CHICAGO - Dwane Casey wouldnt point fingers at Rudy Gay, fact is he didnt have to. [url=https://www.cheapblues.com/994z-kelly-c

CHICAGO - Dwane Casey wouldnt point fingers at Rudy Gay, fact is he didnt have to. Kelly Chase Jersey . The product, even after four games, speaks for itself. The Raptors are a better team without Gay in their lineup. The Raptors have won three of four games since agreeing to move Gay to the Sacramento Kings in last weeks seven-player deal. With Gay the team recorded 20 or more assists in three of 18 games this season, collecting 17.3 per contest, last in the NBA. Without him theyve accomplishment that feat in three of four outings, averaging 23.0 dimes. Tasked with replacing a 20-point scorer, working three - soon-to-be four - new players into his lineup and managing a locker room filled with uncertainty as the trade winds continue to swirl, Casey has his team playing its best basketball of the campaign. Asked if that surprises him, in light of the situation he finds himself in, Casey responded bluntly, "No." Then he hedged, because what else is he supposed to say? "Its nothing to do with Rudy whatsoever," Casey continued, after Toronto recorded a season-best 26 assists, defeating the Bulls 99-77 in the second night of a back-to-back on the road. "I think the pieces fit more, from that respect, it has nothing to do with Rudy personally." It has everything to do with Rudy. The departed Raptors forward was taking more shots than he has before, missing more than hes missed before while averaging the fewest assists (2.2) of the 15 NBA players who hoist 17 or more shots a night. His absence has freed this team. Somehow, in spite of the continued trade speculation that has cast a shadow over their heads, they are winning and having fun in the process. For the first time this season, theyre playing as a team. "Im trying to set up everybody else and get them in a rhythm," said DeMar DeRozan, who had 15 points to go along with another four assists, hes accumulated 22 since the trade. "Once we do that everybody begins to play together because itll be fun and everything seems to be easier. Even though a lot of guys dont know the offence everyone on this team knows how to play, especially the new guys." "It was a team effort totally and its fun when you play like that," newcomer Greivis Vasquez chimed in, adding six dimes off the bench in his second game with the Raptors. "Its fun when the ball is moving and were playing great team defence. Ive only been here a week and I can tell all these guys have my back, and thats huge." Their unselfish play appears to be contagious. DeRozan - who Casey said is playing "like an old man," on account of his improved court awareness - has taken advantage of his new role in the offence, acting as the teams quarterback, a role Gay could never or would never accept. Casey is getting 48 minutes of competent point guard play from Vasquez and Kyle Lowry, whose trade value continues to go up as he produces at a high level. Even sophomore Terrence Ross - averaging less than an assist per game as a pro - contributed a career-best four helpers. With wire-to-wire victories on consecutive nights, the Raptors havent trailed in eight quarters of basketball. Unlike Fridays win over the woeful 76ers - the NBAs worst defensive club - Saturdays dismantling of the Bulls was impressive enough to take notice. Despite their recent struggles, having lost 10 of 13, the Bulls defence is and will remain elite, even without the injured Derrick Rose. Toronto shot 48 per cent from the field, holding the hosting Bulls to just 36 per cent while outscoring them 26-11 in the final quarter to seal an impressive victory, their second straight on the road. "Last time we played them they got the best of us and we knew we couldnt come here and come out soft," DeRozan said, referring to the Bulls dominant victory in Toronto last month, a game in which he matched his career-high with 37 points. "We had to jump on them out the gate and keep our foot on their neck." The effort was indeed of the complete team variety. Jonas Valanciunas came out with an edge facing and ultimately outplaying all-star Joakim Noah and Amir Johnson turned in another productive outing. With a retooled second unit, playing in its second game together, the starters actually had some help. Vasquez, Patrick Patterson and John Salmons combined for 26 points and eight assists, turning the ball over just once playing the bulk of the minutes off Torontos bench. "We have the bodies, we were deeper tonight and the guys contributed," Lowry said. "This is the first time I played less minutes in a long time and that is a testament to the guys coming off the bench." "[The starters] know they dont have to play 40-plus minutes," Casey stated. "They know they have a strong bench behind them so that kind of gives them comfort to really turn on the gas." With an off-day Sunday and a couple days of practice, the new-look Raptors could actually be more in tune with one another