TORONTO - Although Wednesdays overtime loss was one that Jonas Valanciunas would sooner forget than relive, his coach hopes its something the Raptors sophomore centre will learn from. In what promised to be a tricky matchup for the 21-year-old, Valanciunas held his own against the crafty Al Jefferson offensively but was taught a lesson or two on the other end. One of those moments occurred at the end of the extra period. Jefferson set a hard screen that freed up Kemba Walker, forcing Valanciunas to switch off and close out on the Bobcats guard. Walker would drain the game-winner over Valanciunas as time expired. "Weve watched film with him [and] work on it with him individually," Dwane Casey said after practice Thursday afternoon. "In the NBA, a lot depends on game experience and hes seeing every different post-up situation." Valanciunas scored 10 points and added six rebounds in 22 minutes of action Wednesday however, Jefferson poured in 24 to go along with 11 boards, leading the Bobcats with five points in overtime. "Hes still in the process, hes still learning the league, learning the speed of the game and again, hes [getting] better," Casey said, commending Valanciunas growth on the offensive end. "I thought he did an excellent job offensively when he got his catches in the post. Hes really grown from that standpoint." His biggest challenge continues to come on the defensive end, where hes still being exposed by quicker, versatile and more experienced big men. Jefferson is a nightmare assignment for any player, let alone a young and developing big. "My whole career, to this day, people always ask who the hardest [players] are to guard and I surprise them every time when I tell them Al Jefferson and Zach Randolph," said veteran forward and new teammate Chuck Hayes, who participated in his first full practice with the Raptors Wednesday. "For their size - theyre so wide - theyre light on their feet and theyve got great footwork and their shooting touch is just as good as any guard in the league." "It sucks that [Valanciunas] went through that torture chamber in a game that we needed before this road trip but its a learning process," Hayes continued. "Well see them again, Im sure and hell remember that overtime where Al got the best of him." Although Valanciunas shares the blame for what went wrong in overtime, theres plenty of it to go around. The Raptors, as a team, missed their first six field goal attempts while DeMar DeRozan shot 1-of-4. You can also cut the seven-footer some slack, given the amount of time he had spent on the bench. Valanciunas sat for over 17 minutes of game time, including the entire fourth quarter, before coming back in to start overtime. Facing Charlottes unconventional frontcourt of Jefferson and Josh McRoberts, a stretch four, Valanciunas became a late-game afterthought once again, sitting out in favour of Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, and the newly acquired Patrick Patterson. As Casey notes, it is sometimes a give-and-take with Valanciunas on the floor, certainly in a matchup like Wednesdays. Whatever advantage is gained on the offensive end, assuming the team is utilizing it, is often given right back on defence. With the game on the line, Casey - like he has done in past - opted to play it safe with more experienced and versatile defenders at the position. "Thats why its hard to win consistently with young players in the NBA," said the Raptors coach. "Jonas is going to be okay but thats the patience you have to have with a young player; take the good with the bad." While those who expected the world from Valanciunas in his second NBA season may be disappointed in the early returns, Casey is just as realistic as he is optimistic. It wont happen overnight, Casey reiterates regularly. It didnt with Tyson Chandler, it didnt with Roy Hibbert or Joakim Noah and it wont with Valanciunas. Inevitably, developing Valanciunas will become more of a priority now that Rudy Gay has been dealt. The challenge for Casey - who is trying to win first and foremost, as you would expect - centres on finding that balance between competing and nurturing the future of the franchise, a future he may not even be a part of. "I love the challenge of coaching young players, I enjoy that. I enjoy winning more," he said, half-jokingly. "But I understand where we are and what were about." Valanciunas represents the future of this team more than anyone else that is currently on the roster. The expectations, at least internally, have not changed. The word Casey continues to stress is patience. "Its a process," he insists. "Were patient [but] hes our guy, hes our starting centre for a long time and were just going to have to roll with it." . The league-leading New York Rangers outhit and outmuscled the Maple Leafs during a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Backup goalie Martin Biron stopped all 20 shots he faced to complete a nice workmanlike effort by the visitors. .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Colts by 5RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinnati 8-8, Indianapolis 11-5SERIES RECORD — Colts lead 18-10LAST MEETING — Colts beat Bengals 27-0, Oct.
