world of him." The Panthers signed veteran Je

HOUSTON - It was a long night at the office for the Raptors, who went home empty handed Monday night. It was long, it was ugly and it ended in disappointment. It was not the first time theyve endured such a night. "[There are] no moral victories in this league," Kyle Lowry said, as if he had been practicing the cliche that has become more of a slogan for this team over the years. Its the second time hes used it in 10 days. And hes absolutely right. The Raptors played 58 minutes of basketball, at least 40 of which were hard fought, in a game that elapsed three hours and 17 minutes. They clawed back from 17 down after an atrocious second quarter, overcame injuries and foul trouble while hanging in with a more talented team on the road. Ultimately, a loss is a loss. Toronto now has five of them in eight games. The question is, what can they learn from this one? "I am proud of the way they fought and scrapped and got back in the game," Dwane Casey said after his teams 110-104 double-overtime defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets. "They could have laid down two or three times and they didnt." "Theres no moral victories in this game but, I see our team growing, fighting through things. Its a totally different feel from last year." Their resiliency was notable. Torontos 87-86 lead, following an Amir Johnson put-back with 40 seconds remaining, was its first since early in the opening frame. They scored just 13 points and shot an abysmal 18 per cent in the second. The defensive effort was equally as impressive, holding the Rockets to 44 per cent and neutralizing Dwight Howard and James Harden - for most of the game - as well as you can hope to. Offensively, they were treading water at the best of times. "We had so many opportunities to score," Casey said, "but we have to convert them." They didnt, not often enough to win. In fact, they were fortunate to come so close. Rudy Gay made just 11 of his career-high and franchise-most 37 field goal attempts, while DeMar DeRozan hit just six of 25. Together the pair shot 27 per cent on 62 attempts. Overall the team registered just 10 assists, a season low despite the extra time, on 38 made field goals. "We cant let us not making shots get us frustrated at all," said DeRozan, who had 22 points, second to Gays team-leading 29. "Were going to make shots, theyre going to come but we know we can stay in games with our defence and thats what we did." Those two missed a handful of jumpers they generally tend to hit with some consistency, as they pointed out, but poor shot selection continues to plague the Raptors high-volume duo early in the season. Both players are shooting below 37 per cent through eight games and DeRozan is now 18-for-70 (26 per cent) over his last four. "We being the go-to players on this team, we have to [keep shooting]," DeRozan maintained. "We cant get frustrated if the shots not going. It would be a whole different story if we didnt take the shots, if we were out there being passive and not taking the shots we normally take." "It sucks that were missing a lot of easy shots but were going to continue to fight it out no matter what. We could be out there playing with a bowling ball and were going to continue to shoot it." Gay drew most of the ire from fans for his 37 attempts. With 34 seconds remaining in regulation - knotted up at 87 - Gay, isolated on the wing, winded down the shot clock and launched a 22-footer that clanked off the side of the rim. "We prefer for him to go to the basket," Casey said of that specific play. "Thats what we wanted, to attack the rim. I dont know if it was fatigue or good defence but the play was drawn for him to attack the rim." Fast forward, down three in overtime, Gay knocked down the triple that bought the Raptors an extra five minutes. The true Rudy Gay experience. You take the good with the bad. On this particular night, there was far more of the latter. "Were fighting," Lowry said. "Thats all we can do is keep fighting. Like I said, no moral victories in this league, none of that." "But as long as we fight and play as hard as we can possibly play and do the things we know how to do the basketball gods will help us out a little bit. Well win some games like this." Aches and pains Lowry sat in the locker room after the game, both feet soaking in buckets of ice water. The Raptors point guard sustained a sprained right ankle in Saturdays lopsided win over Utah but said he never had any doubt about playing against his former team in Houston. He struggled early, going 2-of-8 from the floor through three quarters but helped ignite Torontos run in the fourth. Lowry shot 4-for-8 and scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime periods before eventually fouling out. "Guys are tired," he said after the game. "But guys are spirited, guys are still up. Were not going to put our heads down, were going to learn from the game and weve got another tough test on Wednesday." The point guard admitted his ankle was sore after playing 47 minutes but doesnt plan to miss any time, with another former team on deck in the Grizzlies. Gay was also icing down a sore ankle that he tweaked during the game. Up next Gay will make his first return to Memphis following last seasons three-team trade when the Raptors visit the