Shaw threatened to sit any of his players

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TORONTO -- Kyle Lowry scored on an awkward, lurching 31-foot buzzer-beater just before halftime Wednesday, a circus shot that left him sprawled, grinning on his stomach on the Air Canada Centre floor. The Raptors very nearly spoiled what was the point guards finest performance -- in a playoff series full of them -- while holding on for a 115-113 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Lowry poured in 36 points in the victory that gave the Raptors a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series. "He is great, he did a great job," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "But this game tonight, we have got to learn from it because there are so many learning experiences from tonights game. Having the lead, (handling) prosperity, embracing the pressure. "Kyle. . . 36 points is huge. Huge for us." DeMar DeRozan added 23 points, while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 16 and Greivis Vasquez added 15. Amir Johnson chipped in with 11 points for the Raptors who gave up a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter, making for some tense moments at the ACC, but held on for the victory. When asked to describe the emotions of a fourth quarter that saw the Nets score 44 points, Casey answered: "You wouldnt want to hear it." The series heads back to Brooklyns Barclays Center for Game 6 on Friday, and a victory there would send them to a second-round series against the Miami Heat. A Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday in Toronto. The Raptors controlled the game through the second and third quarters, when it seemed they could do no wrong, and led by 26 points twice late in the third. They headed into the fourth up 91-69 and appeared poised to cruise to an easy victory, but the Nets had plenty of fight left, tying the game at 101 on a three-pointer by Joe Johnson with 3:16 to go, stunning the crowd. Lowry drained the go-ahead three and then scored on a driving hook shot to put Toronto up by three points with 27 seconds left. A three and foul shot by Anderson pulled the Nets to within a point, but Andray Blatche -- with Lowry running right at him -- turned the ball over on a backcourt violation sealing the Raptors victory. "Hes a helluva player," DeRozan said of Lowry. "Its just that dog in him. . . Every time hes out there on the court, understand, Im going to give my best effort, because I know hes going to do the same." Lowry, playing with his right knee in a protective sleeve after injuring it in Game 3 in Brooklyn, has been solid all series, but took it to another level Wednesday, providing all kinds of highlight-reel plays. There was the diving three at the halftime buzzer. There was the 85-foot outlet pass that found an unmarked Terrence Ross under the basket. But the point guard was particularly big down the stretch, taking charges and slicing through the Nets defence for tough buckets. "When we needed a big shot, No. 7 came through. Kyle was unbelievable," said Raptors forward Chuck Hayes. "Theres nothing more you can say. Hes doing it at the right time on the biggest stage. "We need an answer, we call Kyle. Kyle will figure it out." It was the kind of game the Raptors would have coughed up down the stretch last season, and Casey said the team does take something from holding on for a win. "But we cant live that way. Our history has been pretty good in the fourth quarter, but tonight, for whatever reason, they flipped the switch and flipped the script," the coach said. Joe Johnson led the Nets with 30 points, while Mirza Teletovic added 17, and Deron Williams and Alan Anderson finished with 13 apiece. The teams split the first two games in Toronto, and did the same in Games 3 and 4 in Brooklyn. A Game 7, if necessary, would be Sunday in Toronto. "One game at a time and we have to take care of home," said Pierce. "I think we will play better on Friday at home and we will see them back here on Sunday." The capacity ACC crowd of 20,393 that included Drake and rapper 50 Cent -- who dipped his head when the camera was on him to show fans his "Northern Uprising" hat -- was loud all game long, from the moment the fans sang along to O Canada to the final buzzer. The arena was a sea of white, as fans wore their white "We The North" T-shirts. They mocked the Nets by chanting "Broo-klyn!" the traditional chant at the Barclays Center. The Nets even took note, posting on the teams official Twitter account: ".Nets fans take note- this is what a playoff crowd sounds like..set your DVD and take notes .RAPTORSvNETS." Despite the rain and chilly temperatures, some 4,500 fans jammed into Maple Leaf Square outside the ACC to watch the game on the big screen. They were given rain ponchos. Some 1,200 fans were also given black and gold OVO/Raptors lint-rollers, a nod to Drake using a lint-roller while sitting courtside during Game 2. An array of Toronto sports celebrities took the stage, including Toronto FCs Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Julio Cesar, and former Raptors Morris Peterson and Jerome Williams. "Ive never seen support like this. This is special," Defoe said in an on-stage interview. Cesar, wearing a No. 7 Raptors jersey, yelled "Lets go Raptors!" This series has been spirited from Day 1 when Raptors GM Masai Ujiri took the stage and dropped his famous F-bomb about Brooklyn. An enterprising man outside the ACC on Wednesday was selling F--- Brooklyn buttons, three for $5. Fans were wearing the same on T-shirts at the game. Johnson led the way with nine points for Toronto in a first quarter that saw neither team lead by more than six. The Raptors ended the quarter with a 10-2 run capped by a Lowry three-pointer that put Toronto up 28-25 going into the second. The Raptors trailed by four points with just over five minutes to go in the second, but finished the quarter on a 26-4 run capped by Lowrys three, part of a 13-point performance in the quarter for the point guard. The Raptors went into the locker-room at halftime buoyed by a 