Chat » Clippers, to take bids for the team and ultimately negotiate a deal

TORONTO -- Days after folding down the stretch in a loss to division-rival Brooklyn, the Toronto Raptors made a statement on Friday night. Toronto stood tall in final quarter this time around, scoring 12 straight points late to break open a tie game on the way to a 99-86 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies before a crowd of 18,465 at Air Canada Centre. "Thats a tough team to beat. We beat a playoff team," said Toronto guard Greivis Vasquez, who scored 17 points off the bench, including five straight in 20 seconds to break an 80-80 tie and put the Raptors ahead for good with just under six minutes to play. "That was a good win for us at home." Vasquez, who also had six assists, fired a cross-court pass to DeMar DeRozan who nailed a three-point jumper to widen the Raptors lead to 90-80 with 3:13 to go. The Raptors (37-27) outscored Memphis 19-6 down the stretch to win their second straight and eighth in 10. It was the first loss in five starts for the Grizzlies (38-27). The game had a playoff feel most of the night. The defences were stiff, play was physical, every shot was contested and momentum swung repeatedly. The lead changed eight times and there were 10 ties. "I think any game like that is enjoyable for everybody," said Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, who was three rebounds shy of a triple-double, scoring 22 points, adding 12 assists and seven boards. "For our team, it just builds a little more character. "The physicality that those Memphis guys bring in, our bigs matched it and did a good job." Lowry said Toronto centre Jonas Valanciunas "earned some respect" with his battle against Memphis big men Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Valanciunas led all scorers with 23 points. Amir Johnson also had a great night, limiting Memphis centre Gasol to eight points and three rebounds while scoring 12 points and grabbing eight boards. Randolph led the Grizzlies with 16 points and eight rebounds. "It was not easy," said Valanciunas. "Theyre playing very good basketball, especially in the paint. We battled really hard and showed that we can win." The Raptors got out-muscled down low in the early going. Memphis had a 14-0 edge on second-chance points as they stretched their lead to nine in the second quarter. But Toronto battled back and won, though the Raptors ended the night down 21-14 on second-chance points and were outscored 50-34 in the paint. Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said he thought his team learned lessons from the loss in Brooklyn. "We didnt have to repeat it too much about the physicality, how much they were going to get into it," Casey said. "Dont look to the officials for help. Take care of your own business. Get guys off of you. "Its a mans game in the paint, in that red area." Casey also praised his team for finding the open guy as Memphis repeatedly double-teamed DeRozan. "Our guys did a good job finding (Valanciunas) rolling to the bucket and basically standing under the basket wide open," Casey said. The Raptors wrap up their three-game homestand on Sunday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns before visiting the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday and the Pelicans in New Orleans on Wednesday. Cheap Custom Jerseys . Marie rink got back in the win column at the Olympic mens curling tournament with a 7-4 win over the host Russian squad on Wednesday. Cyber Monday Jerseys . However, it wasnt a problem on Monday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the New York Islanders 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. https://www.fakejerseyswholesale.com/ . Forward Iker Muniain scored the winner in the 70th minute after Bilbaos incessant pressure recovered the ball and sparked a counterattack inside Barcelonas half. Neymar was once again tagged to pick up Messis goal-scoring duties, but when he wasnt frustrated by slippery footing Bilbaos defence got the better of him. Cheap Jerseys From China . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Fake Jerseys For Sale .com) - Baltimore Ravens running back Justin Forsett is active for Sundays matchup with the Miami Dolphins. LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling agreed Wednesday to sign off on selling the team he has owned for 33 years to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion, bringing the possibility of a resolution to weeks of rumours, uncertainty and looming possibilities for legal action. The agreement hadnt been officially signed Wednesday afternoon, according to an individual with knowledge of the negotiations who wasnt authorized to discuss them publicly. But Donald Sterlings attorney, Maxwell Blecher, said he "has made an agreement with the NBA to resolve all their differences." Sterling gave his consent to a deal that was negotiated by his wife, Shelly Sterling, to sell the team, Blecher said. Representatives for Shelly Sterling and the NBA declined to comment. The agreement was an about face for Donald Sterling, who just last week filed a $1 billion suit against the NBA in federal court alleging the league violated his constitutional rights by relying on information from an "illegal" recording that publicized racist remarks he made to a girlfriend. It also said the league committed a breach of contract by fining Sterling $2.5 million and that it violated antitrust laws by trying to force a sale. Blecher said that as a result of the agreement, the federal suit will now be dismissed. Sterlings comments to V. Stiviano included telling her to not bring black people to Clippers games, specifically mentioning Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. They resulted in a storm of outrage from the public and players and even prompted President Barackk Obama to comment on what he called Sterlings "incredibly offensive racist statements.dddddddddddd" NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ultimately decided to ban Donald Sterling for life and began efforts to force Sterling to sell the team. For weeks, Donald Sterling said through his attorneys that he would fight the NBAs decisions to try to force his ouster as a team owner. But last week Shelly Sterling utilized her authority as sole trustee of The Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers, to take bids for the team and ultimately negotiate a deal with Ballmer. Ballmer beat out bids by Guggenheim Partners and a group including former NBA All-Star Grant Hill. Ballmer made more than an hour-long personal visit to Shelly Sterlings Malibu home last week and laid out his plan. If the NBA owners approve the sale, it will be a record-high sum for a team that cost Donald Sterling about $12 million in 1981. Blechers co-counsel, Bobby Samini, said the vote by league owners is expected to take place in mid-July. This is not Ballmers first foray into potential NBA ownership. Ballmer and investor Chris Hansen headed a group that agreed to a deal to buy the Kings from the Maloof family in January 2013 with the intention of moving the team to Seattle, where the SuperSonics played until 2008. But Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson lobbied the NBA for time to put together a bid to keep the team in California, and though the Ballmer-Hansen group later increased its offer, owners voted to deny the bid for relocation and the Kings were sold to Vivek Ranadive. ' ' '