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Wed Dec 11, 2019 4:45 pm
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TORONTO - After an NBA playoff debut that didnt go as well as hed planned, DeMar DeRozan went home and put his feet up. Pacers Jerseys 2021 . "I sat in my room the rest of the day, I didnt leave the room," DeRozan said. "I didnt turn the TV on. I didnt watch any games. I just cleared my mind. Just understand it was my first playoff game." He fought the urge to go back to the Air Canada Centre for a late-night shooting session. "I thought about it. I really thought about it," DeRozan said. "About 1 a.m. I was going to come back, but I was like: dont put too much pressure on myself. Just get my rest, regroup. Weve got two days until we play, so just get ready. I try not to think so much or stress myself out — just relax." The 24-year-old all-star scored 14 points — well below his season average of 22.7 — in the Raptors 94-87 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Saturdays Game 1 of the best-of-seven playoff series. The player whose hot hand led the Raptors in their record run to the post-season went cold Saturday. DeRozan, who was the picture of post-season confidence earlier in the week, scoffing that the playoffs werent "rocket science," shot just 3-for-13 from the field. He missed all four of his three-point attempts. He insisted he wasnt nervous. "I think with as much energy was going on, it felt like things were going faster than they were," DeRozan said. While it wasnt the coming-out party any of Torontos playoff rookies had hoped for, they were all breathing a little easier Sunday morning, glad that Game 1 of their series was over and done with. "I think Game 2 is a whole different animal," coach Dwane Casey said. "I think the newness and the shiny part of the playoffs is worn off by Game 2. I think thatll help (DeRozan) tremendously. I think thatll help our whole team." Kyle Lowry, one of the few Raptors who looked unfazed by the playoff pressure in his 22-point performance, agreed. "I think the bright lights will dim a little bit for everyone, everything will calm down a little bit," Lowry said. "I think that first game is always tough at home, because of the excitement, and we have a bunch of young guys. But now its over. Now guys are ready to move on, now were ready to go." Game 2 is Tuesday in Toronto, then the series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Friday. The series was heated before it even began after the Nets seemingly tanked to fall to sixth-place, preferring to play the inexperienced Raptors. Toronto GM Masai Ujiri then threw gasoline onto the fire Saturday when he dropped an F-bomb when addressing the crowd in Maple Leaf Square, pairing the F-word with Brooklyn. New Yorks tabloid newspapers fought back. The headline on Sundays New York Daily News read: "Dont F*** With Brooklyn! Nets give foul-mouthed Raptors a spanking to take Game 1." The New York Posts front page was a picture of a grinning Paul Pierce with the headline: "After Toronto GM insults Bklyn, Nets shut up Raptors. F#@K YEAH!" The Raptors had put Saturdays drama behind them by Sundays practice at the Air Canada Centre. "This is about basketball," Casey said. "All that stuff has happened. Were very supportive of whatever Masai said. This is about basketball. I will say this, I thought our fans were fantastic (Saturday). They were great. Ive been in championship arenas, championship games, and this is as big-time as can be. "All the other stuff, what was said, its about basketball. Its about screening. Its about finishing plays. Its about executing defensively. I dont want to get off on another tangent." As for DeRozans less-than-impressive debut, Casey said he thought both DeRozan and Terrence Ross — also making his playoff debut — looked frustrated after they got in early foul trouble Saturday. Ross had just three points on the afternoon. "Young guys have to be somewhere learning to play in the NBA playoffs and this is a great start for (Ross), its a great start for DeMar," Casey said. "Theres no way Im disappointed in their performance. Their point-productivity, yes. But this is a great positive for our organization." DeRozan was asked if one game is enough to adjust to the pressure-packed playoffs. "I dont need a whole nother playoff round to get ready for it," DeRozan said. "I watched a lot of film. I understand. Im definitely not going to make the same mistakes twice. Its adjustments." His teammates are confident theyll see the best of DeRozan in Game 2. "Hes had rough games before. . . hes fine. Im positive hell bounce back," Lowry said. "Hes really focused. Yeah, a rough shooting night. