PORTLAND - DeMar DeRozan validated his newly minted All-Star title, spearheading the Raptors comeback on Saturday but theres one play hed like to have back. With just under five seconds remaining - the Raptors having clawed back from a 19-point deficit and pulled within one - DeRozan took the handoff from Chuck Hayes. As he tried to create space, turning the corner with Blazers guard Wesley Matthews draped all over him, the first-time All-Star fumbled the ball off his calf. His reaction was instant and said it all. He knew he, quite literally, dropped the ball. "I lost the ball, I put that one on me," DeRozan said, owning up to the miscue. "Ive got to keep the ball in my hands and not turn it over, at least give us a chance to get a shot off." Fact is the Raptors had that opportunity, a shot to steal a game they had no business hanging around in, because of DeRozans heroics. DeRozan, like the rest of his teammates, came out flat in the first half. Coming off a win in Denver the night before, Toronto shot 35 per cent from the field in the opening 24 minutes, misfiring on all eight attempts from three-point range. As a team they couldnt execute, missed makeable shots and left their defensive effort in the Mile High City. It was ugly. "The first half, we came out with a typical back-to-back approach," said coach Dwane Casey, who was critical of his team after they let up in the fourth quarter of Fridays double digit victory over the Nuggets. "It wasnt us." DeRozan, playing in his second game after missing two with an ankle injury, had just six points, shooting 2-of-8. Whatever was said at the break seemed to wake up the fifth-year guard. DeRozan could do no wrong in the second half, where he scored 30 of his game-high 36 points and recorded 10 of his career-best 12 assists. "I mean, hes an All-Star. Yall see it," said Kyle Lowry, who should be joining DeRozan in New Orleans later this month. "Hes an All-Star for a reason. He did an unbelievable job of making shots, getting to the line and just getting it going. We know. Weve seen it before so its no surprise to us." Lowry, like his backcourt comrade, was also much better in the second half - he had 23 points and eight assists on the night - as were subs Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes, who came in and helped the Raptors find themselves defensively. The resilient Raptors dug deep once again - something weve become accustomed to seeing after slow starts this season - and when it came down to one final possession, there was never a doubt who the play was being drawn up for. "[DeRozan] wanted the ball and when your best player, your All-Star wants to the ball you give him the ball," Lowry said. "They did a good job defensively and [Matthews] is strong enough to do that but Im still getting the ball to [DeRozan] every single time in that position." Within seconds of losing the ball, DeRozan walked off with both hands on his head in disappointment. He tapped his chest as if to say, "my bad" and lifted the jersey over his head. "We put ourselves in that position," Casey said, stressing the poor start. "[DeRozan] wanted the ball, we gave it to him, but I give him props for getting us to that point." "I commend DeMar for carrying us. He put us on his shoulders and took us down the stretch and put us in a position to win. Thats all you ask." The loss - Torontos sixth straight in Portland - said a lot about how far the Raptors have come, how far DeRozan has come. If there was ever any doubt about DeRozans All-Star candidacy or his growth as a leader, Saturdays game served as a silencer. He had his full arsenal on display, demanded the ball with the game in the balance and when it was all said and done he took responsibility for his blunder. No excuses, he pointed the finger at himself. Meanwhile, his team fought the good fight, something they failed to do when they last visited Portland. A year ago, the Raptors experienced the absolutely lowest point of an already low season, dropping an embarrassing 92-74 contest to the Blazers on Dec. 10, 2012, the finale of a winless five-game road trip. They lost Lowry and Andrea Bargnani to long-term injuries in the game, while Amir Johnson was ejected for uncharacteristically tossing his mouth-guard at an official. Their skid in Portland continues, they havent won in The City of Roses in seven years, but theyre not the same team that left the city in turmoil 13 months ago. "We put ourselves in a position to win the game even after all that," Casey said. "So thats what you have to ask for." Nathan Gerbe Jersey .Y. - Brooklyn Nets centre Brook Lopez has a strained lower back and will miss at least a week. Elias Lindholm Jersey . The Broncos quarterback earned the offensive award Wednesday after passing for 374 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-21 win over the Raiders Monday night. Manning completed 32-of-37 passes and had a passer rating of 135. http://www.hockeyhurricanes.com/andrej-s...key-jersey/.com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. Eddie Lack Jersey .Carla Fontes hadnt cut her hair since intermediate school, but her coach at Waiakea High School, Stan Haraguchi, thought the locks flowing below her waist were interfering with the sport. Jake Bean Jersey . MLB executive Joe Torre ruled on Tuesday nights game at Wrigley Field that was called after 4 1-2 innings. The Cubs were declared the winners by a 2-0 score. Now, it is instead a suspended game that will resume at 4:05 p.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- For the first time in seven games, the Boston Bruins actually fell behind. It didnt last, and the third-longest win streak in franchise history is still alive. The Bruins scored three times in the third period, the go-ahead goal by Shawn Thornton with 3:18 to play, and Boston won its 12th in a row, 4-2 over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night. The Bruins are two shy of the franchise mark of 14 straight set in the 1929-30 season. They also have the most points in the NHL with 103, two more than Western Conference-leading St. Louis. The Blues clinched a playoff berth as a result of Phoenixs loss. They managed their third-period rally despite the fact they were playing their second game in as many nights. "Tonight in my mind, it showed a lot of our character," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "We needed to show a lot of character there in the third to come back and we did. We did all the right things and we were determined to win and it showed." Jarome Iginla scored his 27th and 28th goals of the season for Boston, the second into an empty net in the final seconds. Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a spectacular goal to put Phoenix ahead 2-1 in the second period. Shane Doan scored the other Coyotes goal on a power play. The loss snapped Phoenixs three-game winning streak. Tuukka Rask, who did not play in Friday nights win at Colorado, had 30 saves for Boston. Phoenixs Mike Smith had 24. The loss and Dallas victory left the Coyotes two points ahead of the Stars for the final playoff spot in the West. Dallas has a game in hand. Phoenix had a 2-1 lead just 39 seconds into the second period thanks to Ekman-Larssons heroics. He took the puck from his own blue line, then evaded two would-be defenders, making a slick move that left Johnny Boychuk and Loui Eriksson in a heap. Rask deflected the first shot, but Ekman-Larsson knocked the rebound in as he sailed by the net. "I skated it up and I was looking for someone to pass to," Ekman-Larsson said, "but I didnt see anybody so I figured Id do it byy myself.ddddddddddddquot; It ended a streak of almost 411 minutes, more than 20 periods, that the Bruins had never trailed. It was the first time in seven games that Boston trailed. The Bruins turned up their trademark tough, physical play in the final period. "They try to beat you 1-on-1," Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said, "and we didnt win enough of those 1-on-1 battles at the right times, and it came back to bite us." Boston tied it at 2 when Zdeno Charas shot deflected off Iginlas hip and into the net 3:48 into the third period. With much of the final period played in the Coyotes zone, Boston took the lead when Daniel Paille shot from a difficult