http://www.official76ersproshop.com/kid ... rs-jersey/. Old times for a defence that has looked just plain old recently? "No," safety Ryan Clark said. "We used to be much better than that. . -- Even as Chris Paul remained evasive about his future, he did what team leaders are expected to do. . Milan was held to 1-1 at home by Torino. Cagliari scored six minutes from halftime when Mauricio Pinilla blasted home from the penalty spot after Facundo Roncaglia tripped Marco Sau. The home side could have doubled its tally in stoppage time as first Fiorentina defender Stefan Savic almost scored an own goal then Albin Ekdals shot clipped the top of the upright.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Eric Stults is having quite a month of August and going against his old team didnt hurt either. The left-hander allowed one run on four hits in five innings of the San Diego Padres 4-1 win over the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night. "Im just executing pitches a little bit better," Stults said. "Early on I was giving up a lot of extra-base hits, a lot of home runs, whereas now Ive limited the damage more to just singles." Stults improved to 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA in four starts this month while picking up just his second road win of the season. "He knows how to feed off hitters aggressiveness," Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis said. "Now you see hes pitching free and easy. Hes pitching with a lot of confidence." Stults (6-13) struck out five and walked one. The Dodgers came into the game with a 20-10 record against left-handed opponents, but Stults did just enough against the team he pitched for from 2006-09. "He made a conscious effort to tweak his delivery a little bit, especially out of the windup, and a little minor adjustment out of the stretch — sort of an upbeat, momentum-building delivery," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Thats helped his conviction with the fastball." Kevin Quackenbush pitched the ninth to earn his first major league save. He started a 1-2-3 putout to end the game. "Its a pretty awesome feeling," he said. "I got a couple in the minor leagues, but this first one in the big leagues is always going to be special to me. I was a little more nervous than I have been in previous outings." Alexi Amarista had two hits, drove in a run, walked and stole a base, Rymer Liriano went 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored, and Seth Smith went 2 for 5 for the Padres, who pounded out 11 hits in ending a two-game skid. Roberto Hernandez (7-9) gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked two in his 200th career start and first as a member of the home team at Dodger Stadium. He was acquired from Philadelphia earlier this month. "I didnt feel it was my best," Hernandez said through a translator. "I got behind in the count. I just wasnt able to get in a rhythm. I was getting outside of the zone a little bit." Just like a night earlier, the Padres took an early 3-0 lead. In the second, Amaristta singled in their first run.dddddddddddd Stults followed with a bases-loaded RBI single, and Liriano scored on a throwing error by left fielder Scott Van Slyke, who twice bobbled the ball trying to control it. The Dodgers closed to 3-1 in the third on Matt Kemps sacrifice fly. Yangervis Solarte made it 4-1 with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. HITTING LA Amarista raised his batting average to .333 in 12 games against the Dodgers this season. Hes even better at Dodger Stadium (.365) with two doubles, a homer and nine RBI in 21 career games. Smith boosted his average to .407 with a double, four homers and five RBI in 11 games against L.A. STEAL THIS Dee Gordon stole his 57th base in the eighth, moving into sole possession of seventh on the Dodgers single-season steals list, passing Steve Sax who had 56 in 1983. MAYBIN RETURNS Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin was reinstated from the restricted list, having served a 25-game suspension for testing positive for an amphetamine. He had said his failed test was a result of a change in the medication he was using to treat attention deficit disorder. Maybin entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth. To make room on the roster, the Padres optioned infielder Jace Peterson to Triple-A El Paso and designated pitcher Bobby LaFromboise for assignment. TRAINERS ROOM Padres: Closer Joaquin Benoit has been bothered by shoulder problems, and Black said it makes sense to consider putting him on the DL. "We still have another day or two to assess this and see if Joaquin responds to treatment," he said. "If we can hold off on that, then we win." Dodgers: Pitcher Zack Greinke has experienced elbow discomfort similar to what he had last season. A MRI didnt show any damage, but the team wants to be cautious. "Its something that comes and goes," Greinke said. "I expect to pitch at a hundred per cent level, but I dont expect to feel a hundred per cent." ON DECK Padres: Tyson Ross (11-11, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound in the series finale. The right-hander has 13 starts of six or more innings pitched while allowing one run or fewer earned runs, tied for the most such starts with Adam Wainwright of St. Louis. Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (14-3, 1.86) starts in place of Greinke, who will be pushed back to Saturday against the Mets, with Dan Haren going on Friday. ' ' '
