TORONTO - Fresh off one of his most impressive outings of the season, DeMar DeRozan sat by his locker and spoke about carrying his suddenly injury-ridden team while a small piece of gauze soaked up the blood on the hand he used to carry them. Theres some irony there, somewhere. DeRozan needed "four or five" stitches to close a gash in the webbing of his left hand following Wednesdays surprising 107-103 win over the Houston Rockets. "I didnt even notice," he said. It happened late in the fourth quarter as he tried to rip the ball away from Omer Asik. "I looked down and my whole hand was soaked." "It wouldnt stop bleeding. But its cool." Next to Terrence Ross, the Raptors healthiest starter might be the guy with the bloody mitt. They had been fortunate to avoid the injury bug for most of the season but, as they say, when it rains, it pours. Suddenly, its hit them like a monsoon. Missing Kyle Lowry for the first time this season, out with soreness in his left knee, Toronto lost another indispensable cog when Amir Johnson was removed three minutes into Wednesdays game, having tweaked a lingering right ankle ailment. Just a few minutes later the Raptors fell behind by 12 points. With eight games left in their feel-good, Cinderella season the sky was falling, or so we thought. Fact is, this wouldnt be the first time theyve been written off, left for dead. They havent followed the script to this point, so why would they start now? "Guys stepped up," Dwane Casey said. With Patrick Patterson leading the charge in his second game back from an elbow injury, the second unit immediately captured momentum. John Salmons played his best basketball in months while Nando De Colo and Tyler Hansbrough both gave Toronto a lift with their energy off the bench. Greivis Vasquez, starting in place of the injured Lowry, filled in admirably at the point, recording eight assists without committing a turnover in a season-high 40 minutes of action. But no one was quite as impressive as DeRozan. The all-star guard faced all the additional defensive attention you would expect without Lowry in the lineup but after a 12-minute adjustment period he put the team on his shoulders and got to work. "I had to pick up the slack with [Lowry] out," said DeRozan, making just one of his five shots in the first quarter. "I havent really played without Kyle, hes played every game. It was an adjustment for me tonight but I figured it out there after the first quarter." DeRozan scored 15 of his game-high 29 points in the second quarter, connecting on all six of his attempts in the frame, including a 32-foot bank shot to end the half. Rising to the occasion, DeRozan was at his best when his team needed him most; the mark of a true all-star. The Raptors have two players that fit that description. With DeRozan sidelined for a couple games in late February, Lowry led Toronto to a pair of victories, scoring over 30 points in each contest. Now it was his turn to carry the load. "Theyve been doing it the whole year," Vasquez said of the teams star backcourt. "Both [of them]. Its not hidden that theyre our leaders. We go as they go and everybody understands that. This is why we have a healthy locker room. Were not fighting egos. We know whats going on. Those two guys are going to score, those two guys are going to make winning plays for us and weve just got to feed off their energy. Whenever those guys go down weve got their back, thats what this team is all about." Lowry originally sustained the injury colliding with LeBron James in Mondays loss to the Heat. Although there was no structural damage to his knee, it was still swollen on Wednesday and the teams medical staff decided it was best to hold him out, much to the dismay of Lowry, one would imagine. "If it were up to him he would go one leg," Casey joked before the game. "But you dont want to risk his future health for one game." Even in his absence, Lowrys tendencies seemed to rub off on his teammates. DeRozan took a rare charge. Vasquez tried to do the same, though he was called for a blocking foul. "I know he was laughing," Vasquez said of Lowry, who leads the league in drawing charges. "He knows I dont take charges." The good news for the Raptors is that neither Lowrys knee injury or Johnsons bum ankle appears too serious. Both players will benefit from some much-needed rest during Thursdays off day and hope to be ready for Fridays home tilt with the Pacers, Torontos final game against a winning opponent this season. "Weve been very lucky not to have had some major injuries, knock on wood, throughout the year," Casey said. "The little injury bug has hit us a little bit. The schedules not going to stop. Weve got to keep going. Next man up." Casey reaches milestone With the victory, Casey notched his 100th win at the helm of the Raptors, becoming the third coach in team history to reach that plateau, joining Sam Mitchell and Lenny Wilkens. Asked about the accomplishment after the game, the Raptors third-year bench boss shifted the focus to his players, as expected. "All I know is its [win] number 43 for us this year," he said. "Its not about [me]. Its about the team, its about the organization, its about the players that have been here the three years and the process that weve gone through." "To start where we did and kind of build, and were still building, is a tribute to the young guys and the players that have been through here." The stat The Raptors will finish the year with a 16-14 record against Western Conference teams, their first season above .500 versus the West since 1999-00. The quote "Ever since I was in New Orleans I wanted to start my whole career," said Vasquez, who made his second start as a Raptor after doing so in all 18 games with the Kings this season and