Dies & Das » okoto (9.2 ppg) are eager to join the

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Too many fouls. Way too many turnovers — nine alone from their star point guard.So what if Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors werent perfect? Come overtime, they went from flawed to nearly flawless.We had so many mistakes on both sides, even defensively, coach Dwane Casey said. But it was one of those games, if youre serious about winning, you find a way to get it done and our guys did it.Lowry had 21 points and 11 assists, controlling the overtime period and leading the Raptors to a 95-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.Lowry had nine turnovers and missed a jumper that wouldve won it to end regulation, but then had two baskets and an assist in overtime, accounting for more points than the Knicks managed as a team.Terrence Ross added a season-high 22 points for the Raptors, who maintained the best record in the Eastern Conference at 18-6.It took overtime but I thought everyone stepped it up tonight, Lowry said.Carmelo Anthony had 34 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, who played without injured guards Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.Anthony missed all three shots in overtime, when the Knicks went 1 of 8.They applied a little bit more pressure than they had throughout the course of the game and kind of got us playing a little bit faster than we wanted to play, Anthony said.Tim Hardaway Jr. got the start and scored 18 points, but missed eight of his final 10 shots and finished 4 of 15. The Knicks, who ended a 10-game losing streak with a victory at Boston on Friday, fell to 5-21.Ross gave the Raptors an 86-84 lead on a short jumper with 2:39 remaining in regulation and the teams then went scoreless across the next 2 minutes before the Knicks finally tied it on Anthonys drive with 28 seconds to go.Lowry missed a short jumper before the buzzer but Toronto then held the Knicks without a basket in overtime until Hardaways meaningless layup with 5.2 seconds left.Patrick Pattersons 3-pointer opened the scoring in OT and put Toronto ahead for good. Lowry later made a pair of jumpers before feeding Amir Johnson for a basket that made it 95-88 with 1:05 left.Shumpert is expected to miss at least three weeks with a dislocated left shoulder. Smith is day to day with a small partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot.Coach Derek Fisher said Smith would start, but the former Sixth Man of the Year was ruled out after warming up.___TIP-INSRaptors: Toronto improved to 10-0 when holding teams below 100 points. ... Jonas Valanciunas had eight points and 13 rebounds, ending his streak of double-doubles at three games, which tied a career high. The last Toronto player with four in a row was Chris Bosh late in the 2009-10 season.Knicks: Smith said that the training staff had given him a whole new sole for his sneaker to make his heel more comfortable. ... With Jose Calderon and Quincy Acy, the Knicks starting lineup had two former Raptors. Andrea Bargnani, Torontos former No. 1 overall pick who was dealt to the Knicks in the summer of 2013, still hasnt played this season because of hamstring and calf injuries.COACH DEROZANWhile All-Star DeMar DeRozan is out with a torn groin tendon, hes spending extra time around his coaches. Casey said DeRozan has joined some coaches meetings, where he hears not only strategies, but criticisms of his teammates. Any worry that DeRozan will report what he hears back to them?I hope not, and if he does, Im telling the truth, Casey said. So Im not telling him anything I wouldnt tell them to their face.SEE YOU IN FEBRUARY?Lowry is the only player in the NBA averaging 21 points and better than 10 assists in December, and with the Raptors atop their conference, will have a strong case to be back here in February for the All-Star game. It would be one of them individual goals that you can check off, but I am not worried about right now, he said. I am just worried about this team to keep getting wins.UP NEXTRaptors: Host Orlando on Monday.Knicks: Host Dallas on Tuesday Deshaun Watson Jersey .com) - Real Madrid claimed its 20th consecutive win across all competitions by cruising to a 4-1 victory at Almeria on Friday. Arian Foster Jersey .com) - James Harden had 32 points, including a tying layup late in regulation, and the Houston Rockets scored eight of their 13 points in overtime at the foul line to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-111 on Friday night. http://www.officialhoustontexanspro.com/...-texans-jersey/. As they are wont to do, the Spurs made things real easy. The Spurs signed Parker to a multi-year contract extension on Friday, ensuring that the six-time All-Star point guard will be in the fold whether Duncan and Ginobili are able to continue their careers or not. Custom Houston Texans Jerseys .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Houston Texans Jerseys . The 57-year-old Tietjens has coached New Zealand to nine IRB World Sevens titles and to four Commonwealth Games gold medals as its only coach in the professional era. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said the re-signing was made with a focus on 2016 when sevens will be in the Olympics.Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - After posting a huge upset over then second- ranked Duke this past weekend, NC State sets its sights on another powerhouse rival, as the Wolfpack play host to the 15th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels in an ACC showdown at PNC Arena on Wednesday. Mark Gottfrieds Wolfpack are an impressive 12-5 on the season and that includes the teams biggest win to date, Sundays 87-75 upset of Duke. The win over the Blue Devils followed a tough loss to yet another powerhouse, Virginia (61-51). Roy Williams Tar Heels have won six of their last seven games, with the lone loss being a one-point decision to Notre Dame (71-70). The team most recently knocked off Louisville by the same narrow margin (72-71), moving to 2-1 in conference play. North Carolina holds a 150-76 edge in the all-time series with NC State and has won three straight and 16 of the last 17 meetings overall. UNC is also 59-45 in games played in Raleigh, with an 11-4 record at PNC Arena. Marcus Paige hit the game-winning shot with under nine seconds to play, as UNC edged out Louisville in Chapel Hill last time out. Kennedy Meeks led four Tar Heels in double figures in the victory with 13 points. Brice Johnson posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Paige and J.P. Tokoto chipped in with 10 points each. North Carolina held a 40-30 advantage in rebounding and held All-America candidate Montrezl Harrell to just nine points and five boards in the game. The Tar Heels win most of their games with overpowering offensive nuumbers.dddddddddddd. The team is shooting a healthy .452 from the floor overall, leading to a hefty 79.8 ppg. UNC is also very active on the boards, boasting of a +10.8 rebounding margin. Paige leads the team in scoring at 13.3 ppg. Meeks is the resident muscle in the paint. The sophomore big man is shooting .585 from the field and is averaging 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Johnson (11.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) rounds out the double-digit scorers on the roster, although players like Justin Jackson (9.5 ppg) and Tokoto (9.2 ppg) are eager to join the group. The Wolfpack needed a statement win and got just that against Duke last time out, as NC State overwhelmed the Blue Devils with their efficient play. In all, NC State shot 55 percent from the floor and was a scorching 10-of-16 from behind the arc (.625). Trevor Lacey was once again the driving force in the win, as he posted 21 points, on the strength of five 3-pointers. Ralston Turner poured in 16 points and BeeJay Anya came off the bench to add 14 points in the big win. Lacey has made an immediate impact, as he has filled the void left by last years ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren. Lacey, an Alabama transfer, is shooting a cool 50 percent from the field overall, including 46.3 percent from long range to pace the team with 16.9 ppg. Turner is a marksman as well at 13.3 ppg. The two have combined for 80 of the teams 107 3-pointers to date. Point guard Anthony Barber has the ability to both score (11.4 ppg) and distribute (3.6 apg) at a high level. ' ' '