TORONTO - Once he got going, no one could calm Jonas Valanciunas down, despite Kyle Lowrys best efforts. [url=http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/d-k-metcalf-jersey/]D.K. Metcalf Youth Jersey[/url] . As Valanciunas was whistled for a rare technical toward the end of the third quarter - a result of wav

TORONTO - Once he got going, no one could calm Jonas Valanciunas down, despite Kyle Lowrys best efforts. D.K. Metcalf Youth Jersey . As Valanciunas was whistled for a rare technical toward the end of the third quarter - a result of waving his hand at an official after being called for a foul - Lowry pulled the Raptors sophomore aside, corralling him by his jersey and patting him on the back. "Youve got to be smart in certain situations," Lowry told the young centre. "I just tried to say look, you cant waste your money." "Yeah, he was trying to calm me down," Valanciunas said of the conversation with his point guard, speaking with a mischievous look on his face following the Raptors 98-91 win over the Cavaliers. "That technical foul cost me, so I feel bad now." He shouldnt. The tech will cost Valanciunas a small fraction of his next paycheque but the unbridled emotion he played with in the second half of Fridays game was the driving force of Torontos rapid turnaround. Valanciunas, like the rest of his team, got off to an ugly start. The Raptors were fortunate to be down by only five going into the break, scoring just 39 points in the first half and shooting 33 per cent from the field. For the third straight game coming out of the All-Star break, Valanciunas got a quick hook in the first quarter. The seven-footer has been strangely quiet of late, averaging under six points in four games entering Fridays contest. His minutes have been down, as hes battled growing pains on the defensive end. After being sent to the bench midway through the opening quarter, he sat for around 12 minutes of game time before re-entering. Somewhere, somehow, someone lit a fire under the sophomore and not only did it spark him, it ignited the whole team. Valanciunas was a possessed man coming out of the halftime break. He was aggressive on defence, manic on the boards and dominant down low. He ran the floor with a purpose, worked to establish position, then demanded the ball. As he turned to face up Clevelands Tyler Zeller midway through the third, he pump faked - not once, but twice - took the contact and drained the jumper. Before completing the three-point play, he pumped his fist in the air and yelled out to the crowd, or the Cavs, or his teammates, or whoever was listening. His face was as red as the logo at centre court. He meant business. "Hes going to have ups and downs but tonight he was intense," Lowry said of Valanciunas, who had 10 points and four rebounds in the third quarter, finishing the game with 18 points and eight boards. "He really kind of carried us with his intensity and his passion and fire tonight." The 21-year-olds inspired play lifted the Raptors in what turned out to be a game-deciding third quarter. Toronto scored 37 points in the frame - two fewer than its first-half total - and shot 70 per cent, turning a five-point deficit at intermission into an 11-point advantage going into the fourth. "Hes our enforcer in the paint," said Amir Johnson, who returned to the starting lineup Friday after coming off the bench in his two previous outings, nursing an ankle injury. "When he gets going, everybody else plays good and that just gets everybody open shots when hes scoring in the paint." Johnson also came to life in the second half, the two bigs even hooked up on an alley-oop lob - from Johnson to Valanciunas - late in game. "We had to give our bigs a wakeup call," Dwane Casey said. "They turned it around in the second half. We reminded them, theres more to the game than the offensive end." "You can do a lot of different things other than make shots," he continued, "and I thought the second half, Amir Johnson and JV worked at it and got it done." Although Valanciunas helped turn the game, the best Raptor on the night - from start to finish - was fellow sophomore Terrence Ross, hands down. Ross scored a team-high 20 points, shooting 9-for-18, but his most important contribution was on the defensive end, where he went toe-to-toe with All-Star Game MVP Kyrie Irving. When the game began, Ross was assigned to check former Raptor Jarrett Jack while Lowry defended Irving. Early in the first quarter, there was a switch and Ross ended up on the Cavs point guard and leading scorer. It stuck for the rest of the evening, and Ross did not disappoint. The Raptors forward used his length and athleticism to frustrate Irving, forcing him to launch tough perimeter jumpers, keeping him out of the paint and holding him to 3-of-16 shooting. "He