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes the ball dont go in the hole." Why so positive? "Because hes an all-star," Lowry replied. "Theres a reason hes an all-star. He averages what he averages, hes a helluva player, and hes only going to get better." The Raptors are hoping the ACC fans — dressed all in white Saturday and waving white towels, thanks to a T-shirt and towel giveaway — remain as vocal as they were in Game 1. "It was live," Amir Johnson said. "I didnt get to see outside (where hundreds of fans gathered in Maple Leaf Square) but Ive seen pictures on the Internet. It was a pretty dope crowd. "Its big. We need them. We need everybody. The whole country." Saturdays shot-clock debacle should also be behind them. American sports broadcaster ESPN caused the shot-clock malfunction in Game 1, according to a Raptors official. Toronto had to rely on announcer Herbie Kuhn to count down the 24 seconds on each possession after the clocks above the baskets died with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment took blame for using the same power source for the primary and backup shot clocks. The damaged cables in the baskets were replaced and tested Sunday, and the primary and backup clocks are no longer using the same power source. Indiana Pacers Gear . PETERSBURG, Fla. Indiana Pacers Pro Shop . Dillon Brooks scored 26 points on 9-17 shooting for Canada while pulling down six rebounds and picking up six steals. Teammate Chris Egi had 20 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. https://www.cheappacers.com/ . The last team in the NBA that will have any sympathy for the Thunder is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are showing signs of putting everything together after two years of devastating injuries.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - There are not many matchups in which the betting line is affected by a single game, but that is what has taken place in the Outback Bowl between Wisconsin and Auburn. Wisconsin met Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 6 and the Badgers were favored by four points due to Cardale Jones starting at quarterback for the Buckeyes in place of the injured J.T. Barrett. The Badgers came into the contest on a seven-game winning streak, but the Buckeyes dominated from start to finish in a 59-0 rout. Now, instead of getting around a field goal from Auburn, the Badgers are underdogs by a touchdown. Another reason the line is higher than it should be comes from what has taken place on the sidelines as Wisconsin is without head coach Gary Andersen, who moved on to Oregon State. Barry Alvarez will be the interim coach for the second time in three years. However, Auburn has coaching issues as well due to the firing of defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson. Charlie Harbison takes over on an interim basis for Will Muschamp, who cant be added to the coaching staff for this contest. Wisconsin is somewhat used to playing teams from the SEC as the Badgers have done so twice in the last 365 days. In the first game of this season, they held a 24-7 lead over LSU early in the third quarter only to lose 28-24 with Tanner McEvoy throwing an interception leading to the winning score. The previous game was in last years bowl game against South Carolina. Wisconsin, trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, had plenty of chances to cut the deficit to three, but three turnovers, including two inside the red zone, thwarted all attempts. Outside of that contest, the Badgers have lost by more than a touchdown against non-conference opponents just one time in over 10 years. Auburn is 0-3 ATS in its last three FBS games and just 2-7 ATS in its last nine contests. The Tigers are 0-3 ATS when favored between six and eight points against a non-conference Power 5 squad. Furthermore, they have not won an FBS game by more than seven since Oct. 4. Gus Malzahns crew should put up points against Wisconsins defense, but not having Dhaquille Williams in the lineup will hurt as the junior led the Tigers in receptions. Williams caught seven passes for 121 yards in Auburns last game against Alabama. Wisconsin also will score against a suspect Auburn defense, one which allowed just as many points in its last game as the Badgers did. In fact, the Tigers have given up 30 points or more in six consecutive FBS games. Expect a close contest in the Outback Bowl as Auburn should be favored by less than a field goal. Take Wisconsin plus seven points in this weeks lone five-star play. ANOTHER BIG TEN TEAM TO COVER ON NEW YEARS DAY Missouri takes on Minnesota in another SEC-Big Ten battle. The Tigers are similar to Wisconsin