TORONTO - Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters just minutes before tipoff Saturday night that when his team finally had its edge back, everyone would know.Youll see it. Everybody will see it. Its that obvious, Casey said — perhaps sensing the end of the slump.Turns out, Casey was right. Everybody saw it Saturday night in a dominant 109-96 victory over the Boston Celtics that saw Torontos four-game losing skid come to an end, and the Raptors play with more energy — especially on the defensive end — than theyve shown in weeks.I thought our defensive mojo was back, Casey said after the win. I saw guys moving their feet, cracking down, rebounding, doing the things we needed to do with activity and anticipation.Kyle Lowry scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, Lou Williams also had 19 points, while James Johnson, Amir Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 15 apiece for Toronto (25-11). Patrick Patterson finished with 10 points.I think we just got more defensive-minded and we really werent worried about the offensive end, Lowry said. We knew shots would fall. I think we put a real emphasis on defence tonight.Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, B.C., had 23 points — his best-ever performance in Toronto — to top the Celtics (12-23), while Avery Bradley added 17.The Raptors had been mired in their worst slump in over a year, losers of five of their previous seven games before Saturday. Prior to this cold spell, they hadnt lost more than two in a row this season.Casey shook up the lineup, reinserting the athletic and hardworking James Johnson into the starting five. He covers up a lot of mistakes. He covers a lot of floor, a lot of ground. His effort has been unbelievable this season and we need him to keep it up, Lowry said of Johnson. We love his energy, we love his enthusiastic nature and what he brings to the table.The Raptors got off to another sluggish start, but picked it up in the second quarter, and broke the game open in the third. Lowrys step-back jumper with just under three minutes to play in the third capped a 23-6 run that put Toronto up by 15 points, brought the capacity crowd of 19,800 out of their seats, and breathed some life back into the Air Canada Centre.We were tired of it, James Johnson said, of the change in momentum. Everybody buckled in. Everybody took responsibility for what they were doing and we started playing Toronto Raptors defence.The Raptors, who were playing Game 2 of a six-game homestand, took an 82-65 lead into the fourth, and back-to-back three-pointers by Lowry, Amir Johnson, then Lowry again, gave them a 100-80 lead with 5:29 to play.The Celtics responded with threes from Olynyk and Jared Sullinger to cut Torontos lead to 12 points, but that was as close as Boston would come.Caseys pre-game talk with reporters was dominated by the Raptors funk. He said they badley needed to break out of it, but added that its something that every team goes through at some point in a season.Im watching the games (Friday) night, and there are teams that look like theyre playing in mud. Theyre trying. Theyre running. Their arms are flailing. But theyre just not going anywhere. In an 82-game season, you have stretches, Casey said. But you go through that. Every year Ive been in the league Ive gone through it.DeMar DeRozans absence certainly hasnt helped the Raptors, who played their 20th game without him Saturday. The all-star had targeted this week for his return, but he and the team are playing it safe rather than taking any risks by rushing him back. DeRozan said hes looking to play some time next week.It was a strong performance in what was a homecoming of sorts for Olynyk. He was born in Toronto, where his mom Arlene was a scorekeeper for the Raptors and his dad Ken was the head basketball coach at the University of Toronto. The family moved to Kamloops when he was 12.Canada basketball is huge up here. . ., Olynyk said afterward. Its always nice to come up here and play well in front of your country.The rebuilding Celtics were playing the day after sending Brandan Wright to Phoenix in a trade for a protected first-round draft pick. Wright came to Boston in the Dec. 18 trade that sent guard Rajon Rondo to Dallas.Theyre at a different level than we are right now and we need to look at them as a team that we can learn a lot from, Boston coach Brad Stevens said of Toronto.The Raptors got off to yet another woeful start — the ninth time in 11 games theyve been outscored in the first quarter. A running layup by Olynyk put the Celtics up by nine midway through the frame, and they led 26-19 going into the second.Toronto used a 12-0 run in the second to take a three-point lead with a minute-and-a-half to play in the first half. Williams finished off a steal and pass from Patterson with a slam dunk to send the Raptors into halftime with a 47-43 lead.The Raptors kept their foot on the gas in the third, outscoring the Celtics 35-22 in the quarter to lead by 17 at the end of the period.Toronto hosts Detroit on Monday, then Philadelphia, and Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta, before capping its homestand Jan. 18 versus New Orleans. Lane Thomas Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed the cornerback to a four-year, $39 million deal with a $12. Rogers Hornsby Cardinals Jersey .Y. - The Buffalo Sabres reassigned forward Sam Reinhart to the WHLs Kootenay Ice on Friday. https://www.cheapcardinalsonline.com/244...-cardinals.html. Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard. Dominic Leone Cardinals Jersey . The Durban-based Sharks withstood a furious second-half fightback to beat the Queensland Reds 35-20 for a fourth straight win which gave them a five-point lead atop the championship table. The Hamilton-based Chiefs scored two late tries to beat the Cape Town-based Stormers 36-20 for their third win, after the Stormers rallied from 24-6 down to 24-20 with six minutes remaining. Bruce Sutter Jersey . - The New York Rangers have momentum, a unified locker room and Henrik Lundqvist.ORLANDO, Fla. -- At least one No. 5 stayed alive. Saint Louis, seeded fifth in the Midwest Region, worked five extra minutes Thursday night to avoid joining fellow No. 5s Cincinnati and Oklahoma in falling to 12th seeds in the NCAA tournament. The Billikens advanced by wiping out a late double-digit deficit and beating North Carolina State 83-80 in overtime. Rob Loe led the way with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Atlantic-10 Conference player of the year Jordair Jett overcame a slow start to score 18, doing most of his damage while Saint Louis (27-6) was escaping a 59-45 hole over the last five minutes of regulation. "We didnt want to end on that kind of note. We didnt want to bow out of the tournament this early," Loe said. "Were here to win, and were here to put our mark on basketball." With better free throw shooting, Saint Louis would have won without having to work overtime against a team playing its second game in three nights. No. 12 seed NC State (22-14) beat Xavier in an opening round game in Dayton, Ohio, and fatigue could have been a factor in the Wolfpack collapsing late and missing 17 attempts from the foul line. "Its heartbreaking. ... Obviously were going to always feel like we let one slip away," NC State coach Mark Gottfried said. " Its hard to explain. Were a good foul shooting team." T.J. Warren scored 28 points for NC State, but the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year made just six of his 14 free throw attempts. He missed one that could have tied it in the final minute of OT. Warren fouled out with 27.9 seconds remaining, leaving Ralston Turner to try to rescue the Wolfpack with a desperation 3-point attempt that clanked off the rim as time expired. Saint Louis, which staarts five seniors, moves on to play either fourth-seeded Louisville or No.dddddddddddd 13 Manhattan Saturday. The Billikens did it despite trailing by as many as 16 and going 12 of 26 from the foul line. "They got us out of our game ... both defensively and offensively," Saint Louis coach Jim Crews said. "Early in the game Rob hit a couple threes to get us off to a good start, but we started settling for jump shots I thought maybe the first eight minutes of the game, and then we just werent getting back (defensively)." Warren scored at least 20 for the 19th consecutive game. Turner, who finished with 16, hit a jumper and three free throws during a 19-7 spurt that helped the Wolfpack open their biggest lead. Saint Louis whittled away at its deficit, eventually tying the game at 70 on Jetts driving layup with 18.8 seconds remaining. It went to overtime when point guard Tyler Lewis was unable to get the ball to Warren and missed an open 17-foot jumper at the buzzer. Saint Louis played its best basketball of the season during a 19-game winning streak, however the Billikens stumbled down the stretch and had lost four of five. North Carolina State, by contrast, surged late to earn a spot in the NCAA field. The Billikens won their opening game in the tournament each of the past two seasons before losing matchups against Michigan State in 2012 and Oregon a year ago. "We missed a ton of free throws tonight, and we missed some other opportunities both defensively and offensively, but I thought during the process it was pretty good," Crews said. "We were getting what we wanted to get, but we werent cashing in on it. I cant salute these guys enough in terms of how they just stayed with it." ' ' '