all 78 he appeared in with New Orleans last year. "But when I came here I really humbled myself and understood that its about winning more than about putting up numbers. I can go out there and play 36 minutes and put up crazy numbers but what about the playoffs? What about making winning plays?" "So Im going to be ready, man. I love this team and Im willing to do whatever it takes." Dwight Clark Super Bowl Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Frank Gore Super Bowl Jersey . - David Tomasek had two goals in regulation time and was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Belleville Bulls upset the Oshawa Generals 6-5 on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Tarvarius-Moore-49ers-Jersey/. After a 99-97 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, his Celtics coaches and teammates have only positive things to say about the Toronto-born rookie. Fred Warner Super Bowl Jersey . Dallas also Monday recalled defenceman Aaron Rome from his conditioning assignment with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and assigned goaltender Jack Campbell to the AHL squad. Terrell Owens Super Bowl Jersey .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final.CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Its no hits and no worries so far for Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez. The three-time AL MVP grounded out twice and turned a double play Wednesday night in the second game of his minor league rehab stint with Class-A Charleston. Rodriguez, who is recovering from left hip surgery in January, also went hitless in his first game with the RiverDogs. But the third baseman, who turns 38 on July 27, isnt panicking about his slow start -- yet. "I dont mind if I save all my hits for New York," he said with a grin. Rodriguez plans to work out at Riley Park on Thursday before leaving for the Yankees spring training complex in Florida. Hell play for the Yankees minor league team in Tampa on Friday. He said Tuesday he likely would need each of the 20 allowed rehab games to get back in shape. It sure looked that way in his two nights in Charleston. In his first game since a miserable October, he hit into a double play and struck out in two at-bats. Then he struggled against 19-year-old right-hander Mauricio Cabrera of Rome, an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Rodriguez swung at the first pitch he saw from Cabrera and grounded out to first. He found out when he got back to the dugout that Cabreras pitch was clocked at 101 mph. "I couldnt believe it," he said. "Its not very often you see 101." He came up again in the third and bounced to second, leaving him 0 for 4 in two games at Charleston. He did start an inning-ending double play in the top half of the third. "It wasnt too bad," Rodriguez said. "Thats the first time in eight months Ive gone out there back to back." Rodriguezs stay in Charleston was a success for the RiverDogs, who welcomed a crowd of 7,667 on Wednesday night after an announced attendance of 8,255 on Tuesday night. Rodriguez signed autographs for the RiverDogs after he left Wednesdays game, and then spent about 20 minutes signing for fans in the right-field stands. He had a playful exchange with 12-year-old Charlie Stephens in Charlestons clubhouse, trading an autographed hat for the boys Astros cap before giving that to him as well. "Hows that for a deal?" he said. Rodriguez also posed for pictures with musician Darius Rucker. "I love this place," Rodriguez ssaid.dddddddddddd. Theres a chance Rodriguez might return to Charleston on his rehab tour, but hes unsure of his schedule past the next few days. Joining Rodriguez on the RiverDogs was Yankees shortstop Eduardo Nunez, who played six innings in his second game back from a strained oblique. He followed up on a 2-for-3 performance Tuesday by going 0 for 2 with a walk. Nunez was unsure of his rehab schedule. Intermittent rain kept the tarp on the field for much of the day and prevented both clubs from taking batting practice or getting infield work. RiverDogs manager Al Pedrique said Rodriguez met with the Charleston players earlier Wednesday to discuss baseball life and answer any questions from the young players. "Its great for the kids, they really had a blast," Pedrique said. "Its too bad he came out so early in the third inning." That was by design. Rodriguez said after Tuesdays game he wanted to see how his body handled his first game action in nine months. Pat Roessler, the director of player development for the Yankees, told Pedrique that Rodriguez felt fine Wednesday morning and was ready to go. Rodriguez said hes putting in the hard work to come back because he has "a responsibility to baseball." "Thats the way Im wired," he continued. "I obviously love the competition, I love the game. I know there are going to be a tremendous amount of naysayers out there and I look forward to going out there, playing well and contributing." Also Wednesday, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter moved one step closer to joining Rodriguez in minor league games by running the bases after putting the ball in play during his simulated at-bats. Jeter had two singles, a double and three grounders against a pair of right-handers at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. Running the bases in the simulated situation is normally one of the final steps in preparation to play in rehab games. The Yankees expect Jeter to rejoin the big league team after the All-Star break. Jeter hasnt played this season after breaking his left ankle in the opener of the AL championship series on Oct. 13. After surgery, the Yankees captain played just five spring training games because of soreness. A new break was discovered April 18. ' ' '