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    • September 5, 2019 11:21 AM IST
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      Raptors were thoroughly dismantled

      TORONTO -- Kyle Lowry sat at his locker nursing a headache in the moments after the Toronto Raptors loss on Sunday, the product of a misplaced knee. Will Barton Jersey . The Raptors were thoroughly dismantled by a speedy Phoenix Suns team in a 121-113 loss, but Lowry and coach Dwane Casey insisted there would be no lingering pain after a rare defeat at home. "Its not a systemic problem, its one game, we knew we werent going to go undefeated the rest of the way," Casey said. "That team right there, theyre fighting for their playoff lives like we are, and theyre a quality team in the west. "Its not like its the end of the world." Lowry scored 19 of his 28 points in the third quarter against the run-and-gun Suns, but his standout effort wasnt enough as the Raptors (37-28) lost at the Air Canada Centre for just the fifth time in the last 16 games. There were some scary moments with about a minute-and-a-half to go when Lowry went down in a scramble for a loose ball, and was ploughed in the head by first one of PJ Tuckers knees and then the other. "Ive got a headache. . . These (TV camera) lights are killing me right now," Lowry said, shrugging off any suggestion of a concussion. "PJs not a dirty guy, Ive known him for a while. He even apologized after the game. . . . Hes a strong dude, so it hurt." Terrence Ross finished with 22 points while Amir Johnson had 20, DeMar DeRozan finished with 17, and Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 15. Gerald Green scored 13 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to top the Suns (38-27), while Goran Dragic added 19, and Markieff Morris had 16 point and grabbed 14 rebounds. The Raptors had been red-hot the past several weeks, positioning themselves for their first playoff appearance in six seasons. Theyd gone an Eastern Conference-best 11-3 since Feb. 10 heading into Sundays game and sat first place in the Atlantic Division. But the hungry Suns also have the playoffs in their sights. They went into Sunday trailing Memphis by a game-and-a-half for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. "Thats a helluva team right there," DeRozan said. "(We can) just learn from it. We battled, a lot of stuff didnt go our way. . . It was just a tough night overall. The Suns outran the Raptors all afternoon, and led by as much as 14 points before taking a 96-90 advantage into the fourth in front of a crowd of 18,717 energetic fans at the Air Canada Centre. The visitors pulled ahead by 15 a couple of times in the final 12 minutes before a basket and free throw by Lowry made it a seven-point deficit with 4:08 to play. But on the Suns next trip down the floor, Morris grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put the game virtually out of reach. "Theyre up and down," Lowry said. "They got out. . . 121 (points), thats their type of game. We dont want to have a type of game like that, we want to hold teams under 100, under 90 preferably." Rebounding proved problematic for the Raptors all afternoon, with Suns owning a whopping 45-26 advantage on the boards. "Again, no time to panic," Casey said. "I dont think were going to see that type of speed and quickness -- at least I hope not -- the rest of the way." The Raptors frustration showed at times. Casey was slapped with a technical for arguing a call, then DeRozan collected a tech when he kicked the ball in anger. "It was just tough when youre going out there playing hard and sometimes you dont get a call that youre fighting or dying for and that we may need at a critical time," DeRozan said. Both teams shot well, the Suns going 50.7 per cent from the field to Torontos 49.4. There was plenty of energy from both teams in a first-quarter shootout. The Raptors and Suns combined for 10-for-14 from three-point range. The Raptors led by as much as nine, but Marcus Morris drained two consecutive threes to put the Suns up 37-35 going into the second. "The guys seemed really focused tonight," said Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek. "They came out right from the start, they had the energy. Maybe it was the one oclock game that were not used to playing; they thought it was a great opportunity. I thought were on ESPN or something." The Raptors went 0-for-8 to open the second quarter until a John Salmons pull-up jumper more than five minutes in. The Raptors ended the quarter with a 10-2 run and when Ross drained a three, and pumped one fist in the air, it pulled Toronto to within two points. The Suns led 61-59 at halftime. The Raptors fell behind by 14 points with just under six minutes to play in the third, when Lowry almost single-handedly got them back in the game. He scored 10 points in the final 3:38 of the quarter and the Raptors went into the fourth trailing 96-90. NOTES: Raptors forward Patrick Patterson missed his fifth game with an elbow injury. Casey said he will be evaluated again Monday. . . The Raptors are on the road for two games -- Tuesday at Atlanta and Wednesday at New Orleans -- before returning home to host Oklahoma City next Friday . . . The Raptors had won three in a row against the Suns before a 106-97 loss in Phoenix on Dec. 6. Paul Millsap Jersey . The 48th-ranked Williams made her first appearance in Dubai since she won her second straight title here in 2010. Shed missed the last three years either because of injury or Sjogrens Syndrome. Alex English Nuggets Jersey . In his first game with Boston University, the 17-year-old Eichel picked up five assists as his Boston University Terriers thumped St.Its a meeting of champions when the defending BPL champions Manchester City pay a visit to MLS Cup holders Sporting Kansas City at Sporting Park in Kansas. You can catch all of the action live on TSN at 9pm et/6pm et. For defending BPL champion City, Wednesday nights match with Sporting will be the first action of their North American tour. After Wednesday, City will compete in the Guinness International Champions Cup where they will play Liverpool, Milan and Olympiacos over the next 10 days. Though, City brings with them a strong team for the tour including new signing Fernando, Samir Nasri and Aleks Kolarov, they will be without the services of striker Alvaro Negredo. The Spanish international suffered a foot injury on Sunday in a 2-1 friendly victory over Hearts. Hes expected to be out for several months. “I want to let you know that its going to be hard for the next few months,” Negredo wrote on Instagram on Monday. “I fractured my fifth metatarsal and will be out a few months. “I will be back stronger than ever.” Sporting Kansas City, who currently sit atop the Eastern Conference, see their date with the English champions as a chance to prove ttheir own championship mettle, but also share Defoes sentiments about having this fixture in the middle of a long season. Michael Porter Nuggets Jersey. . “Its always important to make sure when were playing any international match that we perform well and continue to raise the profile of the league,” coach Peter Vermes told the Kansas City Star. “All of these games have a certain significance, but I dont want to over play it from the point of view that were in the running for our league at the moment. And playing an exhibition in the middle of the season — as much as its good for an event for all these other things — is not the focus.” Even with the fixture-strain these games put on MLS sides, Sportings American international midfielder Benny Feilhaber sees the importance for Sporting to test its skill against a European giant. “Theyre a great team obviously,” Feilhaber said. “Its their preseason game. We dont know how fit theyre going to be and how much theyre going to put into it, but for us, I think its a good test. It will be fun for the fans. ... Its always exciting to test yourself against a top club and top players.” ' ' '

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