third. Later in the inning Gonzalez doubled and Matt Kemp drove him in with a base hit to left off Amaristas glove for a 2-0 lead. Smith homered to right-centre in the first to bring the Padres within 2-1. "There are always close games with these guys," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "To me, they are one of those clubs that are tough to beat." NOTES: The National Baseball Hall of Fame requested Clayton Kershaws cleats from his Wednesday no-hitter. Kershaw said his accomplishment has started to sink in. "I couldnt sleep very well that night obviously, then the next day to turn on the TV and hear about it was pretty cool stuff." ... Dodgers OF Carl Crawford (left ankle sprain) is still unable to do baseball activities, Mattingly said. ... Padres 3B Chase Headley was out of the lineup with a sore back. ... Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (left elbow soreness) has increased his throwing program and could join the team on its upcoming trip. There is no date for his return. ... Dodgers RHP Josh Beckett (4-4, 2.49) faces Padres RHP Tyson Ross (6-6, 3:27) on Saturday night. 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