62-44 lead. The third quarter has been the Raptors nemesis in this series, but not so on Wednesday. They didnt take their foot off the pedal, shooting 58 per cent to twice go ahead by 26 points. Toronto went into the fourth with a 91-69 lead. Archie Bradley Diamondbacks Jersey . TSNs coverage of the Third Round gets underway Sunday with Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago at 3pm et/Noon pt. TSNs broadcast schedule for the Third Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs is as follows: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings• Game 1: Los Angeles at Chicago – Sunday, May 18 at 3pm et/Noon pt• Game 2: Los Angeles at Chicago – Wednesday, May 21 at 8pm et/5pm pt• Game 4: Chicago at Los Angeles – Monday, May 26 at 9pm et/6pm pt Featured in the broadcast booth for TSN are play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert and game analyst Ray Ferraro, with Farhan Lalji contributing reports from rinkside. Shelby Miller Jersey . New York City FC introduced Frank Lampard in Brooklyn on Thursday after signing the 36-year-old former Chelsea midfielder to a two-year contract. http://www.baseballdiamondbacksshop.com/paul-goldschmidt-diamondbacks-jersey/ . Best has been bothered by concussion problems and hasnt played since Oct. 16, when the Lions lost to San Francisco. After starting 5-0, Detroit has lost four of six, beginning with that game against the 49ers. Diamondbacks Jersey . LOUIS -- Russell Martin wanted a better fate for his starting pitcher and helped deliver a happier ending. Jean Segura Diamondbacks Jersey . -- Hal Steinbrenner says Alex Rodriguez is "a great player" and "obviously an asset," but the New York Yankees managing general partner wouldnt discuss the third basemans possible return to the team following a season-long suspension.SALT LAKE CITY -- The Denver Nuggets have been struggling to close out games, so theyve resorted to just trying to win quarters. Andre Miller, the oldest player on the team, showed his teammates how its done. Miller scored nine of his season-high 15 points in the fourth period and the Nuggets defeated the winless Utah Jazz 100-81 on Monday night. "Weve been struggling, just like the Jazz," the 37-year-old point guard said. "But we talked about just taking one quarter at a time. We remembered that tonight and held them down in the fourth quarter and closed it out." Ty Lawson had 17 points and Kenneth Faried added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets, who outscored the Jazz 30-13 in a dominant fourth quarter. "Andre stepped it up, like hes been doing for years," Lawson said. "He was getting mismatches, even taking on bigs. He knows how to orchestrate the offence. He was getting himself a good shot or he was kicking it out to one of us for a good shot." Utah dropped to 0-8 and remained the only team in the NBA without a victory. Miller hit a 3-pointer -- he hasnt missed in four attempts this season -- and Faried added an emphatic dunk to power a 10-1 run that gave Denver an 82-74 lead with 7:13 to play. "When things get tough, you just need to start working harder. We finally found a rhythm somehow," Miller said. John Lucas III drove for a layup but Miller responded with a pair of nifty baskets in the lane, and the Jazz couldnt get within nine the rest of the way. "The fourth quarter has been our Achilles heel," said Lawson, who also had 10 assists. "We have been letting other teams do what they want. We have turnovers and give up offensive rebounds. Tonight we took it to them and got the crowd out of the game." Gordon Hayward had 22 points but didnt score in the final period. Derrick Favors added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who extended their worst start to a season since moving to Utah in 1979. "This is the NBA. We cant look for excuses. Its not going to get any easier," coach Ty Corbin said after his team played its seventh game in 10 days. The Nuggets had the fourth-best record (57-25) in the NBA last season, but a fourth straight first-round playoff exit ushered in new coach Brian Shaw after George Karl was fired.dddddddddddd. Weary of Denvers lethargic play this season, Shaw threatened to sit any of his players who fail to give maximum effort. The Nuggets responded with their finest quarter of the season in the fourth, even without starting centre JaVale McGee, who has a stress fracture in his leg. Shaw liked what he saw. "Defensively, we contested their shots. We scored on the offensive end in the fourth quarter probably for the first time all year, and we had them struggling to score points," he said. Fighting a bad hamstring, Faried looked to be his lively self until he got hit in the throat during a mad scramble for the ball in the fourth. He put his head in a towel and ran to the locker room. He later returned to the arena, but the Nuggets were already coasting to their first road win. "He played with a lot of energy, hit the boards, scored with a nice shooting touch when he got the ball inside," Shaw said. Denver outrebounded the Jazz 52-35 and outmuscled their big frontline, outscoring Utah 48-36 in the paint. Behind Haywards 18 points in the first half, the Jazz led by as many as 10 before Denver erased the deficit and pulled ahead 46-45 at the break. In the fourth quarter the Jazz missed layups, let balls go through their legs and got lost on defensive rotations -- all reasons the team has yet to win a game. Utah shot 4 for 18 in the final period. "Too many turnovers, too many offensive rebounds, wide-open layups. Yeah, Id say a lot went wrong," Hayward said. The Jazz have a number of issues but foremost is their poor shooting -- a league-worst 40 per cent from the field and 23 per cent on 3-pointers. Utah went 4 for 17 from beyond the arc against Denver. NOTES: McGee, who started the first five games this season, will be out indefinitely after X-rays on Sunday revealed a stress fracture in his left tibia. ... The Jazz wore road navy uniforms and red-white-and-blue socks to honour the military on Veterans Day. ... 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