when they host the Bobcats on Wednesday. "I just like the whole atmosphere, man," Vasquez said with a big smile on his face. "Ive missed this. This is real team basketball. Everybodys sharing, everybodys talking, nobody cares whos going to have the most points at the end of the night and thats what I see on the court. Im just happy but Im not satisfied. Weve got to keep playing, weve got to keep getting better." Wayne Gretzky Jersey .J. Ellis have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract. Barret Jackman Jersey . -- Andrew Wiggins is from Canada, Wayne Selden from Massachusetts and Joel Embiid from the African nation of Cameroon. https://www.cheapblues.com/ . Cornet won six straight games to rally from a 2-0 deficit and take the first set. The 25th-ranked Frenchwoman broke back twice in the second set before Bacsinszky saved a match point at 5-4.MINNEAPOLIS - In a season full of turmoil for the New York Knicks, Raymond Felton has dealt with more of it than any other player on the team. He struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness early in the season and was arrested on felony gun charges late last month. With all the trouble swirling around him, the point guard was just 7 for 32 in the five games since his arrest. Felton broke out of his slump with 18 points and Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points to help the Knicks snap a seven-game losing streak with a 118-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. "If youre not there mentally, it can really mess you up," said Felton, who made 5 of 8 shots and also had eight assists and four steals. "But Im not one to make excuses. I got a lot going on, but theres a lot of people in this world that are dealing with a lot. I cant make that excuse." Tyson Chandler had 15 points and 14 rebounds and Amare Stoudemire added 18 points and eight boards for the Knicks, who had not won since beating New Orleans on Feb. 19. Knicks coach Mike Woodson had a long chat with Felton on Tuesday, trying to gauge how focused his point guard was on the court with so much to deal with off it. "I wasnt going to take him out of the lineup, but I wanted to make sure that his head was in the right place for playing," Woodson said. "We just have to continue to help him and get him through this process." Kevin Love had 19 points and eight rebounds, but scored just one point in the second half as the Timberwolves returned from a successful West Coast road trip with a thud. Kevin Martin had 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting and the Wolves were 7 for 26 from 3-point range. "We cant give in and say that this is a killer," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. "I know everybodys going to say that you cant lose to the Knicks, its a killer. ... We just have to go out and beat Detroit (on Friday). We lost this game. Its not going to be perfect. I dont worry about this being really damaging. I worry about the wayy we played. Gene Carr Jersey. " Timberwolves coaches had quietly worried about opening a homestand against a team that had been playing so poorly, fearing that the breakout was coming. They were right. The Knicks hit eight of their first 10 field goals Wednesday night and went 5 for 7 from 3-point range to open a 38-24 lead after one quarter. The lead swelled to 17 points in the second quarter as New York chewed up Minnesotas soft interior defence with pick-and-roll lobs to Chandler, a staple of their 54 victories last year. After such a flat first half, Ricky Rubio and the Wolves came alive in the third quarter, methodically carving into the Knicks lead. Nikola Pekovic asserted himself in the paint against Stoudemire and an emboldened Rubio scored nine points in the quarter to cut the deficit to 88-86 going into the fourth. But Pekovic had to sit out most of the fourth quarter because of a minutes restriction placed on him to reduce the wear and tear on a sore ankle that kept him out for most of February. "Its really frustrating because youre trying to win games, youre trying to stay relevant and everything," Adelman said. "He had it going that third quarter. We had it going with him on the floor and I had to take him out. Its just something we have to live with, but its really hard." Anthony and Stoudemire led a 15-2 charge to start the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Felton hit Tim Hardaway Jr. for a soaring alley-oop moments later for a 107-92 lead. "Even though Im dealing with a lot of stuff off the court, I got a lot to play for right now," Felton said. "I just tried to clear my head tonight, come out and play, and have fun. This is a place where I can come and just be free." NOTES: Pekovic finished with 17 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes and Rubio had 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Wolves. ... New Yorks 66 points were its second-highest first half output of the season. ... J.R. Smith added 14 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Knicks. ' ' '