TORONTO - Dwane Casey was more composed than you might expect after his team surrendered 101 points in defeat on home court Wednesday night. Kasperi Kapanen Jersey . The reason being; this loss - 101-89 at the hands of Minnesota - came in the second game of the exhibition season, a time of trial and error for the Raptors. "[We are in] no way a finished product," Casey said after the loss. "I dont think you can talk to a coach in the NBA now that is where they want to be. Were definitely not where we want to be defensively." "Weve got to fight through things, weve got to fight through adversity and I like it," he continued, stressing that a night like this, at this stage should be used as a learning experience. "I like that it showed us tonight what we have to work on, especially defensively." Casey and his staff will go back to the drawing board on Thursday, as they do after each preseason game - win or lose. For them, October is a month-long chess match, a card game thats all about gathering information, utilizing it in the gym and choosing how much of it they wish to reveal before the games count. Its a month of experimentation and tactical development. "In preseason you stick with your coverage," Casey said, pointing out that through two games the team has yet to switch into the zone defence theyve been working on. "You dont try to do anything tricky, you dont try to game plan. Were still trying to learn our defensive fundamentals." Zone coverage is expected to be a big part of what the Raptors do defensively this season -- or better yet, what they can do when the situation deems it necessary. Whether theyre using a small lineup or simply masking some of their weaker second-unit defenders, it is a trick theyd like to have up their sleeve. But for now it remains in the sleeve. "You dont want to show them too much in the preseason," said Rudy Gay, who scored 11 points in the losing effort to Minnesota. Defensive Slippage For Casey the message is, has been and will remain focused on defence. After holding the Celtics to 89 points on 40 per cent shooting in Mondays preseason victory, the teams recommitment on the defensive end took a step in the wrong direction, most notably in the third quarter where they were outscored them 28-16. "We had a lot of mental breakdowns on the defensive end that were going to come in here tomorrow and watch and try to correct," admitted DeMar DeRozan, who was a standout on the offensive end with a team-high 17 points. The Wolves shot 47 per cent from the field and 37 per cent from three-point range, where they burned Toronto in the second half. The Raptors frontcourt had their hands full all night, as expected, bodying up against a slimmer but always physical Kevin Love (20 points, nine rebounds) and Nikola Pekovic (12 points, eight rebounds). "We just have to start with the mindset that we have to do everything right," Gay put bluntly. "Were honestly not good enough to lack in any category. So we have to try to [be] as perfect as possible." A Determined DeRozan With Corey Brewer preoccupied on Gay, DeRozan took advantage of the smaller guards Minnesota threw at him. After the newly signed Kevin Martin left the game (he played six minutes and was pulled as a precaution with a sore Achilles) DeRozan began attacking the paint, routinely posting up or driving right by Alexey Shved and company. DeRozan scored all but two of his 17 points in the paint or from the line, finishing six-of-seven from the floor and five-for-six from the stripe. He and Gay combined to shoot 14 free throws, making 12, each playing around 20 minutes. "It puts pressure on the defence," Gay said of the duos ability to draw fouls in the lane "The more we can do that the better were going to be." "Now we just [have] to start hitting shots," he joked. "Itll come, its just preseason." Another Efficient Night for the Starters Although they havent been effective from beyond the arc, an area of emphasis for that unit, the Raptors starters havent had much trouble hitting their shots. For the second straight game the starting unit shot above 50 per cent from the field and continued to build on the chemistry they developed towards the end of last season. "I thought they played solid minutes, the minutes they were in there," Casey said of the starters who, with the exception of Jonas Valanciunas, sat out the fourth quarter. Rotation Roulette Again, Casey experimented with different combinations, specifically in the second half. More than wins and losses, the Raptors coach has emphasized the importance of experimenting with his rotation and finding the groupings that work best going into the season. Casey used a couple variations of his small lineup late in the first half with Gay slotted at the four and matching up with Love. "I gained the weight he lost," Gay joked after facing a slimmed-down Love. After sitting out on Monday Steve Novak was also used as a stretch four, playing 20 minutes in place of Austin Daye, who was used in that role against Boston. Novak scored nine points off the bench, knocking down his first three triples in his Raptors debut. "We know what Steve is," Casey said. "We know who