TORONTO - As Dwane Casey called a timeout late in Fridays victory, one of his teams most impressive of the campaign, an honorar

TORONTO - As Dwane Casey called a timeout late in Fridays victory, one of his teams most impressive of the campaign, an honorary addition to the Raptors coaching body was the first to race out and rally the troops. Josh Hart Pelicans Jersey . Donning a charcoal blazer on top of his white t-shirt, Kyle Lowry immediately pulled aside his replacement, Greivis Vasquez, as the two point guards calibrated by the bench with less than a minute remaining. A reluctant spectator for the second straight contest, nursing his bruised knee, Lowry refused to take the night off. Not that anyone truly expected him to. "He was like our second or third coach," said Jonas Valanciunas. "He was kind of doing the same thing he does when hes in the game," added Terrence Ross. "Helping us with plays, drawing things up for us, being vocal." The Raptors would rather have him in uniform, dressed in red and white while leading his team in the trenches instead of on the sidelines, but they have more than held their own in his absence. For the second time in three days, Toronto - missing both Lowry and forward Amir Johnson - was able to knock off a top-six team, as the teams confidence continues to grow heading into the playoffs. "With us we feel like we can beat anybody when we step out there on the court, honestly," said DeMar DeRozan, who tallied 20 points and nine assists in his teams inspiring 102-94 win over the Indiana Pacers. "Theyre [a] top team in the East. We understand tonight was a big win at this time of the season." The Pacers - a team the Raptors could see in the second round of the playoffs, should they advance - are backing into the postseason. Frank Vogels club, losers of six straight games on the road and six of eight overall, had occupied the Easts top seed for most of the season before surrendering it to Miami last week. Vulnerable as Indiana may be, the Raptors have split the season series and given that they were without two starters on Friday, their latest victory was of the statement variety. "If theyre looking for themselves, whatever it is, its a win," Casey said. "Whatever their deal is, theyve won 53 games. Thats the way I look at it. Its a quality win." Fresh off a similarly opportunistic win over a Rockets team missing Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley, the Raptors displayed characteristics you wouldnt expect from a young, undermanned group. They were resilient, hitting back after the Pacers cut into their 11-point cushion and took a lead of their own late in the game. They were tough, winning the battle on the boards and refusing to back down from Indys intimidation tactics. They embodied the seemingly irreplaceable qualities of their fallen comrades, Lowry and Johnson. Lowry - for better or for worse, in uniform or not - is the engine that drives this ship and even from the bench he couldnt help but to take control. "Its a little bit worse than what he does when hes in the game with you," DeRozan joked. "He just wont stop talking but hey, we deal with it, its cool. He shut up a little bit more once we were winning." "Id rather have him in uniform than in street clothes and coaching," Casey said, also having some fun at the expense of the vocal Lowry. "I tell Kyle this all the time, that when he becomes a coach I cannot wait to come watch his teams play." "Ill tell you what, Imma be that heckler in that stands. Boooo, coach." The relationship between Casey and Lowry has grown exponentially over the past 18 months. Theyre both strong-willed, passionate competitors. Whatever rift they may or may not have had last season - when the team was losing and Lowrys minutes were sporadic - appears to be a thing of the past. They understand and respect each other. Winning will do that. "I mean we have the same goals and thats to win as many games as we can win, make noise in the playoffs and compete our butts off," Casey said before the game. "Were tied together from that standpoint." The Raptors have navigated through the toughest stretch of their late-season schedule without Lowry and Johnson - out with a lingering ankle ailment - and can now afford to be more cautious with the health of their stars. Torontos final six regular season games come against sub-.500 competition, beginning with Saturdays contest against the lowly Bucks in Milwaukee. "The big picture is the most important thing," Casey acknowledged, "keeping guys healthy going forward." Sophomores stepping up Facing elite defenders at their positions, the Raptors duo of second-year starters came up big in the absence of Lowry and Johnson. Valanciunas, who scored 22 points on 14 shots, anchored Torontos defence and pulled down crucial rebounds in crunch time while vastly outplaying Pacers all-star centre Roy Hibbert. Meanwhile, Ross picked up the slack on offence, leading the team with 24 points - including five made threes - against a couple of tough wing defenders in Paul George and Lance Stephenson. "They came in and played with a lot of confidence, a lot of energy," Casey said of his sophomores. "They continue to get better and work hard at it every single day," DeRozan added. "They understand they play a key role on this team and us being successful. I credit