TORONTO - Wisely, the Raptors downplayed the importance of an early-season litmus test ahead of Thursdays nationally televised contest with the new and improved Chicago Bulls. I would say yes, admitted Dwane Casey, asked if the Bulls would be their best opponent so far, following morning shoot-around. I would say they are. Just because Derrick Rose is an all-star, Pau Gasol is an all-star, just the amount of talent they have accumulated. Weve got to come out and play our game for 48 minutes. This game doesnt make or break your season, win or lose [but] weve got to come out and establish the way we are going to play. They did for 24 minutes. Barely a second more. Thats one game in the marathon, Casey continued to stress moments after the buzzer sounded on Torontos 100-93 loss. If we had won it, it wouldnt have made [our season]. We lost it and it doesnt break our season. So we learn from it [and] we move on. Theres a lot to learn out of this game, the type of game that you have to play to play at that level. In the end, it turned out to be more of a lesson than a test. To compete with the big boys, the elite teams in the NBA - to which Chicago is among - they cant live like this. You cant lose focus for even a few minutes, let alone an entire quarter. Leading by seven at intermission, and with the US spotlight focused on them, the Raptors looked like a team out of Chicagos league in the third quarter. Going into the game they had not scored fewer than 20 points in any single quarter this season. On Thursday, the Bulls bested them 35-14 in the third, effectively ending the game 12 minutes before it became official. We withstood their punches in the first half but in the third quarter they got us on our heels and we stayed on our heels, Casey said. You know thats the kind of game youre going to have against them. Its a hard game to officiate and its a hard game to play but youve got to make a muscle and fight through the physicality, the bumps, the grind. And we didnt meet that challenge in the third quarter. Its a four-quarter game and that third quarter did us in. The Raptors offence - crisp in the second frame when they shot 55 per cent - went dormant in the third. Chicagos trademark physicality forced Toronto out of its comfort zone. They shot just 29 per cent while the Bulls, led by the veteran savvy of Gasol, hit 12 of their 18 attempts from the field. I think we just didnt play our game from start to finish, said Kyle Lowry, who had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, pacing Toronto in all three categories. We played our game in spurts tonight. Not surprisingly, Lowry put the team on his shoulders in the fourth, scoring eight points and cutting the deficit - once 18 - to five in the closing minutes. But it was too late. The Bulls got 20 or more from three starters. Gasol was unstoppable in a throw-back performance, pouring in 27 points on 19 shots to go along with 11 rebounds. Jimmy Butler scored 21 and held DeMar DeRozan to 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting, another frustrating evening for the Raptors guard. And Rose looked like his old self, primarily in the second half, where he scored 13 of his 20 points before exiting late in the game with a hamstring injury. With the game airing on TNT - the first time theyve hosted a Thursday contest on the network since 2002 - the Raptors were over-matched. They suffered their first home loss of the campaign and were knocked out of first place in the Eastern Conference by a Bulls team that now shares their record at 7-2. Thats a good experience for us, said Jonas Valanciunas, who played less than five minutes in the second half, struggling defensively against Gasol, after getting off to a strong start. Were coming off the win streak so thats good. Like a cold shower for us. They made a lot of tough shots. They played good tonight and we werent ready. DeRozan continues to climb Raps scoring list. It was a moment DeRozan had been looking forward to, mostly because he was tired of hearing about it. After narrowly missing the milestone in a frustrating outing against the Magic Tuesday, he wasted little time on Thursday. Fittingly, DeRozan knocked down a mid-range jumper - his bread and butter - over college teammate Taj Gibson nine minutes into the game to pass maligned forward Andrea Bargnani for third on the teams all-time scoring list, having appeared in 41 fewer games with Toronto. DeRozan had already passed Morris Peterson earlier this month in Boston. Now, hes one step closer to cementing his Raptors legacy. Only Chris Bosh and Vince Carter, first and second respectively, have scored more points in a Raptors uniform. Even at his current pace, DeRozan is still at least a couple seasons away from catching Carter and Bosh, his former teammate. Milestone aside, it was another evening to forget for the Raptors All-Star guard. He has made just seven of his last 32 shots over Torontos last two games. I mean, its fine, he said after Thursdays loss. Im not worried about it at all. These games, I understand that theyre going to happen. Ive just got to learn from it. If this was two years ago Id think it was the end of the world, but were only [nine] games in. Id rather have them games now than later on. Vada Pinson Indians Jersey . -- Omar Infante walked past the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, where he dressed so many times as a member of the Detroit Tigers, and slipped on a crisp, new Kansas City Royals jersey. Graig Nettles Jersey . Brad Malone had the other goal for the Monsters (1-1-0), while Elliott chipped in an assist for a three-point night and the games first star. Bryan Lerg also had two assists. Corban Knight and Max Reinhart scored for the Heat (1-1-0), who opened their season Friday with a 5-2 win over the Monsters in Cleveland. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/1858u...ey-indians.html. The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. Danny Salazar Indians Jersey . 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. Wholesale Indians Jerseys . Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy.Hes the most prolific receiver in CFL history and a future member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, but theres no guarantee Geroy Simon will return to help the Saskatchewan Roughriders defend their Grey Cup title. The Riders acquired the veteran slotback from the B.C. Lions in January 2013 to provide veteran leadership for a squad looking to make a successful Grey Cup run on home soil. After enduring one of the worst seasons statistically of his illustrious CFL career, Simon stood tall in the title game, registering three catches for 67 yards and two TDs in leading Saskatchewan to a 45-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Field. However, Brendan Taman, the Riders general manager and vice-president of football operations, couldnt guarantee Simons return during a CFL conference call Tuesday. "Geroy and I have, obviously, a pretty good relationship so when we made this deal last year to acquire him we knew at the end of the first year he played for us that wed sit down and talk about his role," Taman said. "Obviously we have a contract issue were going to have to talk about, too, so that plan is ongoing ... those talks are progressing, you could say, one way or the other. "Hes got as good a chance of not being back as he will be back." The six-foot 198-pound Simon, who turns 39 in September, had just 40 catches for 565 yards and three TDs last year, missing the first three regular-season games due to injury. The native of Johnstown, Pa., is the most prolific receiver in CFL history with 1,029 receptions for 16,352 yards -- both all-time records -- with 103 TDs ovver 15 seasons.dddddddddddd "Obviously he had a good year for us and did a good job for us," Taman said. "His status for 14 is to be determined and were still in talks about that." At the root of the talks, not surprisingly, is money. Simon was reportedly set to earn $205,000 with B.C. heading into the 2013 season. But the Lions were prepared to pay roughly half that while giving Simon a reduced role. When Simon and the Lions couldnt reach an agreement, GM Wally Buono, out of respect for the veteran, gave Simon permission to seek a trade rather than release him outright. When the Riders acquired Simon, they signed him to a one-year deal, plus an option, that reportedly called for a $170,000 base salary that, with bonuses, could increase to about $200,000. "There was an agreement in place that after the first year we would talk about a second year going forward," Taman said. "That was mainly, obviously, financial related. "Right now hes still on the same contract that he was on and if we can work that out and (it) stays that way well see. But we have some discussions we still have to do with him." Given the off-season departures of running back Korey Sheets (Oakland, NFL) and Weston Dressler (Kansas City, NFL), Simon was expected to be a key figure in the Riders offence this season. Also gone from Saskatchewans Grey Cup-winning squad are safety Craig Butler (free agent, Hamilton), defensive linemen Keith Shologan (Ottawa expansion draft) and Jermaine McElveen (free agent, Montreal) as well as linebacker Diamond Ferri (free agent, Montreal). ' ' '