CLEVELAND - With just over a minute remaining in a three-point contest, Kyrie Irving, Clevelands lethal late-game weapon, barrelled into the lane as Kyle Lowry stood in his way, positioned above the restricted area. Jason Sanders Stitched Jersey . Mired in an offensive slump, Lowry - the NBAs leader in taking charges this season - did what he has learned to do best, standing his ground and drawing a crucial offensive foul on the Cavaliers all-star point guard. Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors two best players, their two leading scorers, made the two most important plays of Tuesdays 99-93 win over Cleveland. That much is not unusual. Of note though is both of those plays came on the defensive end. "Those defensive plays are deflation plays for the opposition," said Lowry, who struggled with his shot, hitting just three of 15 attempts from the field and misfiring on all nine of his jumpers from three-point range. "Its definitely fun to step up for the team in those situations." Lowry didnt think twice when faced with a split-second decision, one hes made time and time again in high-pressure situations during his breakout campaign. "Those are winning plays," he said, asked about the art of drawing a charge, crediting the tutelage of former teammate Shane Battier, whom he called "one of the best charge takers" in the league. DeRozans steal was just as vital, if not more so, to the teams sixth win in the last seven games and second over Cleveland in a span of five days. "He was like a free safety out there," Lowry said, shortly before DeRozan - in conversation with the media - made yet another reference to Seahawks cornerback and fellow Compton-native Richard Sherman. "I kind of anticipated it, I read the play a little bit," said DeRozan, who also made his share of big offensive plays, scoring 16 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter, adding six assists without turning the ball over. "They ran it earlier in the game. I knew they were going to look for it and I just went for it." Toronto, and DeRozan in particular, has come up short when faced with one final possession, one final shot in the past. Both guards heeded their coachs direction this time around. It didnt come down to a last-second heave. The Raptors won with timely defence. After enjoying a much-improved first quarter following a series of slow starts, the Raptors struggled on both ends of the floor during the meat of the game. Nothing was falling for Lowry - a 39 per cent three-point shooter on the season - and the team was accumulating sloppy turnovers at an uncharacteristically alarming rate for the second straight contest. Almost foreshadowing the nights eventual result, Casey was asked how to prevent his team from allowing its offence to dictate defensive effort prior to the game. "I havent discovered it yet in my 30 years of coaching," he responded. "Its the same in college, [in the] pros and its been that way for a long time. A lot of guys have to see the ball go through the basket to get themselves going on the other end, which you dont want, you preach against but I think its human nature." For at least one night, his team and his point guard bucked that trend. "That was one example of a guy not letting his offence dictate his defence," Casey said of Lowry, who also added nine assists, made all seven of his free-throw attempts and could have drawn a couple more charges if not for a pair of close calls that didnt go his way. "Thats how you have to play," Lowry added. "Youre not going to have great games all the time. Youre not going to shoot 10-for-12 every night or 20-for-30. Youre always going to have some sort of off game but you cant let that stop you from helping your team win a game." Terrence Ross bailed him out offensively, scoring what DeRozan called a "quiet 19 points", knocking down five of his eight shots from long distance. With the win, the Raptors climb seven games above the .500 mark for the first time in six years. It ensures theyll have a winning record for a third consecutive month, accomplishing that feat for the first time since 2007. Mike Gesicki Stitched Jersey . - The Green Bay Packers got back to work on Friday without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Durham Smythe Stitched Jersey .The long-haired pivot, who joined the Alouettes midway through the CFL season and put up a 9-3 record as a starter, will be listed as the top quarterback in training camp next spring.With a full training camp under his belt, the Alouettes will see if he has what it takes to get them back to the Grey Cup game after a four-year absence. http://www.officialdolphinsnflauthenticshop.com/jerome-baker-stitched-jersey/ . Its not intended to be some magical formula and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. This remedial statistical method has gone 9-5 in picks through the first three rounds. WASHINGTON -- The next time the Washington Capitals face the Carolina Hurricanes, they will know what to expect. Jeff Skinner, Justin Peters and Carolina caught Washington by surprise Tuesday night in a 4-1 victory that left the Capitals lamenting the attitude they brought into this Metropolitan Division matchup. Skinner had two goals and an assist and Peters stopped 26 shots for the Hurricanes, who had lost two straight and six of eight before bouncing back to match their most lopsided victory of the season. "Took the team too lightly, I think," Capitals defenceman Karl Alzner said. "We watched the video, saw how things were going, theyve got injuries, all that kind of stuff. Thats bad on us." Skinners two goals and three points both tied career highs. Now in his fourth NHL season, the 21-year-old Toronto native last scored two goals in a game in January 2013, against Buffalo. Skinner was playing in his seventh game after missing the previous 11 with an upper body injury. "He got off to a great start and then he got hurt," Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller said. "Now hes starting to get in the groove again. Hes a goal scorer, and if you give him a chance hes going to score." Being lucky doesnt hurt. Skinner gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 10:21 of the first period on a shot from the right side that struck goaltender Braden Holtbys bent left leg and bounced into the net. "I think sometimes things just go your way," Skinner said. "The first goal, I just sort of tried to put it on net and it found a way in. Sometimes, thats just the way it goes." Skinner connected on a wrist shot from the left circle to make it 2-0 at 11:18 of the second period. Leess than three minutes later, he got an assist on a power-play goal by Andrej Sekera. Minkah Fitzpatrick Stitched Jersey. "Skins a really gifted player and he goes right to the hard areas," Peters said. "Tonight he got rewarded from playing within our system. Its great to see. Im happy for him." After Sekera scored, Jiri Tlusty connected less than a minute later for a 4-0 lead. Mike Greens long-awaited first goal of the season, with Washington on the power play at 6:39 of the third period, ruined Peters bid for his fourth career shutout. Two of the goaltenders three NHL shutouts are against the Capitals. "Theyve got a lot of firepower there," Peters said. "Green made a nice shot. Im just happy I was able to stick with it and get the win." Holtby was 4-2 with a 1.84 goals-against average in six career games against Carolina, but in this one he was pulled before the third period after yielding four goals on 23 shots. Two of Washingtons seven defeats at home this season have come against the Hurricanes. The loss ended the Capitals two-game winning streak. "I think every team goes through their highs and lows," Green said. "We have been very successful at going through streaks in the past, and thats maybe why it seems like we are so up and down." NOTES: Washington C Brooks Laich was scratched with a groin injury. ... Former Capitals star Alexander Semin missed an eighth straight game for Carolina with a concussion. ... Carolina is 9-0-1 when allowing two goals or fewer. ... Washington has scored 14 power-play goals in its last 16 games. ... Since the start of the 2005-06 season, Carolina is 26-2-4 against Washington when scoring at least three goals. Cheap Steelers Jerseys Cheap Patriots Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Giants Jerseys Cheap Redskins Jerseys Cheap Bears Jerseys Cheap Eagles Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Cheap Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Lions Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys ' ' '