can score in a lot of different ways [and] get his teammates involved," Ross said of Irving, who ended up with 17 points and nine assists for Cleveland. "So if you slow him down, you slow the team down." "He had to chase [Irving] everywhere," Johnson said of Ross. "He chased him off screens, he didnt quit on plays and thats how you have to play a guy like that. [Irvings] so crafty and hes always moving so you just have to keep a body on him and stay in front of him. [Ross] did a great job." It was Canada Basketball Night at the Air Canada Centre Friday, as local product and first overall pick Anthony Bennett made his NBA debut in Toronto. Bennett, who continues to improve after a slow start to the season, knocked down his first two shots and finished with nine points in 15 minute of action while fellow Canadian Tristan Thompson scored 13 to go along with nine boards. In snapping Clevelands six-game winning streak, the Raptors picked up their 30th win of the campaign, doing so in just 55 games. It took them 78 contests to reach the 30-win mark a year ago. Shaquem Griffin Seahawks Jersey . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. Steve Largent Womens Jersey . CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/patrick-kerney-jersey/ . The former central defender calmly nodded it down and quietly went about celebrating a win with his staff. For a man who has had a lot on his shoulders this season, it was an appropriate moment.DALLAS - Jonathan Bernier wasnt quite satisfied after earning his second shutout of the season and posting his second-highest save total.Most of the night I felt pretty good, but theres just a few that got away from me, the Toronto goalie said after making 43 saves as the Maple Leafs beat the Dallas Stars 4-0 on Tuesday.James van Riemsdyk had a goal and two assists for Toronto, which snapped a three-game slide.The Stars four-game winning streak ended when they were shut out for the first time since Jan. 9 at New Jersey.I had a few bad rebounds but the D-men did a good job tying up sticks and letting me get back in position, Bernier said. Timely goal, good power play, good penalty kill. Thats how we won the game tonight.Nazem Kadri opened the scoring 55 seconds into the game, and assisted when van Riemsdyk scored at 6:21 of the second period.Phil Kessel had two assists, the second on Tyler Bozaks power-play goal at 10:30 of the second. Mike Santorelli finished the scoring with an empty-net goal at 16:09 of the third.Toronto killed off four Dallas power plays.Our special teams werent good enough, Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. We had a couple opportunities where we got a little stagnant on the power play, and not enough pucks went to the net.Youve got to give Bernier a lot of credit. He was fabulous.Berniers save total, which included 19 in the third period, was one short of his season high. He has nine career shutouts.As always, your goalies your No. 1 penalty killer. Bernie was called on far, far too often tonight, Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said. You know theyre going to make a push, and we were able to withstand the storm, but Bernie was a big reason for it. Patrick Kerney Seahawks Jersey. Dallas Kari Lehtonen allowed three goals and stopped 22 shots.Toronto took a 1-0 lead in the first minute when van Riemsdyk passed from the right corner to the front of the net. Kadri beat the Stars Tyler Seguin and Alex Goligoski to the puck and put it past Lehtonen.Neither team scored again in the first period, though Seguin and Bozak each hit a post. Dallas outshot Toronto 10-8 in the period.In the second, van Riemsdyk scored on a breakaway at 6:21. His backhand shot went between Lehtonens legs.The Maple Leafs lead grew to 3-0 on Bozaks power-play goal. Dion Phaneufs drive from the top of the slot deflected off Stars defenceman Jordie Benn to Bozaks stick at waist height. A review to determine whether the puck went in off his glove allowed the goal to stand.Again the Stars had nothing to show for outshooting Toronto, 14-11.Chippy play in the third period led to three minor penalties for roughing and a full-fledged fight between Phaneuf and Dallas Antoine Roussel at 12:20. Phaneuf and Roussel were assessed a major and a minor penalty apiece.NOTES: In five career games against Dallas, Kadri has nine points (four goals, five assists). ... Toronto D Stephane Robidas received an ovation when the Stars played a video tribute during a timeout. Robidas played 704 games for Dallas before being traded to Anaheim last season. ... Lehtonen came out of the net with more than four minutes remaining, but returned after Santorellis empty-netter. Lehtonen had been pulled during the second period after allowing four goals in Sundays 6-5 shootout victory at Edmonton. ' ' '