he is [and] what he can do. We wanted to give him a turn tonight." Novak, a 45 per cent three-point shooter over the last two seasons in New York, is as automatic as they come in the corner but the challenge for Casey will be masking him on defence and surrounding him with players he will complement. "From a distance you may not see exactly whats going on, but some nights some guys are playing, other [nights] guys arent," Novak said of the preseason. "I think a lot of it is for the coaches to see what theyre comfortable with, where they want to play guys [and] just see how guys react." Fallen Comrade Raptors fans received disheartening news prior to Wednesdays preseason home opener when it was reported that the teams beloved mascot, the Raptor, tore his Achilles tendon during a community visit in Halifax this weekend and will be sidelined for the season. Widely considered the best mascot in the NBA, the Raptor - and the man wearing the suit - has been with the organization, entertaining fans since the inaugural season in 1995-96. "I was disappointed," Casey said of his reaction when he heard the news. "My daughter cried. She was upset." "Hell bounce back. Hes in good hands with the physicians. The Raptor will be back, he will be back. We need his spirit and hes in our thoughts and prayers." Up Next Andrea Bargnani will make his highly-anticipated return to the Air Canada Centre with his new team, the Knicks, who make the first of two preseason visits to Toronto on Friday. TSN Radio 1050 Toronto has the game live at 7pm et. Eric Fehr 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. Borje Salming 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.shopmapleleafsonline.com/Maple-Leafs-Doug-Gilmour-Adidas-Jersey/ . No such luck. Wiggins owned the end of Parkers impressive homecoming. The Kansas star scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, outplaying Parker down the stretch and helping the fifth-ranked Jayhawks knock off No.WASHINGTON -- James Bell scored 16 points, and No. 9 Villanova prevailed in a messy, foul-plagued game of stops and starts Monday night for a 65-60 victory over Georgetown, the Hoyas fifth straight loss. Daniel Ochefu added 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting for the Wildcats (18-2, 7-1 Big East), who forced 18 turnovers while committing 16. Villanova made 22 of 28 free throws and moved into a tie with first-place Creighton atop the Big East. Markel Starks scored 20 points for the short-handed Hoyas (11-9, 3-6), whose roster underwent two more changes before the game. Georgetown has its longest losing streak since 2011 and has dropped three straight at home for the first time since 2009. The game included 34 turnovers, 41 field goals and 39 fouls. At least it was competitive: The biggest lead was eight points -- and thats only because Georgetown scored the first eight points of the game. After topping off at No. 4 in the Top 25, Villanova has had all it can handle in its last three games. No opponent shot 50 per cent or better against the Wildcats in their first 17 games, but they allowed Creighton to shoot 57 per cent in a loss and Marquette to hit 50 per cent in an overtime win. Georgetown was at 55 per cent at halftime, but the Hoyas went cold late and finished at 44 per cent. Georgetown fell short again on a day of more ups and downs with player moves. Jabril Trawick returned after missing five games with a broken jaw and played 12 minutes. The Hoyas learned shortly before tipoff that senior centre Moses Ayegba had to sit out due to a one-game NCAA suspension. James Van Riemsdyk Jersey. Ayegbas suspension looked like a bureaucratic mess, even by NCAA standards. It was related to the nine-game suspension he received as a freshman for violating pre-enrolment rules, an infraction that the Hoyas have said was connected to a plane ticket that brought him from Nigeria to the United States years ago -- before Georgetown even started recruiting him. The Hoyas are playing without centre Joshua Smith, who was recently ruled out for the rest of the season due to academic issues. Bradley Hayes, who had played 13 minutes all season, got some crucial playing time in both halves. Villanova led 35-30 at halftime. The Hoyas game-opening 8-0 run was answered immediately by a 9-0 spurt by the Wildcats. Consecutive three-pointers by Villanovas Ryan Arcidiacono created the closest thing to momentum over the first 20 minutes. Starks drove baseline to tie the game at 35, and he gave the Hoyas their first lead of the second half, 41-39, with two free throws with 14:42 to play. From there, it was back-and-forth. Georgetowns Aaron Bowen saluted the crowd after a three-pointer that tied the game at 46, while Ochefu stretched every bit of his frame to make a layup that gave the Wildcats a 61-56 lead. Starks floater cut the deficit to 61-58 with 2:08 to play, but he was called for an offensive foul after making a pass under the basket with 35 seconds remaining. Villanova then made a series of free throws to hold on for the win. Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Raptors Jerseys Cheap Pistons Jerseys Cheap Team USA Basketball Jerseys ' ' '