TORONTO -- To Dwane Caseys way of thinking, it was more than just overtime. Gareth Bale Jersey . It was an invaluable lesson. So, through much of the fourth quarter and two extra sessions Monday night, the Toronto Raptors head coach never thought of returning his starters to the floor against the New York Knicks. This is the pre-season, a time to learn about your team. And for your players to learn about themselves. The Raptors reserves got to play a starring role in a 123-120 double overtime win before 15,701 at the Air Canada Centre, improving their pre-season record to an impressive 5-1. "It was a great experience for those young kids to really play in those situations," Casey said. "In the regular season, most likely, unless something catastrophic happens, theyre not going to be out there." Second-year guard Terrence Ross led the way, hitting six of the 13 three-point shots he attempted on the night. None was bigger than a rainbow from beyond the arc as the buzzer sounded to end the first overtime period, tying the game at 113-113 and setting the stage for another five-minute session. "It prepares you for future games if you ever get in that situation, what to do, what not to do," said Ross, who finished the night as the games high scorer with 27 points. "Its always kind of nerve-wracking (in a game) no matter how many times you go over it in practice. "So, getting in that live experience it helps." The games dont count. But that doesnt mean they dont matter. Casey said because "nobodys guaranteed minutes," it was great to see the bench players battle down the stretch and eventually pick up the win. Especially after they struggled earlier in the game. "I owe it to the players to try and execute down the stretch," Casey said. Toronto power forward Tyler Hansbrough, who since signing from Indianapolis in the off-season has already become a fan favourite for his aggressive style of play, forced overtime with a dunk in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. He took a pass at the top of the key, spun on his defender and waltzed to the basket. "Theyre very important minutes," Hansbrough said of the fourth quarter and overtimes. "You never know if a starter is going to go down or something and youre going to be in that situation, especially late in the game. "It was important to get some guys some experience." Among the starters, DeMar DeRozan had 21 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes while Rudy Gay added 19 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. Kyle Lowry chipped in 11 points in 24 minutes. "It was entertaining to watch, especially to see the other guys get out there and get a chance to compete," said DeRozan. "It definitely helps because you have to understand every play and every situation is critical." The Raptors were an impressive 6-1 in the pre-season last year but ended up posting a 34-48 record in the games that count for something in the standings. They missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season. The Knicks took a 79-77 lead into the final quarter after Toure Murrys one-handed prayer from centre court found the mark at the buzzer. The shot restored a New York lead, which climbed as high as 13 points earlier in the quarter before Toronto went on a nice run to bring the crowd back into it. The Raptors, who host Memphis on Wednesday and finish the pre-season at Milwaukee on Friday, open the regular season on Oct. 30 when the Boston Celtics visit Air Canada Centre. The Knicks took a 60-51 lead into the locker room at halftime as Metta World Peace had eight points in eight second-quarter minutes off the bench. The former Ron Artest, who signed a two-year deal with New York after four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, hit a pair of three-pointers in the quarter. The Knicks bench was the difference in the first half, outscoring their Raptors counterparts 30-14. The Raptors had led 30-29 after one quarter on the strength of Gays 11 points and 10 from DeRozan. Xabi Alonso Real Madrid Jersey . Randy Foye added 17 for a Nuggets team that was missing J.J. Hickson, who suffered torn ligament in his right knee on Friday. Wilson Chandler also didnt play (strained left hip) and Jan Vesely didnt return after bruising his rib cage late in the third quarter. Isco Real Madrid Jersey . Hartley missed two field goals in Sundays 27-16 loss at St. Louis, dropping his conversion rate to a career-low 73.3 percent (22-for-30) this season. The 27-year-old joined the Saints in the middle of the 2008 campaign and his tenure with the club was highlighted by three kicks of more than 40 yards during Super Bowl XLIV, helping New Orleans beat the Indianapolis Colts.TORONTO -- J.A. Happ changed his mindset Thursday night after giving up seven earned runs in his previous appearance. The Toronto left-hander decided to pitch "a little angry" against Chicago and it led to his best start of the season. Happ, who had a season-high eight strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings, combined with two relievers on a four-hit shutout as the Blue Jays blanked the White Sox 7-0 to kick off a four-game series. "He had that good life on his fastball and you could see them swinging through some pitches," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "Thats when you know hes on." It was a strong bounceback performance by Happ after he lasted just four innings in an 8-0 loss to Cincinnati last week. He originally planned to forget about that start, but it was on his mind as he took the mound on a glorious summer evening at Rogers Centre. "I did pitch a little upset, a little angry tonight at myself," Happ said. "So that helped just trying to be in the zone, trying not to let those kind of games happen (again)." Happ walked a pair and threw 79 of his 124 pitches for strikes. Dustin McGowan and Chad Jenkins completed the shutout as Toronto (45-36) moved two games ahead of the idle Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. It capped an impressive first half of the season for the Blue Jays, who lead the American League with 35 victories from their starters. "Weve played some good baseball and really we deserve to be where were at, to tell you the truth," Gibbons said. Jose Reyes had four hits and Adam Lind drove in three runs as Toronto outhit Chicago 12-4. The stumbling White Sox (36-44) have lost seven of their last eight games and dropped 10 of 11 on the road. "That game just smelled right from the start," said Chicago manager Robin Ventura. "We didnt play very well, didnt hit very well, didnt play defence very well and it showed." The Blue Jays gave Happ an early lead after Reyes and Cabrera reached on back-to-back infield singles in the first inning off Scott Carroll (2-4). Lind drove a ball into the right-field corner that easily scored Reyes from second base. The throw from former Blue Jays outfielder Moises Sierra was between home plate and third base, allowing Cabrera to score on the error. Reyes tripled in the second inning to bring home Juan Francisco, who reached on a walk. Reyes drove the ball off the top of the wall in right-centre field and it bounced high in the air and back onto the field. The play was reviewed to see if it should have been a home run but the calll was upheld. Guilherme Siqueira Jersey. Toronto started to pull away in the fourth inning as Lind drove in Reyes and Anthony Gose with a single. Lind finished with three hits to bump his average up to .342. "Against right-handed pitchers, I mean whos been better in baseball, really?" Gibbons said. "I dont think anybody has. Lind really fits that three-hole mode. Hes got great discipline, hes kind of a pure hitter." Dioner Navarro put a charge into the crowd of 23,248 in the fifth when he hit a drive to the warning track in left-centre field. Left-fielder Dayan Viciedo flubbed the catch attempt and centre-fielder Leury Garcias throw to second base was wide. Navarro ran to third when the ball rolled into foul territory and actually got the wave home -- a stunning decision by third-base coach Luis Rivera given that the Toronto catcher is probably the slowest player on the team. Abreu threw the ball home in plenty of time for Adrian Nieto to apply the tag. Gibbons joked that Navarro might not be able to play for two weeks now after that long run around the bases. "Ill kill Luis if he sends me again, but Im ready to play tomorrow," Navarro said with a laugh. Carroll gave up nine hits, five earned runs and two walks over five innings. He had four strikeouts. Notes: White Sox centre-fielder Adam Eaton left the game in the first inning due to cramping in his left leg. He was replaced by Garcia. ... Steve Tolleson replaced Francisco at third base in the seventh inning. Tolleson had been bothered by blurry vision of late but the problem was corrected after a visit to the eye doctor earlier in the day. ... Tolleson was called out on a close play at first base in the eighth inning. After a long review of nearly 3 1/2 minutes, the call stood. ... Jose Abreu singled in the sixth inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. ... The game took exactly three hours to play. ... Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista continues to make progress in his recovery from a mild hamstring strain. Theres a chance he could return to the lineup on the weekend. ... Toronto has held sole possession of first place for 35 straight days. ... Before the game, the White Sox designated former Blue Jays left-hander Scott Downs for assignment and recalled southpaw Eric Surkamp from triple-A Charlotte. ... Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (6-6, 4.04 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night against Chicagos John Danks (6-6, 4.34). ... The Blue Jays get an off-day Monday before closing out their nine-game homestand with a two-game mini-series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL JerseysCheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