in that they came into their conference title game on a huge winning streak but were obliterated by their opponent. Still, even though Missouri had won six straight before losing to Alabama, most of the victories were not that impressive. The Tigers began the streak with what looked on paper as a huge win over Florida. The final score was 42-13, but they gained only 119 total yards in the win and Maty Mauk threw for just 20 yards on 6-for-18 passing with one interception. That was followed by five wins over five of the six teams with losing conference records. They recorded 10-point home wins over 0-8 Vanderbilt and 2-6 Kentucky. The next three games were seven-, eight- and seven-point victories over Texas A&M, Tennessee and Arkansas, respectively. Meanwhile, Minnesota played just one poor game since beating San Jose State, 24--7, on Sept. Fake Pacers Jerseys. 20, and that was a four-point loss at Illinois a month later. Not only did the Golden Gophers give Ohio State and Wisconsin tough battles, but they knocked off Nebraska on the road and crushed Iowa by 37 points at home. The Golden Gophers already have matched up against quality defenses, so taking on Missouris unit will not be a major deterrent. Furthermore, their run-based offense should neutralize the Tigers fearsome defense, which accumulated 42 sacks. Minnesota has been an excellent team to wager on as an underdog. In fact, Jerry Kills squad is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games when getting points. The Golden Gophers are getting 4.5 points on New Years Day, so grab them even though an outright victory is not out of the question. Take Minnesota plus 4.5 points in the first of three three-star plays. Oregon and Florida State clash in the first-ever College Football Playoff game. The Ducks have scored 193 points over their last four games and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota has been on fire with 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions since Nov. 8. Oregons defense also has put it together, allowing just 17 points per game over its last five contests after giving up 28 points per game in its first seven FBS matchups. The Ducks need their defense to stay on course against an explosive Florida State offense, including the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, Jameis Winston. The sophomore has had an off season, but hes still thrown for 3,559 yards - ninth-best in the FBS. The key to this matchup is not at quarterback or even at running back, where both teams possess tremendous freshmen (Royce Freeman at Oregon and Dalvin Cook at Florida State). The game will be won by the team with the better defense. It is difficult to judge which team that is, especially because Oregon plays in a more offensive-minded conference which skews the numbers in Florida States favor. To wit, the Seminoles have allowed fewer yards, fewer yards per play and fewer yards per carry. However, Oregon has given up fewer yards per pass attempt and, surprisingly, the Ducks have allowed fewer points even with seven of their 13 games against top-50 offenses. Florida State played just three contests against top-50 offenses. Unfortunately for Oregon, its star cornerback, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, is out with a knee injury, which is a crucial blow to the secondary. This should be a very close game, so it is best to go with the underdog. Take Florida State plus nine points. Finally, Washington and Oklahoma State get together in the Cactus Bowl on Jan. 2. The Huskies usually are a tremendous home team with a shaky record on the road. They went 16-3 at home and 5-11 on the road between 2011 and 2013. However, they proved they can win away from home this season, going 4-2 with the only two losses coming against Oregon and Arizona. Running back Dwayne Washington came alive in Washingtons last three games rushing for 383 yards (on just 49 carries) and five touchdowns. Given the fact Oklahoma State allows over four yards per carry, look for Washington to have a field day. The Cowboys also rank 110th nationally versus the pass, which means the Huskies could easily score well into the 40s. It is doubtful the Cowboys will even reach 30 points given they have done so just once in their last seven games. This one should be a double-digit deficit for Oklahoma State, and since the Huskies are giving less than a touchdown, they are the choice in the Cactus Bowl. Take Washington minus six points. TWO-STAR SELECTIONS Take Michigan State +3 (Baylor) and Kansas State +1.5 (UCLA) in the Alamo Bowl. ONE-STAR PLAY Take Boise State +3 (Arizona) in the Fiesta Bowl. ' ' ' |
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