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TORONTO - As Dwane Casey reflected on some of his teams most pleasant surprises nearly halfway through the campaign, his eyes widened and a big smile came over his face as he mentioned the name James Johnson, a player that used to elicit a very different reaction from the Raptors head coach. Nearly three years ago, Johnson - in his first stint with Toronto - was pulled from the Raptors starting lineup after getting into a verbal altercation with Casey during practice. Now, with the 27-year-old forward turning the page as both a player and as a man, Casey has given serious thought to reinstalling him as a permanent member of the first unit. Johnson, one of the teams most consistent two-way performers through 38 games, had made seven starts in place of the injured DeMar DeRozan, averaging 11.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 1.0 steal on 63 per cent shooting, before returning to the bench in DeRozans return on Wednesday. With DeRozan healthy again, its no surprise to see Casey go back to his original lineups. Its the right move, at least for now. The Raptors have had all kinds of success with their starting group of DeRozan, Lowry, Ross, Valanciunas and Amir Johnson. That unit has won more games together than any other starting lineup in team history, going 29-21 last season and opening this year with a record of 11-2 before DeRozans injury, adding another victory after the 100-84 win over Philadelphia. Last season they outscored opponents by a team-best 43 points in 717 minutes together, each of them averaging career-highs in scoring and minutes played. This year, they were a plus-31 entering Wednesdays game. Torontos only five-man lineup with a higher point differential (plus-46) is its original second unit - Vasquez, Williams, Patterson, Hansbrough and James Johnson - a group Casey is just as motivated to keep together. Its been one of the leagues best off the bench. So, Johnson goes back to the bench in the hopes that DeRozans return will help spark the teams ailing defence and restore a sense of normalcy in Caseys rotation. But, in light of Johnsons improved all-around play, expect the leash to be shorter than it has been in the past, especially on the slumping Terrence Ross. Ross shooting and focus on defence has been up and down in his third NBA season. After averaging 36 minutes a night over the final five games of December, the 23-year-old has logged under 30 minutes in each of the first six contests in January, playing less than Johnson in three of the past four. Is there anything Johnson could do to supersede Ross in the starting lineup? Continue to play the way hes playing, Casey said in response. I mean theres nothing etched in stone. I really just think that [Johnson] being that wild card off the bench really kind of sets the tone for us, for that second unit. But never say never. I dont want to put myself in a corner and say its never going to happen. Its possible Casey may be trying to light a fire underneath Ross. When hes locked in as a defender at his position and hitting shots from the corners Ross is a crucial cog in the first unit, spacing the floor and opening up driving lanes for DeRozan and Lowry. In 213 minutes together this season, theyre shooting 49 per cent from he field and 43 per cent from three-point range while getting to the line at an impressive rate. Even on Wednesday, as DeRozan returned, Ross continued to struggle. He made one of four shots in just 18 minutes after getting the hook early in the third quarter and sitting out the rest of the second half. Of greater concern to Casey, he missed a number of defensive assignments and seemed a step behind for most of the night. Instead of Johnson, who logged just 15 minutes in his return to the bench, Lou Williams was the biggest beneficiary of Ross second-half benching. Williams played 23 minutes, scoring 19 to lead Torontos second unit. Every young player goes through it, Casey said after the game. You’d have to ask him what he’s going through but I just felt that Lou had it going, DeMar coming back in the picture and it’s just hard getting all those guys back in there and we’ve got to go with the guys that are producing on the defensive end. Changing up the two units, starting Johnson for Ross, would require a leap of faith on Caseys part. That group - Lowry, DeRozan, Valanciunas and the two Johnsons - has logged just five minutes together this season, hitting four of 10 shots, missing their only three-point attempts and holding opponents to 2-of-9 from the field. The sample size is far too small to read into its results. One thing is for certain, the Raptors would lose some floor spacing by making the switch, a legitimate concern with DeRozan and Lowry requiring room to operate on the perimeter. However, as long as the teams defence and rebounding continue to suffer and Ross remains erratic, the lack of outside shooting may be a risk Casey is willing to take. After all, Johnson has become more than just a defender and rebounder. Casey has raved about his improved offensive discipline, decision making, and passing, even out of the double teams he has seen recently. I just think hes more in a facilitating role when hes with the first group, Williams said of Johnson. With the second group we expect him to be a lot more aggressive, take more chances on the offensive and defensive end to anchor us. And on the first group I just feel like hes one of the guys. Obviously thats a group where Kyle leads and James just plays more of a defensive role on that group [He brings] everything, Lowry said. The intangibles, shot-blocking, big body, a playmaker. James can make plays. If people don’t notice, he can pass the ball. He can get to the basket. He can finish. He covers a lot of ground for our mistakes. For now, its Ross job to lose but whether or not he loses it may have more to do with the teams overall performance than his own. As long as the team is winning and the defence improves with DeRozan back, Casey will likely opt for status quo, perhaps continuing to cut Ross minutes if his slide persists. Altering the rotation all together is a risk that may only be worth taking if DeRozans return doesnt turn out to be the cure to their recent ailments. Clyde Drexler Jersey . Five years ago, Nestor and Zimonjic beat the American twins to win the title. But the Bryans, the worlds top-ranked team, needed 74 minutes to earn the victory Saturday as both Nestor and Zimonjic lost serve in the second set. 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Napoli and Ortiz hit consecutive homers with one out in the 10th inning and the Boston Red Sox rallied past Minnesota 2-1 Wednesday, sending the Twins to their fifth straight loss.DENVER -- Moments after deflecting in the winning goal, Colorados Tyson Barrie did a little dance. Not bad for a defenceman. The goal, that is. Although the shuffling dance steps werent bad, either. Barrie scored 55 seconds into overtime, Semyon Varlamov stopped 29 shots, and the Avalanche moved a step closer to their first playoff berth in four years with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. "That was a heck of a goal," Avalanche forward Matt Duchene said. The pass was pretty good, too. Duchene dribbled the puck into the corner and sent a sharp pass at Barrie, who was standing in front of the net and tipped it past goalie Eddie Lack. "I was fortunate," Barrie said. With that, the Avs are on the verge of sewing up their first post-season appearance since the 2009-10 season. There was a scenario in which Colorado could have wrapped up a spot on Thursday, but Phoenix prevented that by beating the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in a road shootout. Colorado also remains on the heels of the Chicago Blackhawks for second in the Central Division. The Avs trail the Blackhawks by one point. "We want to finish as high as possible," said Duchene, who also scored a goal. "We arent giving anybody a break coming in." The game had a playoff feel with all the fights, thrown shoulders and scuffles in the corner. With good reason: The Canucks are trying to scratch and claw to remain in the post-season picture. Struggling just a few weeks ago, the Canucks earned a valuable point and are now five points behind Phoenix, which holds the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. But time is quickly running out for the Canucks, who have seven games remaining. "Were right there. Were still in it," said Canucks coach John Tortorella, whose team had its three-game winning streak snapped. "Were fine. Were fine in our room. Were going to keep on playing. "No bad news from me here." Daniel Sedin recorded his 800th NHL point with an assist in the first period. His twin brother, Henrik, reached that milestone on Oct. 15 at Philadelphia. Henrik didnt make the trip bbecause of a leg injury.dddddddddddd The Canucks showed no signs of fatigue despite playing on back-to-back nights. Vancouver kept up with the high-flying Avalanche most of the game, especially in the third period. "We were in their end zone quite a bit," Tortorella said. "We grinded. Thats a skilled team. Its a very quick team. I thought we did a really good job through the neutral zone to slow them down." Gabriel Landeskog missed a wide open net early in the second period, only to atone minutes later when he lifted a shot over the shoulder of Lack to give Colorado a 2-1 lead. The Avalanche captain has scored three times in two games. The Canucks tied it at 18:38 when Zack Kassian stopped a puck headed for the corner with his right skate, quickly corralled it and poked the puck past a sprawled-out Varlamov. Things got a little testy in the second period. It started early when Patrick Bordeleau and Tom Sestito fought. Duchene and Ryan Kesler later began shoving each other behind the Vancouver net. On the next shift, Jamie McGinn got into it with Kesler, as well. When the giant video board showed Kesler sitting on the bench, the Canucks centre made a kissing motion at the screen, drawing loud boos from the crowd. "They were playing hard," Duchene said. "They played a great game, and Varly played outstanding as usual." Yannick Weber staked Vancouver to a 1-0 lead in the first when he lined a shot past Varlamov for a power-play goal. It was his fifth goal of the season. Late in the opening period, Duchene tied it by knocking a rebound past Lack, who played for a second straight night. NOTES: Canucks F David Booth had an assist on Kassians goal, giving him four points in three games. ... Avs D Erik Johnson played in his 400th NHL game despite having the flu. ... It was Barries third OT goal of the season, tying the franchise record set by David Jones in 2010-11. ... Varlamov earned his 36th win of the season, the fourth most in franchise history. Hall of Famer turned Avs coach Patrick Roy has the record, winning 40 in the 2000-01 season. ' ' '