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." Fake Air Max 270 For Sale . - The Detroit Lions have placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on injured reserve, ending his season. Vapormax Clearance . -- Green Bay wide receiver Greg Jennings will be on the sideline as the Packers make their push for a perfect regular season. http://www.outletsneakersclearance.com/fake-air-jordan.html. Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. Discount Sneakers Online . Those cheers seemed more special this time because the captains run on Broadway could soon be over. The adoration surely sounded much nicer to Callahan than all the recent trade talk. Cheap Balenciaga Shoes China . Despite 11-1 records, theyre out and Big Ten winner Ohio State is into the national semifinals.It took GM Reggie McKenzie two years to clean up the mess left in Oakland by former Raiders owner Al Davis. For everything Davis did for the franchise in its 54-year existence, the team was floundering under him late in his time presiding over the team. When McKenzie was hired in early 2012, he probably circled March 11, 2014 on his calendar. He knew it would take two years to complete the teams much needed deconstruction, and it wouldnt be until March this year – the opening of free agency – that the Raiders would have a shot at actually building a sustainable winner. But what happens when you have all the money to spend, but nothing to spend it on? The answer, apparently, is to load up on aging veterans in a weak free agent crop, hoping they have enough gas to elevate the roster to competitiveness while at the same time mentor the fairly barren corps of young players who will one day, hopefully, form the nucleus of a winner. The list of free agents whose motors at this stage in their careers are justifiably questioned is a long one, but it doubles as the list of players who will determine the Raiders ultimate fate this season, so McKenzie needs this gamble to pay off. Matt Schaub, Maurice Jones-Drew, Donald Penn, Justin Tuck, Lamar Woodley, Antonio Smith, and Carlos Rogers will all be leaned on for one – or two – last strong seasonss to bridge the gap while the Raiders build up their crop of young talent.dddddddddddd For their part, the veterans are saying all the right things. Phrases like “playing motivated” and “chip on our shoulder” have been thrown around a lot in Oakland leading up to the season. The reality is that the Raiders should be more competitive this year, but still nowhere near able to challenge for a playoff spot, especially in the tough AFC West. McKenzie and company feel strongly Schaub wont repeat his disastrous 2013 campaign, in which he broke the record for consecutive games throwing a pick-six, but its unrealistic to think the 33-year-old will recapture the magic of his 2009 or 2010 season. Other vets brought in, such as pass rushers Tuck, Woodley, and Smith, are too talented to completely fall off a cliff, the three combining for 21 total sacks just last season. And at running back, so long as Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden alternate their weeks on the sideline with injuries, theres hope for the running game as well. Its nearly impossible for the future to not look brighter than the past in Oakland, while young talents like Khalil Mack and Derek Carr give the fans tangible reasons to get excited. But the future may still be a couple years away. The last two years were the deconstruction period, the next could very well be the rebuilding phase. ' ' '