TORONTO - I dont believe in luck, DeMar DeRozan told reporters after practice on Thursday, speaking in the context of his teams quick start to the campaign. He was dealt an unfortunate hand just over 24 hours later. Nearly four minutes into the second half of Friday nights tilt with Dallas, the Raptors All-Star guard drove to his right, something he does routinely every game. As he went to plant his foot, he slipped and crumpled to the floor, where he remained for over a minute. The entire team stood around DeRozan, who winced in pain, until he was eventually helped up and to the locker room. Despite a late-game rally, the Raptors could not get over the hump, falling 106-102, their first loss in seven games, but the more pressing concern was the status of their leading scorer. Just hopefully hes okay, Patrick Patterson said of DeRozan, who did not return after sustaining a strained left groin. Hopefully its nothing serious, hopefully hes able to turn around and bounce back. DeRozan was having a rough night before the injury bug bit. After a hard fall early in the game, he came up holding his right wrist. In 21 minutes of action, he was held scoreless, missing all eight of his shots without getting to the free throw line. He was not the only Raptor stymied by the Mavericks tenacious defence, especially early in the game. Jonas Valanciunas was also held without a point in the first half before bouncing back in the second half, as the Raptors shot just 42 per cent as a team and committed an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers on the evening. Kyle Lowry was forced to sit out with three fouls for a significant chunk of the first half, while the team played with DeRozan for most of the second. Still, they continued to fight and would cut their deficit - once as high as 15 - down to three a number of times late in the fourth quarter. With 25 points - 13 in the fourth - Lowry led the charge and Amir Johnson, scoring a season-high 20, assisted with his best outing of the season. “I really loved our fight in the fourth quarter, the way we ended the game and kept scrapping,” Dwane Casey said. “I told the guys this a few minutes ago: If we continue to compete like that at a high level, we’re going to win a lot of games. That’s a good team. They’re not chopped liver at all. They’re going to be in the deep money in the West when it’s all over with. We ended up losing, said Greivis Vasquez, who scored nine of his 14 in the final frame. I think you have got to give them credit. They played a great game. They shot the lights out. Our best player went down, but we still kept the game close. It was one of those games where you just have to move on and understand what we’re getting into, a west coast trip. We have just got to continue to grind. It’s not the end of the world. We lost a game. So what? On to the next one. We get better. We have to defend better. We have to rebound better. We have to play transition defence better. We have to do a lot of different things better. But we’re still, what, 13-3? That’s a pretty good record to me. Now, the focus shifts to DeRozans health. The team did not have an update on the guard, whos missed just 11 games over his six-year career, but hope to know more about his status on Saturday. I mean it is what it is, said Lowry. We know hes going to be fine. We know hes going to take care of his body and well see whats going on. Weve got to play. Next man up. Its a team, not about one guy. If anybody goes down the next man has to step up. Its early and hopefully he takes all the time thats needed for him to 100 per cent heal and get back, Patterson added. We want him back as soon as possible but its all about him recovering and being 100 per cent before he does that. Rose returns, rips old regime An elite quote throughout his playing career, Jalen Roses brief Raptors tenure will be remembered just as much for his honest quips, however brutal, as anything he did on the court. Fittingly, the 13-year NBA vet turned ABC and ESPN analyst was in fine form when he held court ahead of Fridays game, on a night in which he was honored by the Raptors as part of their continued 20th anniversary celebrations. Rose, who received a warm welcome from fans after a video tribute in the first quarter, threw a couple of jabs at former general manager Rob Babcock and the front office regime that engineered the trade of Vince Carter, a deal Rose was critical of at the time. Carter, Roses teammate in Toronto before he was dealt to the Nets nearly 10 years ago, was honoured in similar fashion earlier this month, getting noticeably emotional when he was greeted with cheers for the first time since his exit. Well, the way [Carter] was overcome by emotion and the way he shed a couple of tears, thats how I felt when we traded him for Aaron and Eric [Williams] and Alonzo Mourning who never was deciding to make the trip, Rose joked. Hes the greatest Raptor in team history. As a player who has been traded before I know that when things get out to the public, like where your mom is parking, that means somebody in the front office is clearly leaking information to try to make you look bad and make the transition easier when you move a great player like him. The 41-year-old Rose wasnt surprised to see fans in Toronto finally embrace Carter, even speculating that the former face of the franchise would choose to go into the Hall of Fame - when and if he gets in - as a Raptor. Throughout his time in Toronto and in the years to follow, Rose said he would always boast about the teams fan base, hoping to change the perception that players dont want to move to Canada. It existed but we took pride to try to change it, said Rose, who averaged 16.2 points in 117 games over three seasons with the Raptors. Drafting Rafael Araujo didnt help. We needed a couple a players that could contribute, so it starts with the moves the teams make. We werent really adding to that team like I felt like we could. What did we trade Vince for? When that ends up happening, its hard to truly have success. Trevor Siemian Vikings Jersey . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Mike Hughes Vikings Jersey . You can watch all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Pineda won his second straight start last Wednesday against Chicago, as he held the Cubs to just four hits over six scoreless innings to run his record to 2-0, while lowering his ERA to 1. http://www.vikingsauthoritystore.com/Aut...Vikings-Jersey/. Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations. Kirk Cousins Vikings Jersey ." The game can be seen live on TSN starting with Monday Night Countdown at 6:30 p.m et/3:30 p.m. pt. The Patriots, who had a bye in Week 10, will look to continue the offensive success they had a week earlier when New England scored 55 points and racked up 610 yards of total offense in a 55-31 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jalyn Holmes Vikings Jersey .The ruling takes effect on Jan. 1 and stems from the debate surrounding Paralympic champion Markus Rehm, an amputee who won the national long jump title competing with a carbon-fiber prosthesis.TORONTO - He might not have the sizzle of a Jermain Defoe but striker Jozy Altidore gives Toronto FC something the highly touted English star striker could not — certainty.Toronto FC unveiled Altidore, a New Jersey native, as its newest designated player Friday at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto acquired Altidore and cash considerations from Sunderland of Englands Premier League, agreeing to transfer Defoe to the Black Cats just one year after obtaining him from Tottenham.Altidore, 25, is no stranger to MLS. He played for the New York Red Bulls from 2006 to 2008 before being sold to Spains Villarreal for a transfer fee of about US$10 million.Its a project in MLS, Toronto GM Tim Bezbatchenko said. Theres a lot of travel, theres a lot of games and youve got to be up for it.Its not like youre getting on a train and going down to the match at noon and getting back in your own bed at night. Youve got to be willing, really willing, to take on this, its almost like a crusade. In Jozy were getting a player who knows all that, theres more certainty and so for us thats the most attractive thing about this deal.Toronto FC manager Tim Vanney agreed.Jozy understands the challenges of Major League Soccer, he said. He understands what this league is about.With that, we get some certainty with Jozy.And unlike Defoe, Altidore will be playing soccer much closer to home, making it more likely hell want to stay put.I am committed long-term to making this franchise something special, Altidore said. Im very excited to get started.Altidore also received a hearty welcome Friday from Toronto Mayor John Tory.Welcome to Toronto JozyAltidore - Wishing you & torontofc success in 2015! Tory tweeted.Toronto pulled out all stops last year to lure Defoe, even enlisting Toronto Raptors global ambassador Drake to bend the England strikers ear. And when Defoe signed, Toronto FC trumpeted the move with a marketing campaign titled Its A Bloody Big Deal.A double-decker bus was parked outside the news conference where Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment, touted the signing of what TFC billed as a global football superstar.Defoe, 32, began his Toronto career with a bang, scoring three goals in the clubs first two games. But he also struggled with injuries as well as adjusting to life in the MLS, finishing with 11 goals in 19 games as Toronto FC (11-15-8) missed the playoffs for the eighth straight year.Still, Bezbatchenko said Toronto FCs gamble to acquire Defoe was certainly worth it.Were not an organization thats afraid to think outside the box so we go out and we take risks, Bezbatchenko said. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they dont but thats football at the highestt level.ddddddddddddIn the end were excited where we are today and were looking forward to the next chapter.Altidore failed to establish himself as a regular with Villarreal and spent time on loan to Xerez, Hull and Bursaspor before being sold the Netherlands AZ Alkmaar. Altidore set the record for goals by an American in a European club season with 31 for AZ in 2012-13, then was sold to Sunderland, where he had just one goal in 40 league appearances.As a professional youre going to go through times where everything is not so great, Altidore said. I think in those times how you react to those moments will define you.For me, it was very difficult obviously for a number of reasons, on and off the field, for my time in England . . . but I was still able when I represented the national team to perform at the highest level. Now I was faced with the opportunity of joining a franchise where Id have an opportunity to keep growing as a player and obviously to get better. That was the most important thing for me and Toronto gave me the opportunity and I took it with both hands.Vanney believes Altidore will regain his scoring touch in Toronto. Altidore has earned 76 caps with the American national squad, scoring 25 goals, and Friday was added to the U.S. training camp roster before exhibition contests against Chile and Panama.He will score goals, I have no concern about that, Vanney said. I have no doubt hes going to be a great player and arguably the best striker in the league.Altidore certainly wont have to shoulder the expectations Defoe did last year as American midfielder Michael Bradley — who Bezbatchenko acknowledged played a role in the Altidore deal — is now expected to be the face of the franchise. Bradley, also a DP, arrived here with Defoe in January 2014.Altidore and Bradley are very familiar with each other. They grew up together and have been teammates on various American national teams, including now with the senior mens squad.Canada, who wouldve thought it, huh? Altidore said with a chuckle. Thats the thing about life, you never know what youre going to get the next day.Brazilian striker Gilberto is Torontos third designated player. In the wake of Defoes departure, Vanney said he wants DPs who are committed to the club.We want our DPs to want to be here and be connected to each other so that we can build around them and we get that with Jozy and Michael, Vanney said.They have a relationship thats second to none. Having those two connected together, the addition of Gilberto, were starting to get to the point where our three best players need to be our three best players and complement one another and then we can build with those three players. 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