tonights game to them because they came up big." De Colo making an impact With Vasquez stepping into Lowrys slot as the teams starting point guard, Casey has looked to trade deadline acquisition Nando De Colo off the bench. Even without scoring, the former Spurs guard has been making an impact with his energy and basketball intellect. He logged 23 minutes on Friday - most hes played with the Raptors - and with the increased role came a greater comfort level offensively. "He knows that hes going to get extended minutes with Kyle out," Casey said of De Colo, who scored 10 points and dished out five assists. "When youre in that situation you play a little more free and a little looser. Hes [being] himself and hes done an excellent job." The stat DeRozan, who had a team-high nine assists Friday, has now recorded five or more dimes in 24 games this year after doing so 18 times in his first four seasons combined. The quote "It should help their confidence," said Casey on the win. "To go against a team like Indiana without our two starters helps us but its not worth a darn if we dont come out [Saturday] night and have the same focus and energy and effort. Were happy, were excited about the win. I dont want to poo poo on it but weve got to turn it up and crank it up again tomorrow night. Derrick Favors Pelicans Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Derrick Favors Jersey . Replay backed him up. Adeiny Hechavarria immediately followed the ruling with a go-ahead sacrifice fly for the Miami Marlins, who held on to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Sunday completing a three-game sweep. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Darius-Miller-City-Edition-Jersey/ . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday.NEW YORK -- Carmelo Anthony is staying with the New York Knicks. Anthony has decided to remain in New York, choosing the Knicks over a number of teams which could have given him a better chance for the championship he craves. The All-Star forward met with Chicago, Houston, Dallas and the Lakers, but has informed the Knicks he will return, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press on Saturday on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made. The Knicks offered Anthony a maximum contract worth nearly $130 million over five years, about $35 million more than any of his other suitors under NBA rules, though its unknown what the final terms of his deal will be. Yahoo Sports and the Daily News of New York first reported Anthonys plans. Anthony came to the Knicks in February 2011 after a trade with the Denver Nuggets. He led the NBA in scoring in 2012-13 and was second last year but is more interested in team success, so he spent the last two weeks considering other homes. But the combination of the millions more the Knicks could offer and the chance to keep playing on basketballs biggest stage was too hard to pass up for Anthony, a New York native who spent months trying for a trade to his hometown 3 1/2 years ago. He wanted the Big Apple then and still does now. His decision came a day after LeBron James announced he was going to sign in Cleveland, leaving Anthony as the best free agent on the market. The Knicks did not comment. An announcement is expected Sunday. Not even the first playoff-less season of his 11-year career convinced Anthony to leave, though he may have seriously considered it given that his decision didnt come until the 12th day of free agency. Instead, hes putting his faith in team President Phil Jackkson and coach Derek Fisher, who will try to rebuild the Knicks after they went 37-45 last season. ETwaun Moore Jersey. . That poor finish gave Anthony no choice but to look at other teams, given the Knicks salary-cap restraints and the difficulty of making enough changes to make them a contender next season. He travelled around the country to listen to pitches, before the Knicks went to Los Angeles on July 3, offering him the max contract. That was one of what Jackson said was perhaps five different proposals the Knicks made. Anthony has said he was open to taking less than the max and Jackson has said he hoped the star would to give the team more flexibility in the future. Anthony spent the first 7 1/2 seasons of his career in Denver but let the Nuggets know in the summer of 2010 that he wanted a trade to New York. He finally got it the following February, the Knicks sending four of their top six players to Denver to make the deal. New York gave Anthony and his actress wife the bigger platform they sought, but it hasnt brought him any closer to a championship. The Knicks did win the Atlantic Division and reach the second round of the playoffs in 2013, when Anthony led the league in scoring, but they quickly fell backward this season. That was no fault of Anthony, who averaged 27.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 77 games. But he didnt have nearly enough help, and the Knicks probably cant provide it until next summer, when the contracts of Amare Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani come off their books. "Theres no instantaneous winner that we think is going to happen to the Knicks right now, but were going to be a lot better," Jackson said recently. That was only going to happen if Anthony stayed, and the Knicks finally have word that he will. ' ' '