of those glory days in Sacramento and hes been back numerous times as a

TORONTO - For the first time in three days, the most turbulent 72 hours of his life, Jonas Valanciunas was able to find an escape, an outlet for his ranging emotions. "Its been a rough couple days," the Raptors centre admitted following Wednesdays game, speaking with the media for the first time since he was arrested for drunk driving earlier this week. He was unable to address the incident directly, as he has yet to meet with his lawyers. "I found the power, found the energy to come out [and] fight," he continued. "I felt really good [because of the] fan support, thank you to them. That felt great, because everybody supported me. I say sorry and [am] learning. Ill be better." Valanciunas wasnt sure how he would be received by the teams fans, feeling he had disappointed them, just as they did not know what to expect from him, returning to the court in the aftermath of Monday mornings events. "Honestly, he was going to play like trash or he was going to play amazing," said Kyle Lowry after Torontos 125-114 win over the 76ers. "He played amazing, like we expected." The 21-year-old sophomore would go on to score a career-best 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds, hitting 10 of his 14 shots in 37 minutes of action. Once the ball was thrown up, and for the two and a half hours that followed, the only thing that was on his mind was the task at hand. "Its a tough situation for him to handle, to be going through," Lowry added, "but this is our sanctuary: basketball. We get a chance to be away from everything. Basketball is like our space, our secret spot and thats where guys can release a lot of energy and intensity." Scoring the first four points of the game, Valanciunas came out with a fire, a purpose and an air of confidence. He has been playing some of the best basketball of his career and those off-court distractions could not derail him. Leading the team with 23 double-doubles after recording just eight a year ago, Valanciunas has played 30 or more minutes and scored in double figures in eight straight games, matching a season-high. The biggest difference has been his comfort level and self-assurance, according to his teammates. The game has slowed down for him, hes playing with patience and most importantly hes not getting down on himself. "[Hes] much more aggressive, much hungrier," said Lowry. "He wants the ball. Tonight he was literally yelling at me to give him the ball." "He came up big," DeMar DeRozan stated. "That just shows you hes not letting everything else affect him, everything thats going on or the situation that happened. Hes just going out and playing. He did what he did, its over with, he apologized to us and he understands whats at stake and that we need him." His big night couldnt have come at a better time. Valanciunas has some work to do. He knows this. On top of learning from his error in judgment, hell have to win back the fans he let down. Wednesdays performance was the first step in turning the page. Lowrys return Although Lowry eased into his return from a three-game absence, sidelined with a bruised left kneecap, he more than made his presence felt when his team needed him most. The Raptors starting point guard recorded four assists before attempting his first shot late in the opening quarter. By the second half he was up to his old tricks. Lowry scored 19 of his game-high 29 points in the final 24 minutes, including 10 in the fourth quarter. "I was happy to be back there with my teammates, to be honest," he said after the game. "When you miss games you feel like youre letting your team down but it was great to be back out there with the fellas." Prior to the game, Dwane Casey indicated there would be no restriction on Lowrys usage and sure enough he played the entire first quarter and logged 38 minutes on the night. "[The week off] definitely helped my body rest but a week doesnt do anything," Lowry said. "Its going to take two months for me to actually be normally healthy again." Amir Johnson got another precautionary night off, missing his third straight contest with a lingering right ankle injury, though he could have played if necessary and shouldnt be out much longer. Nearing division title With Torontos victory and the Nets loss in Orlando, the Raptors are now one win - or Brooklyn defeat - away from clinching their second division title in franchise history. They can wrap up the Atlantic crown while also matching a franchise-record 47th win of the season in front of their home crowd on Friday when they host the Knicks. The stat The Raptors are a perfect 10-0 in games without at least one of their five starters (Lowry, DeRozan, Johnson, Valanciunas or Terrence Ross) this season. The quote "Our guys see the computers, they see the standings and the records but we cant play that way," Casey said of the teams defensive slippage, after allowing the lowly 76ers to score 114 points on 52 per cent shooting. "I just told them that weve got to pick our defence up and not have the mental letdowns that were having defensively. Its nothing that we havent seen before or any new trick plays. Its just one-on-one defence, blow-bys, our feet in the sand. There is a slippage." Vapormax Mens Black Sale Uk . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Nike Vapormax Mens Uk . New York (16-9-8) took over first place in the Eastern Conference and has the best record in the league with one game remaining. Houstons five-game unbeaten streak was snapped, and the Dynamo (13-11-9) are sixth in the East with one game remaining. http://www.vapormaxwholesaleuk.com/wholesale-vapormax-mens-trainers.html . LOUIS -- St. Cheap Vapormax Womens White . LOUIS -- The St. Vapormax Plus Womens Uk . Of course that doesnt mean hes ignoring it. Thats actually rather impossible given the behind-the-scenes access to the Toronto Maple Leafs the network is getting.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Barring a change of heart from the league offices, Sacramento centre DeMarcus Cousins has played his last game of the season. He definitely went out with a bang. Cousins recorded his eighth straight double-double with 35 points and 15 rebounds but picked up his 16th technical foul of the season late in the fourth quarter of the Kings 106-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. By NBA rules, Cousins must sit out Sacramentos final regular season game at home against Phoenix on Wednesday. "Im not going to talk about it," said Cousins, who had sat for several minutes in front of his locker with his head hung low. Kings coach Mike Malone was willing to discuss it and said the team might contact the NBA to get the technical removed, citing Cousins most recent behaviour. The technical was his first since Feb. 25 and ended the longest stretch of his career without one. "I feel for him," Malone said. "He has made a concerted effort to handle his emotions and not get that last tech. Well try to do whatever we can to get that rescinded but its disappointing because I know it meant a lot to him." The Kings trailed by 11 in the third quarter and were down 82-81 before going on an 11-2 run to go in front for good. Cousins started the surge with a thunderous dunk and McCallum followed with consecutive 3-pointers, one from the left corner and the other from the right. The Timberwolves pulled to 100-98 with 1:13 left to play on three free throws by Kevin Love after Cousins was charged with the technical foul. Cousins then drove the baseline and dunked with 24.2 seconds remaining, helping Sacramento end a five-game losing streak while evening the season series with Minnesota. "Were still a team trying to grow and find ourselves," said Cousins, breaking his silence. "I think we took steps forward today. Weve been in those situations a couple times this season. Sometimes it went well, sometimes it didnt. We did a pretty good job tonight of handling the siituation and overcoming adversity.dddddddddddd" J.J. Barea missed a 3-pointer and Love was off on a 16-foot jumper in the final 20 seconds for the Wolves. Love had 43 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota after sitting out Fridays 112-110 win over Houston because of a hyperextended right elbow. "Our defence just wasnt good enough in the second half," Love said. "Offensively we were fine, but they kind of went on a run and never looked back." The Timberwolves lost after leading 62-51 with eight minutes left in the third in what might have been former Kings coach Rick Adelmans final appearance at Sleep Train Arena. The 67-year-old Minnesota coach remains a beloved figure in the states capital, having guided the Kings from 1998-2006. Sacramento made the playoffs in each of his eight seasons and havent been back since. Adelman clearly has fond memories of those glory days in Sacramento and hes been back numerous times as a visiting coach as well. This game, however, might hold special significance since it might be Adelmans last. He has taken time away from coaching each of the past two years to take care of his wife, Mary Kay, who has had health problems. Speculation around the NBA now is that Adelman will step away for good at the end of the season. "Ive always said that the eight years here were a tremendous experience," Adelman said. "We had a lot of fun, we had really good team and the fans during that run were terrific." Minnesota trailed by 11 early before going on a 12-0 run in the second quarter capped by Dante Cunninghams three-point play that put the Wolves up 40-32. Love finished the half with 13 points, including two free throws to give Minnesota a 52-47 halftime lead. The Timberwolves extended their lead to 62-51 with 8:03 left in the third, then Sacramento went on its big run. NOTES: Kings F Rudy Gay (lower back strain) sat out for the third time in four games. ... Cousins moved past Vlade Divac for eighth on Sacramentos career scoring list. ' ' '