TORONTO - As Dwane Casey called a timeout late in Fridays victory, one of his teams most impressive of the campaign, an honorary addition to the Raptors coaching body was the first to race out and rally the troops. Puma Scarpe Sito Ufficiale . Donning a charcoal blazer on top of his white t-shirt, Kyle Lowry immediately pulled aside his replacement, Greivis Vasquez, as the two point guards calibrated by the bench with less than a minute remaining. A reluctant spectator for the second straight contest, nursing his bruised knee, Lowry refused to take the night off. Not that anyone truly expected him to. "He was like our second or third coach," said Jonas Valanciunas. "He was kind of doing the same thing he does when hes in the game," added Terrence Ross. "Helping us with plays, drawing things up for us, being vocal." The Raptors would rather have him in uniform, dressed in red and white while leading his team in the trenches instead of on the sidelines, but they have more than held their own in his absence. For the second time in three days, Toronto - missing both Lowry and forward Amir Johnson - was able to knock off a top-six team, as the teams confidence continues to grow heading into the playoffs. "With us we feel like we can beat anybody when we step out there on the court, honestly," said DeMar DeRozan, who tallied 20 points and nine assists in his teams inspiring 102-94 win over the Indiana Pacers. "Theyre [a] top team in the East. We understand tonight was a big win at this time of the season." The Pacers - a team the Raptors could see in the second round of the playoffs, should they advance - are backing into the postseason. Frank Vogels club, losers of six straight games on the road and six of eight overall, had occupied the Easts top seed for most of the season before surrendering it to Miami last week. Vulnerable as Indiana may be, the Raptors have split the season series and given that they were without two starters on Friday, their latest victory was of the statement variety. "If theyre looking for themselves, whatever it is, its a win," Casey said. "Whatever their deal is, theyve won 53 games. Thats the way I look at it. Its a quality win." Fresh off a similarly opportunistic win over a Rockets team missing Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley, the Raptors displayed characteristics you wouldnt expect from a young, undermanned group. They were resilient, hitting back after the Pacers cut into their 11-point cushion and took a lead of their own late in the game. They were tough, winning the battle on the boards and refusing to back down from Indys intimidation tactics. They embodied the seemingly irreplaceable qualities of their fallen comrades, Lowry and Johnson. Lowry - for better or for worse, in uniform or not - is the engine that drives this ship and even from the bench he couldnt help but to take control. "Its a little bit worse than what he does when hes in the game with you," DeRozan joked. "He just wont stop talking but hey, we deal with it, its cool. He shut up a little bit more once we were winning." "Id rather have him in uniform than in street clothes and coaching," Casey said, also having some fun at the expense of the vocal Lowry. "I tell Kyle this all the time, that when he becomes a coach I cannot wait to come watch his teams play." "Ill tell you what, Imma be that heckler in that stands. Boooo, coach." The relationship between Casey and Lowry has grown exponentially over the past 18 months. Theyre both strong-willed, passionate competitors. Whatever rift they may or may not have had last season - when the team was losing and Lowrys minutes were sporadic - appears to be a thing of the past. They understand and respect each other. Winning will do that. "I mean we have the same goals and thats to win as many games as we can win, make noise in the playoffs and compete our butts off," Casey said before the game. "Were tied together from that standpoint." The Raptors have navigated through the toughest stretch of their late-season schedule without Lowry and Johnson - out with a lingering ankle ailment - and can now afford to be more cautious with the health of their stars. Torontos final six regular season games come against sub-.500 competition, beginning with Saturdays contest against the lowly Bucks in Milwaukee. "The big picture is the most important thing," Casey acknowledged, "keeping guys healthy going forward." Sophomores stepping up Facing elite defenders at their positions, the Raptors duo of second-year starters came up big in the absence of Lowry and Johnson. Valanciunas, who scored 22 points on 14 shots, anchored Torontos defence and pulled down crucial rebounds in crunch time while vastly outplaying Pacers all-star centre Roy Hibbert. Meanwhile, Ross picked up the slack on offence, leading the team with 24 points - including five made threes - against a couple of tough wing defenders in Paul George and Lance Stephenson. "They came in and played with a lot of confidence, a lot of energy," Casey said of his sophomores. "They continue to get better and work hard at it every single day," DeRozan added. "They understand they play a key role on this team and us being successful. I credit tonights game to them because they came up big." De Colo making an impact With Vasquez stepping into Lowrys slot as the teams starting point guard, Casey has looked to trade deadline acquisition Nando De Colo off the bench. Even without scoring, the former Spurs guard has been making an impact with his energy and basketball intellect. He logged 23 minutes on Friday - most hes played with the Raptors - and with the increased role came a greater comfort level offensively. "He knows that hes going to get extended minutes with Kyle out," Casey said of De Colo, who scored 10 points and dished out five assists. "When youre in that situation you play a little more free and a little looser. Hes [being] himself and hes done an excellent job." The stat DeRozan, who had a team-high nine assists Friday, has now recorded five or more dimes in 24 games this year after doing so 18 times in his first four seasons combined. The quote "It should help their confidence," said Casey on the win. "To go against a team like Indiana without our two starters helps us but its not worth a darn if we dont come out [Saturday] night and have the same focus and energy and effort. Were happy, were excited about the win. I dont want to poo poo on it but weve got to turn it up and crank it up again tomorrow night. Zalando Scarpe Puma Scontate . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read. Scarpe Puma Scontate ." Argos general manager Jim Barker uttered those words during an interview with TSN 1050 radio just prior to the CFLs annual free agent frenzy. http://www.pumascontate.it/ .Corey Brewer had 19 points eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak and won for just the third time since Ricky Rubio went out with an injured ankle on Nov.TSN.cas MMA staff including James Lynch – TSN.ca (@lynchonsports), John Pollock – TSN Radio 1050 (@iamjohnpollock) and Jordan Cieciwa – TSN Radio 1290 (@FitCityJordan), take a look at some of the hottest issues in mixed martial arts. With Jordan away in Thailand this week, fellow TSN 1290 “Weigh-In” co-host “Big” Marv Timog fills in. 1) How did you score the Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks fight at UFC 167? James Lynch – TSN.ca (@lynchonsports) I was extremely vocal on Twitter after the scorecards were announced at UFC 167 when in fact Georges St-Pierre had taken home the split decision. I actually tweeted the words “Huge Robbery” and now I regret making that statement, although to be fair I was running on dose of pure emotion. It wasnt a robbery, but it wasnt the right decision. If you want an example of a fight that was a “robbery” look at Phil Davis victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 earlier this year. Even after re-watching this fight, I still scored the first round for Hendricks, which seems to be the round that pundits have been debating the last 48-hours. While St-Pierre did secure the early takedown, I thought with Hendricks landing more shots throughout the remainder of the round earned him the nod. To clarify, I gave rounds 1, 2 and 4 to Hendricks and GSP rounds 3 and 5. Im not alone either, 13 other media members scored the fight for Hendricks over at MMADecisions.com including our own John Pollock. Big Marv” Timog – Co-host TSN 1290s “The Weigh-In” (@BIGMARV204) Count me as one of the people shocked to see GSPs hand raised at the end of their fight. I had to re-watch the fight to figure out how bad the decision was. GSP clearly wins rounds 3 and 5, while “Bigg Rigg” clearly wins rounds 2 and 4. That leaves us with round 1, which is the round to watch and determine who truly won. It was a close round, I can now see how some would score it for GSP, but I had it for Hendricks. Overall, I give the fight to Johny Hendricks, although I think it was closer than I had originally thought. A bit off topic, but I also hate when people use the amount of damage to the face as a way to judge a fight. John Pollock – Host TSN 1050s “The MMA Report” (@iamjohnpollock) I scored the fight 48-47 for Johny Hendricks on first viewing, re-watched the first round the following day and still feel Hendricks landed the most effective shots during the opening round. For me the key was the short uppercuts Hendricks connected with while St-Pierre went for his single and then put Hendricks up against the cage and absorbed the elbows clean to the side of his head. Each had a takedown and neither was able to do anything with the other when they took them down. It was a close round but I was confident Hendricks won the first round. 2) How should Dana White handle St-Pierres extended leave from the promotion? Lynch Honestly with everything St-Pierre has done for the promotion, Dana should give GSP some time and space to let him decide for himself in the coming months. Neither fighter will be back in action at least for another six months anyways due to injuries. In addition, we should also see who wins the upcoming fight next month between Carlos Condit and Matt Brown and where Robbie Lawler fits into the title piicture. Scarpe Puma Uomo Scontate. If bantamweight champion Dominck Cruz can be out with an injury and remain champion for close to two years, then the promotion can give St-Pierre the same leeway. Even if St-Pierre hasnt made up his mind on if hes retiring for good, no harm in creating an interim belt during his vacancy. That, by the way, should not be decided today or this week. Consider that St-Pierres UFC debut was back in January of 2004 and has remained champion since 2008, he deserves more respect. Big Marv Dana White needs to get a definitive answer from the welterweight champion. If Georges St-Pierre is retiring he needs to make it clear. Should he step away for a while, he needs to provide a timeline and if its a year or longer off, then the title should be vacated. GSP has to know he cant hold the division hostage while he sorts through his issues. Pollock It all depends on St-Pierre and where his head is at and what his time table is for fighting again. If St-Pierre needs a mini-vacation and can fight in the summer then all is fine and Hendricks could even wait for the rematch. If St-Pierre is leaving for an indefinite period of time, you have to start looking at an interim title situation, which no one is a fan of. White is very confident St-Pierre isnt leaving for a prolonged period of time, but until we know what the issues are and how St-Pierre plans to tackle them, were just throwing darts in the dark in terms of a remedy scenario. 3) Whats next for Johny Hendricks? Lynch Once Dana White gets an indication of how long GSP will be out, then we can determine whats next for Hendricks. I really think even if its close to a year from now, well see the Hendricks vs. St-Pierre rematch in a neutral location (not Vegas, Texas, Montreal or Toronto). If St-Pierre intends to be out longer than that and Matt Brown defeats Carlos Condit, then you see Hendricks vs. Brown for the interim (or perhaps vacant) welterweight title. However if Condit defeats Brown at UFC on FOX 9, then perhaps you see Robbie Lawler (who defeated Rory MacDonald this past Saturday) as the next potential contender. Im of the belief that prior to Saturdays encounter at UFC 167, St-Pierre fully planned to retire had he dominated Hendricks like he expected to. Because it was a much closer fight, he didnt fully commit to retirement because he wanted to leave the door open. If St-Pierre decided to retire today, vacate the title, Id be content with that because hes done enough for the sport. Big Marv Johny Hendricks gets the next title shot, period. Its the right thing to do. To appease the fans alone, you need to make this happen. Should it be a rematch against GSP? Absolutely, but, I cant be the only one who thinks forcing an unmotivated GSP into another Hendricks fight is a good thing. I say vacate the championship, and Hendricks takes on the winner of Matt Brown and Carlos Condit. And yes I say “vacate” not “interim” Pollock Like the last question its dependent on St-Pierre. If he can fight by next summer then Hendricks should wait and get an immediate rematch. If not, he has a number of options from Robbie Lawler to the winner of Matt Brown / Carlos Condit (though Condit makes little sense for him to fight again other than staying busy). My instinct suggests the rematch with St-Pierre will be his next fight. ' ' '