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INDIANAPOLIS - Terrence Ross came off the bench for the fifth time in Tuesdays game against the Pacers, Torontos most complete outing in weeks, but appears to be well on his way to earning back his spot in the Raptors starting lineup. Francisco Lindor Jersey . The third-year forward, who had started 102 consecutive games dating back to last season, was demoted after a series of underwhelming and disengaged performances 10 days earlier. At the time, the team had dropped seven of nine contests and Ross, while not solely responsible, had a lot to do with the slide. Now, with the Raptors trending back in the right direction, winning four of their last five, Ross is beginning to look like the player of old, the confident and assertive version that took a big step forward after stepping into the starting lineup last year. I was really impressed with the way Terrence played, Dwane Casey said following the Raptors 104-91 win in Indiana. His body language, his defensive presence, his attention to what hes supposed to be doing on the defensive end was huge. Although Ross was not perfect defensively, glaringly missing a few assignments on the perimeter in his 19 minutes of action, he was decisive and played within the flow of the game offensively, scoring 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Coming off another positive outing in Sundays win over Detroit, to which Casey praised him prior to Tuesdays game, Ross continued to demonstrate improved decision making ability, putting the ball on the floor and making plays off the dribble. With Greivis Vasquez stepping in as a temporary member of the first unit, the Raptors are beginning to rediscover their playing personally, holding four of their last five opponents under 100 points. Despite the relatively low degree of difficulty - Indiana is 28th in offensive efficiency - Torontos defence was especially impressive after a slow start on Tuesday. Trailing by seven at the end of the first quarter, having allowed the Pacers to shoot 50 per cent, they held the home team to 38 per cent the rest of the way. Ross was part of the group that turned the game around early in the second quarter. Of course, crediting Vasquezs move to the starting lineup with the teams almost immediate turn of fortunes would be misleading. This stretch also coincides with a friendlier stretch in the schedule as well as the return of DeMar DeRozan, who is starting to look like his old self after stringing together a pair of quality outings this week. So, with the Raptors winning once again, how long does Casey stick with whats working? He has reiterated the lineup change is not intended to be permanent. I dont call him a member of the second unit, hes a member of the team, Casey said of Ross ahead of Tuesdays contest. Its something thats not permanent. Its a chance to give him a breather, take some pressure off of him. Just to continue to play the way he [has been], said Casey, asked what Ross must do to get his starting gig back. Shot selection, defending with intensity, keeping the ball in front of him, just the whole nine yards is where I think Terrence needs to get back to. Hes made huge strides to get back there. While Ross, when focused and playing hard, is an asset to that first unit, spreading the floor and allowing DeRozan and Kyle Lowry room to operate, starting Vasquez has its merits as well. Despite his defensive deficiencies and some inconsistency with his jump shot, Vasquezs ability to handle the ball takes pressure off Lowry in the backcourt. But at 23 years old and with his speed, athleticism and versatility, its only a matter of time before Ross is reinstated. Thats been made clear. What Casey is looking for is consistency from the young forward. I think it was definitely a message to be sent but he took it in a professional way, Vasquez said of Caseys decision to bench Ross. Even though Im in the starting lineup, I want to see him get back in the starting lineup and do what he do. At the end of the day were a family here so were not trying to take anybodys spot, were just trying to win games. Im sure Coach is moving the pieces the right way. I think T-Ross, at any given point, he might be back. Who knows? Thats the coachs decision, but we need him, man. We need everyone in this room. One player who appears to be the odd man out as a result of this rotation shakeup is James Johnson, who did not log a single minute for the second time since the change was made. Externally, many have questioned and continue to doubt the rationale behind Johnsons limited minutes, but both Casey and the player himself have insisted theres nothing more to it, nothing going on behind the scenes that people are unaware of. Its simply a decision based on minute distribution under the recent lineup change. With two point guards in the starting lineup, the rotation is shortened. Vasquez is starting because of his ability to space the floor, something Johnson lacks, but also acts as the back-up point guard