Grizzlies Wednesday night. Catch it live on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 8:00pm et. Babe Ruth Jersey . TSNs Farhan Lalji reports the Edmonton Eskimos non-import DT has a workout scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any team until then. Fred Lynn Jersey . Petersburg of the KHL. Belov was a free agent last summer when he signed a one-year contract with the Oilers. In 57 games this season he had one goal and six assists with 34 penalty minutes in Edmonton. http://www.theredsoxteamshop.com/Red-Sox...ms-Kids-Jersey/. "Its not done, but its a huge step," Hannover general manager Dirk Dufner said. Poor defending allowed the visitors to score in the second minute, when Leon Andreasens header from Christian Panders cross sent the ball inside the far post. Tyler Thornburg Jersey . On the eve of the 2013-14 NBA season, he can finally take a step back and allow his team to do the talking. Johnny Pesky Jersey .com) - The Toronto Raptors set their sights on a second straight victory with the Oklahoma City Thunder visiting the Air Canada Centre tonight riding a two game streak of their own.ORLANDO, Fla. - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver. Speaking publicly for the first time since cutting Smith two weeks ago, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday they had to "move on eventually." "He didnt lose his speed," Rivera said at the NFLs annual meetings. "He lost his top end. Steve still fought and would still find ways to make plays. But as far as the football decision goes, we have to move on eventually. This was an opportunity to do it." Smith wasnt unemployed for very long. He signed a three-year contract with Baltimore about 24 hours after the Panthers released him. Rivera said the desire to give young receivers Marvin McNutt, Tavarres King, Brenton Bersin, Kealoha Pilares and Toney Clemons opportunities factored into the decision. "With Steve around, they may never get that chance to develop," Rivera said. Rivera also made it clear the Panthers intend to select a receiver in the NFL draft in May — and hopefully replace Smith. "The thing we have to all understand is that eventually its going to happen; its inevitable," Rivera said. "In this game, its inevitable. A lot of great ones have moved on and gone on and played a couple of more years somewhere else. For us (Rivera and GM Dave Gettleman), this is a very hard decision. I know Dave anguished over it for several days before the decision was made, and we had a lot of discussions about it. Its one of those things that you have to, at some point, make the move to go forward." The decision was not popular among Carolina fans. A third-round draft pick out of Utah in 2001, Smith made an immediate impact as a rookie, returning the opening kickoff of the season for a touchdown against Minnesota. He became the first Panthers rookie selected to the Pro Bowl, earning that honour as a return specialist. Known for his feisty behaviour on the field, Smith became a dominant receiver over the next 12 seasons. He ranks 19th in the NFL in career receptions. He caught 64 passes for 746 yards and four touchdowns in 2013. Smith is Carolinas leader in receptions (836), yards receiving (12,197) and touchdowns (67).dddddddddddd As productive as Smith was, his fiery personality often rubbed people the wrong way, and some viewed him as a distraction in the locker room. Smith had run-ins with teammates on at least two occasions. He punched out fellow wide receiver Anthony Bright in a film room fight and later socked cornerback Ken Lucas on the field during a practice at training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. On both occasions, Smith was suspended by the team. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said they had few reservations about bringing in the 34-year-old Smith, even with his history and his age. "Chemistry is really important, and its something that I think every team should be working really hard to try it build," Harbaugh said in Orlando. "It starts with the type of person that you bring in as a coach and then as a player. But through our investigations, I guess you can call it, we came away feeling really good about the impact Steve is going to have on our team that way. "Hes a tough competitor. Hes a mature, grown man. Hes a family man. Hes a man of faith. I think the world of him." The Panthers signed veteran Jerricho Cotchery to a two-year contract, giving them some experience at the position after releasing Smith and seeing Brandon LaFell, Ted Ginn Jr. and Domenik Hixon leave in free agency. Rivera insisted the team will miss Smith, even though hes not the player he was in his prime. "Hes got a lot of football left," Rivera said. "Hes still explosive. ... He practices so hard. He competes so hard. I think hes at the point now where he has to manage himself and know that, Hey, I cant practice every day like that. "Steve has a lot to prove. Hes got that chip on his shoulder going forward. I know hes going to be 35, but I still know hes going to be a very competitive guy. Hes going to will himself to do some things. But I think as the season wears on, if he hasnt taken the time that hes needed off between the games, he might slow down. But he still has some gas in the tank." ___ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '