MINNEAPOLIS - Less than 15 minutes after the final buzzer sounded, Kyle Lowry, originally surprised to learn he had recorded his fifth career triple-double and second of the season, lamented his recent shooting slump. "Lately my shot has been off," said Lowry, fresh off a 20-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist performance in the Raptors 111-104 victory over the Timberwolves. "Ive been in a crazy slump for me. Imma find my way out of it." Demanding the best from himself and his team has become the norm for a player that led Toronto in more ways than one on Sunday. Lowry shot just 5-of-13 from the field but it didnt seem to matter much because he did almost everything else. The Raptors point guard knocked down nine of his 10 free throws, netted a couple of steals, found teammates for big shots throughout the evening and helped change the game with his rebounding. As a team, it was their hot shooting that kept the Raptors afloat in the first half, even leading by one at intermission. However, that lead seemed unsustainable at the rate in which Minnesota dominated the trenches. Late in the third quarter, as Lowry wrestled the ball from Nikola Pekovic - a ferocious rebounder with 80 pounds and nearly a foot on the Raptors guard - to give his team another possession, it was clear the momentum had swung. "He did a good job of getting in there, penetrating, finding people," Dwane Casey said of Lowry. "We needed all of his rebounds, especially with the way they crash the boards. He just had an all-around game." After giving up 10 offensive rebounds in the first half - it was the 12th time theyve surrendered at least 10 offensive boards in the last 17 games - the Raptors allowed just six in the seconds half, doubling Minnesotas efforts on the boards, 28-14. Lowry, who had nine rebounds in the final 24 minutes, and his nose for the ball seemed to rub off and inspire his teammates. "Its crazy," DeMar DeRozan said of Lowrys effort. "We all look at one another and realize, what can I do to help him out?" "Just seeing him going there, sometimes he comes out of nowhere and you see him snatch a ball out of a bigs hand, or coming over the top like he has a 42-inch vertical or something. Thats just Kyle, man. Hes hungry for the ball every time the ball goes up." His passion, like his tenacity, has been contagious and his backcourt partner appears to have caught the bug. With just over a minute to go and the shot clock ticking down, up seven, DeRozan took a pass from Lowry. Situated in the left corner, with the Wolves Corey Brewer in his face, he drained the dagger, a three-pointer to put the Raptors up 10. On his way to the Raptors huddle, Minnesota having just called a timeout, a fired-up DeRozan turned to the Wolves bench and shouted a couple of R-rated words that did not sit well with coach Rick Adelman. "They got a little hyped when they made a couple of buckets," said DeRozan, who finished with 25 points. "I kind of got it from Greivis (Vasquez). When he hits a big shot, he always shows off a little bit. Its the competitive level thats in all of us when you hit a big shot." "I like the passion," Casey added. "I think all of our guys are playing with passion, we have to channel it and get it going in the right direction, at the other team. I do like that." It was a rare showing of on-court emotion for the quiet all-star guard but something weve seen a lot more of over the last few weeks. Lowry, who is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, approves. "When youre an all-star, youre growing up, your true self starts to come out a little bit," he said of his teammate. "Hes a quiet guy but when youre winning and youre a leader, youve got to do it." Listed at a generous 6-feet, Lowry is averaging just under five rebounds per game, good for fourth among NBA point guards, behind only Russell Westbrook, Michael Carter-Williams and Rajon Rondo. Lowry is shooting just 32 per cent from the field, 29 per cent from three-point range - down from 39 per cent on the season - over his last eight games. Its barely affected his overall value to the team and it certainly hasnt hurt the bottom line. Toronto has won six of those eight games and nine of its last 11 contests, surpassing last seasons win total with its 35th victory on Sunday. Without sixth-man Patrick Patterson in the lineup - the Raptors learned he will miss at least 7-10 days with a ligament injury in his right elbow before the game - Steve Novak and Chuck Hayes stepped in and filled that role seamlessly. Hayes strength and on-the-ball defence came in handy against all-star forward Kevin Love - who just missed out on a triple-double, with 26 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists - and Novak knocked down five of his six shots from beyond the arch, contributing 15 points in 19 minutes off the bench. As a team, the Raptors shot 14-of-24 from long distance, with Terrence Ross hitting three of four attempts and DeRozan, as well as Vasquez each drilling a couple threes. The victory was Torontos 18th in its previous 19 meetings with the Wolves, sweeping the season-series for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Now nine games above the .500 mark for the first time this season, the Raptors will travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets - who sit four games back for top spot in the Atlantic Division - in the second night of a back-to-back, for both teams, on Monday. Nike Joyride Run Schweiz . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately. Air Max 200 Schweiz . The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick on Tuesday. http://www.vapormaxkaufenschweiz.com/air...00-schweiz.html. -- Chris Crawford hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the 21st-ranked Tigers beat seventh-ranked Louisville 72-66 Saturday, sweeping the season series from the Cardinals. Vapormax Weiß Herren Schweiz . Lexie Lou earned a commanding 4 1/2-length win Sunday in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks. Vapormax Plus Outlet .6 seconds left to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game Wednesday night.Laurent Duvernay-Tardif cant wait to strut his stuff Thursday. The McGill Redmen offensive lineman will hold a private workout in Montreal for NFL and CFL scouts. And after spending much of the last four months preparing for the audition, the six-foot-five, 315-pound tackle is ready for it to finally happen. "I dont know if I should say this but I just want to do it and be done with it," he said with a chuckle Tuesday via telephone. "Ive been training since December for this . . . for me, its been so long. "I felt a little stressed last weekend but I went on the field (Monday) where Im going to hold my pro day and ran some very good times in my shuttle and three-cone so I think Im ready." The 23-year-old med student said he feels terrific right now but understands nerves and the pressure to perform could weigh heavily upon him at his pro day. If that happens, Duvernay-Tardif will take a rather philosophical approach to deal with the situation. "Nerves and pressure can help so much with your adrenalin," he said. "You just have to control that." Duvernay-Tardif was able to control being well rested and fresh for his workout. To ensure that, he took half of last week and all of this one off from his duties working the night shift at a Montreal hospital, expecting to return either Sunday or Monday. The articulate native of St. Hilaire, Que., finished the season as the top-ranked prospect for this years CFL draft, slated for May 13. But Duvernay-Tardif has also drawn plenty of NFL interest and is projected as a third- or fourth-round selection in this years draft, which will be held May 8-10. Not bad, considering Duvernay-Tardif began his college career as a 253-pound defensive lineman and only switched to offence in 2011. McGill also accommodated his heavy academic workload by reducing his practice commitments during football season. But that didnt stop Duvernay-Tardif from twice earning All-Canadian honours and capturing the 13 Metras trophy as Canadian university footballs top lineman. He was invited to participate in last weekends CFL combine in Toronto but opted instead to focus on his pro day. Its unclear how many scouts will attend Duvernay-Tardifs workout. Both the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills have said publicly theyll be there but some CFL teams are expected to take a miss because Duvernay-Tardif is likely to be go in the NFL draft and start his pro career there. Regardless, Duvernay-Tardifs people are erring on the side of caution. "We agreed to prepare food for 50 people, I dont know what that means," Duvernay-Tardif said. "Ive been told if we had 15 (NFL scouts) wed be super happy and if we had 20, that would be incredible." Duvernay-Tardif said hell begin the workout with his jumps — standing broad and vertical — then run the 40-yard dash. Afterwards, hell do timed agility events and the bench press before performing position drills requested by the scoutts.dddddddddddd. "I want to show them Im athletic," Duvernay-Tardif said. "Im not going there to show my technique, Im going there so they can see I can move, Im smooth and flexible but also explosive and I think my broad and vertical jump will show that." Duvernay-Tardif wont be done auditioning for NFL teams after his workout. He said he has visits already lined up with Arizona, the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns. Duvernay-Tardif has benchmarks he wants to hit Thursday. Hed like to reach at least nine feet in the broad jump and 31.5 inches in the vertical while posting a 40-yard dash time around 5.1 seconds and showing excellent quickness and mobility in the agility drills. Positioning the bench press late in the workout is surprising because many athletes prefer to do strength movements early when theyre freshest. But Duvernay-Tardif isnt concerned about fatigue being a factor when he goes under the bar. "After I bench, I feel Im tight in my chest and my arm motion so when I run its not as good," he said. "Id like to do a really really good number (in bench) but I know already Im probably going to go over 37 so Im not sure if it really matters if its 37 or 40. "I just want to jump well and do a good shuttle. The bench isnt really a concern for me." But Duvernay-Tardif admits to having a little fear of the unknown regarding what drills scouts will ask him to perform. "Its been a while since Ive done anything football-related," he said. "I want to work out for them but at the same time I dont know what theyre going to ask and you never really know what theyre going to look for." How Duvernay-Tardif performs and handles himself Thursday will be crucial. For many pro football personnel, it will be their first chance to see and speak with him and formulate that all-important first impression. But Duvernay-Tardif is approaching the workout like any other. "Im going to eat what I normally eat, maybe some cottage cheese, toast and fruit," he said. "Then Ill head to the gym and do a good warmup because I feel thats key when you run, you want to sweat a little bit before you do. "I think everything now is on my side, I just have to go and deliver." The scouting report on Duvernay-Tardif says he has the size, strength, athleticism, temperament and intelligence to play at the next level. However, there are concerns about his inexperience as an offensive lineman and having played a yard off the ball at McGill, prompting some scouts to question if Duvernay-Tardif can get into blocks quickly enough in the NFL. Then again, Duvernay-Tardif has experience playing the American game. He participated in the East-West Shrine game in St. Petersburg, Fla., last January. "I am looking forward to this but at the same time Im keeping myself occupied," Duvernay-Tardif said. "That way you stay fresh and then you run." ' ' '