when Lowry is on the bench, hence his increased playing time. Lou Williams, another floor spacer, has not had his minutes altered off the bench and Casey still prefers to use Patrick Patterson and Tyler Hansbrough as his conventional bigs as opposed to playing small with Johnson at the four. As a result, theres roughly 18-22 minutes available per game on the wing for either Ross or Johnson. Word is Johnson is taking his decreased playing time in stride, handling it like a professional. Buying into his role, he has been a pleasant surprise for the Raptors this season, but despite his strong play in a few areas, hes not without his weaknesses. His range is limited offensively and his defensive prowess may be overstated as he has a tendency to gamble off his man, often irking the coaching staff. Ross is not without holes in his game as well. He has as many or more. But the 23-year-old is a more valuable long-term commodity and the Raptors have wisely committed to getting him right again. Johnsons game, while also important to the teams plans, is less likely to be impacted by a short layoff than the young Ross would. Splitting the 18 (or so) available minutes between them is also not a viable solution, it would be awfully difficult for either player to get in any kind of rhythm. Agree or disagree, this is the rotation Casey is riding with and, at least for now, it seems to be working. At some point, likely in the near future, the Raptors plan to revert back to their old lineup and minute distribution, returning Ross to the starting lineup and presumably freeing Johnson. ROUNDING OUT THE ALL-STAR ROSTERS Although Kyle Lowry and nine other starters, voted in by the fans last week, have already punched their ticket to New York for next months All-Star Game, there are still 14 more slots up for grabs. The process of selecting the reserves, seven for each the Eastern and Western Conference teams, took place on Tuesday as the NBAs 30 head coaches submitted their ballots, which will ultimately round out the rosters. Coaches are responsible for voting in the subs for their own conference, each of them selecting two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards (players at any position). Naturally, theyre prohibited from voting for their own players. As such, Casey has been doing some 11th-hour campaigning for DeRozan, in the hopes of getting a second Raptor to the game, although he understands its a long shot. Ive talked to other coaches, he said. I think for us, DeMar has carried us when hes been with us. Hes a big part of what we do [but] injuries have probably kept him from being an all-star. His case would likely start with the teams record, which some might argue is good enough to warrant two all-stars. However, it would be pretty tough to make a compelling argument for any Raptors outside of Lowry, let alone DeRozan, who missed 21 games with his groin injury. But like the conference itself, those reserve slots in the East are wide open. The closest player to a lock may be Chicagos Jimmy Butler, who would become a first-time all-star. Depending on who you ask, there are no easy choices. Between Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Al Horford and Paul Millsap, the Hawks should have at least a couple players on the team, but which ones? Horford, a former all-star, is their most important player but hes only recently gotten back to his pre-injury form. Teague and Millsap are enjoying career years and Korver is shooting the ball at a historic rate. As a 37-8 team, winners of 16 straight, its conceivable that all four end up on the team. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have all-star pedigrees but their performance has been sporadic for a middling team in Miami. The same can be said for the Cavaliers duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Will the Easts coaches reward winning or vote for name brand players? Casey leaned toward the former when filling out his ballot. I look for guys who are playing the right way, guys that are contributing to their team winning, said the Raptors coach. Winnings important. And I think guys who are playing the game the right way, not guys just putting up numbers. I think that to me is [important] as a coach and I think every coach Ive talked to is voting that way. The reserves will be announced Thursday on TNT. Ryan Flaherty Jersey . "Opinion: Womens World Cup is the best Soccer of the year," Hanks tweeted to his 8.73 million followers on Friday. "Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Jose Mesa Indians Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. San Antonio took the series lead Monday night with a 122-105 home victory in Game 1. The Spurs used a balanced scoring attack and clamped down defensively late in the third quarter to claim the win. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/3978u-jake-bauers-jersey-indians.html . The Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal sustained minor damage during the protests, but demonstrators stayed away on Sunday and officials said the stadium passed its first test, with only minor adjustments needed going forward.SAN DIEGO -- Andrew Cashner is "totally aware" the San Diego Padres have never had a no-hitter in their mostly sad-sack history, which has now reached 46 seasons and 7,176 games. After throwing his second one-hitter in a span of five starts, the big Texan is the leading candidate to end that drought. "Thats one of my goals. I definitely want a no-hitter," Cashner said after allowing just one single and striking out 11 in a 6-0 victory against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. "I dont think theres any reason why I cant build off this. When you get late in a game and your pitch counts high, youve really got to bear down and grind through. I think this will build toward something down the road." Cashner took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Rajai Davis hit a one-out flare single into centre field, just past the glove of outstretched second baseman Jedd Gyorko. Davis stole second and third, and Ian Kinsler walked before Miguel Cabrera hit into a double play. Cashner ended his remarkable outing by striking out Cabrera, the AL MVP in 2012 and 2013, on a 95-mph fastball. On Sept. 16 at Pittsburgh, the right-hander carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and faced the minimum 27 batters in a one-hitter. He retired his first 18 batters before Jose Tabata grounded a clean single into right field leading off the seventh. Cashner said Friday nights one-hitter meant more. "Just with the guys in their lineup, it was a lot bigger game. Theyve got a heck of a team over there. A lot of guys can hit the ball out of the park." Chase Headley hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs. Cashner (1-1) retired 14 in a row before allowing the single. He walked two. "I felt as good as Ive felt in a while," he said. "Im conditioned to run the bases and to be a complete ballplayer." Manager Bud Black said Cashner was so good because of "tremendous movement with command" of his fastball. That was a well-pitched game. Well-pitched. As good as youre going to see." Five of his strikeouts were looking, including all three in the third, when he caught pitcher Rick Porcello, Davis and Kinsler looking at strike three. "He was just beating guys with his velocity. They just couldnt get the head out front," Black said. "But when you have a pitcher hitting the glove for called third strikes, and you see the look on the hitters, and I saw that early on, I knew he had a good feel for his fasttball. Yasiel Puig Indians Jersey. " Dating to Aug. 19, Cashner has allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine straight starts for an ERA of 0.96. "He pitched outstanding," said Brad Ausmus, who worked in San Diegos front office before being hired as Detroits manager in early November. "Hes always been a hard thrower. He located extremely well. His slider was extremely effective, his changeup. I know hes not a household name, but I know what h is capable of." The Padres hit Porcello hard, collecting 10 hits in his 6 1-3 innings. He left after Cashner singled. The Padres were onto Porcello from the start. Everth Cabrera hit a leadoff single, advanced on two groundouts and scored on Gyorkos triple. The ball hit the heel of right fielder Don Kellys glove and hit the ground as Kelly slammed headfirst into the wall. After being checked by a trainer, Kelly stayed in the game. Headley then doubled into the left-centre gap to bring in Gyorko. Headley homered to right on a 2-2 slider from Porcello with one out in the sixth, his first. It was estimated at 385 feet. Seth Smith was aboard on a leadoff double. Porcello (1-1) allowed five runs and struck out five. "There were a couple of balls up in the zone that the Padres hitters took advantage of," Ausmus said. "But he kept us in the game. Its really more about the way Cashner pitched more than anything else." NOTES: Padres CF Cameron Maybin, who ruptured his left biceps tendon making a diving catch in a spring game on March 2, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso. Manager Bud Black said hed like Maybin to get more than 20 at-bats during the assignment. "Right now hes restarting his spring training," Black said. "Hes in baseball shape. Now weve got to get him in baseball-ready shape." ... Black said pitcher Josh Johnson, whos also on the DL, still has soreness in his forearm. ... Black said LF Carlos Quentin, on the DL with a bone bruise in his left knee, is working in the weight room and hitting in the indoor batting cage. Black said Quentin is getting close to hitting on the field. ... The series continues Saturday night when Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.57 ERA) is scheduled to face RHP Ian Kennedy (1-1, 3.27). Verlander was one of several top players the Padres could have taken with the first pick in the 2004 amateur draft. Instead, they took local SS Matt Bush, who was a bust. Verlander went to the Tigers with the second overall pick. ' ' '