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. Oskar Sundqvist Jersey . Got Jacks? Pulling off a comeback for the ages, feisty Stephen F. Austin became the latest No. 12 seed to pull off an upset, tying the game on Desmond Haymons did-that-just-happen four-point play with 3. Vladimir Tarasenko Jersey . The above paragraph could be rewritten, verbatim, with Marcus Stromans name in place of Romeros. After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto. http://www.officialbluesnhlshop.com/. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Tage Thompson Jersey .The Canadiens will visit the Boston Bruins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on New Years Day 2016, taking hockeys oldest rivalry outside.It was special in 2010 just to be there with the history behind Fenway Park and all that, Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron said. Jake Allen Jersey . -- Jesse Lussier scored 8:24 into overtime as the Halifax Mooseheads erased a four-goal deficit to beat the host Val-dOr Foreurs 6-5 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff action.(SportsNetwork.com) - After going winless in October, the Carolina Hurricanes are hoping to find more success in the second month of the 2014-15 season. The Hurricanes will shoot for the win column once again when they host the Arizona Coyotes in Saturdays battle at PNC Arena. Carolina has opened the season on an 0-6-2 slide and recently ended a five- game road trip with four consecutive regulation losses. The Canes were outscored by a 20-6 margin over the course of the road trip and picked up their lone point of the swing in a 2-1 shootout loss to the New York Rangers on Oct. 16. The good news is Carolina should be well-rested for tonights tilt, having been idle since dropping Tuesdays 4-1 decision in Vancouver. The time off will allow forwards Patrick Dwyer and Nathan Gerbe to return from lower-body injuries. Dwyer has been out since Oct. 11, while Gerbe hasnt played since Oct. 16. The return of Dwyer and Gerbe, however, is not good news for Canes forward Alexander Semin, who expects to be a healthy scratch on Saturday. Semin, a 22- goal scorer last season, has two assists through eight games this season and he was benched for a large part of the third period on Tuesday after taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Hed played enough, coach Bill Peters told NHL.com after the game. I dont think we need to take undisciplined penalties when we are trying to dig out of a hole, right? Youre in a hole. Quit digging. Jiri Tlusty scored the only goaal in Tuesdays loss against the Canucks, while Cam Ward was tagged for three goals on 24 shots.dddddddddddd We werent good enough in any area, and the result is a 4-1 loss, Peters said. Arizona gives the Hurricanes a good opportunity to pick up win No. 1, as the Coyotes enter Saturday with losses in five of their last six games. Dave Tippetts club also has yet to win in four road games this season and is 0-2 at the start of a four-game trek. The Coyotes were slammed 7-3 by the Tampa Bay Lightning to open the trip on Tuesday and then dropped a 2-1 decision two nights later against Florida. Former Coyotes forward Scottie Upshall notched the game-winning goal on Thursday, as he came out of the penalty box with 9:04 remaining in regulation and beat Mike Smith on the ensuing breakaway. It was Arizonas first regulation loss to the Panthers since Feb. 10, 2007. Smith made 24 saves for an Arizona club that fell to 1-4-1 over its past six games. Martin Hanzal scored his teams lone goal Thursday, converting on the power play late in the first period. Our execution has to improve, Tippett said. Carolina has won four of the last seven overall meetings versus the Coyotes, but Arizona has won three straight and five of the past six encounters at PNC Arena. Smith has started seven of Arizonas nine games this season, but he could get a breather this weekend from backup Devan Dubnyk. The Coyotes are also playing Sunday against Washington. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Camo China NFL Jerseys White NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Throwback Cheap Jerseys From China ' ' '