SALT LAKE CITY -- Jonas Valanciunas was "juiced" from the moment he batted the opening tip into the backcourt. Bryce Brown Jersey . The improving big man from Lithuania set the tone and then DeMar DeRozan sealed the deal. "I was really excited to play Enes (Kanter). Hes a good buddy of mine and weve played since I was 15 years old. We talked all the game," said Valanciunas, who had 18 points and nine rebounds to help the Toronto Raptors turn back the Utah Jazz 94-79 on Monday night for their fourth win in the last five games. "We juiced him up a little bit this morning, teasing him about how Kanter got after him in the Euroleague. So he came out and played, really muscled," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said after the second-year centre scored the Raptors first six points. DeRozan scored 23 points as Toronto continued to surprise away from home. "Honestly, I think there is no pressure on the road," DeRozan said. DeRozan looked to get his teammates involved in the first half but once Kyle Lowry left with a knee injury, the new All-Star took matters into his own hands with nine points in the fourth quarter to quell a Jazz comeback. The Raptors scored 13 of the games final 16 points. "I just pick and choose. I try and be aggressive. Try and rebound, try to pass to my teammates. I dont just try and go out there to score every time down," DeRozan said. Valanciunas and Amir Johnson, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, exposed the Jazz interior defence without Derrick Favours (hip). "Everyone gets along together. We all just kind of click. You usually dont find that," Johnson said. Marvin Williams scored 23 points and Alec Burks had 20 off the bench but it wasnt enough to keep the Jazz from their third straight loss, their worst span since a four-game skid from Dec. 4-9. Greivis Vasquez, who had 12 points, opened the fourth quarter with a floater to give the Raptors a 73-62 lead. Burks made back-to-back driving layups to power an 8-0 run to get the Jazz within four points for the first time since early in the second quarter. But the Raptors used their own 11-2 surge to clinch the victory. DeRozan had seven straight for the Raptors in the stretch. But the Raptors used their own 11-2 surge to clinch the victory. DeRozan had seven straight for the Raptors in the stretch. "Were playing for each other. Each of us want the best for the others on the team. We care about each other and have great chemistry," Vasquez said. The Raptors had dropped seven of eight at Utah by an average of 14.9 points, but controlled this one almost all the way. Torontos last win here since 2006 was a 111-106 double-overtime victory on Jan. 25, 2012. DeRozan has been effective no matter where he plays, especially in games in the States, averaging 27 points over his last seven on the road. Valanciunas also continued his upward trend with another strong game on the interior, with four offensive rebounds and many more plays where he kept the ball alive for Johnson. "Thats the challenge that hes got to take to be a big-time player in this league," Casey said. The Jazz hoped to awaken Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke from their slumps but the pair, which has been shooting less than 30 per cent, combined to make just 7 of 25 shots and commit seven turnovers. "I thought we had great shots. We missed some really good looks we have been making," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said after his team had a season-low 10 assists. Lowry had two points on 1-of-8 shooting before leaving to the locker room for good in the third quarter with right knee pain. He will be evaluated on Tuesday to see if he can play either of the final two games of this five-game Western Conference road trip. The Raptors (14-12) have as many road wins as any team in the Eastern Conference, tied with Miami and Indiana. They have never finished a season above .500 away from home. Favours injured hip prevented him from playing and without their starting centre, the Jazz have lost all six contests this year. Kanter had 10 points for Utah but was pulled after missing a defensive assignment and played just 20 minutes. The Jazz are 1-21 with the big man from Turkey in the starting lineup. Notes: The Raptors are 18-10 after the seven-player trade with Sacramento on Dec. 7. ... Toronto used a 31-17 second quarter to take control of the game. ... DeRozan and Valanciunas were both poked in the eye during the course of the game. ... The Jazz were 3 of 17 from behind the 3-point line. . Jeremy Evans missed the game for Utah with a bruised tailbone and elbow. Anthony Dixon Jersey . Ulissi made his move inside the final 300 metres, bursting out of the peloton to edge Robert Kiserlovski for a second stage win in the race. Wilco Kelderman was third on the 179-kilometre (111-mile) leg from Foligno to Montecopiolo, which had two category one climbs, including the final ascent to the finish. Mario Williams Jersey . Louis Blues return to top spot in the TSN.ST. LOUIS -- Brian Elliott was signed as a free agent this summer to be the backup goalie for the St. Louis Blues. He has turned out to be much more. Elliot made 25 saves to lead the Blues to a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night. The win was Elliotts ninth in his last 10 games and 13th in 15 tries overall. Along the way, he lowered his NHL-leading goals-against average to 1.43 and increased his league-best save percentage to .950. After his team gave Elliott a quick two-goal lead, Elliott made it stand up. "Weve been playing well with leads," Elliott said. "We took the lead, put it in our back pocket and played the rest of the game. I dont think we played their game. We kept taking it to them." Although he has played as well as any goalie in the league, Elliott has stayed fresh. Elliott splits time with the Blues big acquisition from the previous off-season, Jaroslav Halak. In 15 games, Halak is 5-7-3, but he has a 2.37 goals-against average. Its a testament to the team," Elliott said. "Theyre blocking shots I cant see and ones that I can, theres no second opportunities and theyre clearing it out. "Thats huge for a goalie. I think both Jaro and myself can say thanks to the guys in front of us because it makes it a lot easier on us." The Blues (7-0-1) have 15 of a possible 16 points against Eastern Conference foes this season. St. Louis also has beaten up the Rangers over the past 10 years, going 9-1-3 since 2000-01. The loss was just the eighth for the Rangers in regulation. "We werent good. They were," Rangers coach John Tortorella said. "I cant make it any (more) simplified. Tonight, they were the better team." Steens goal put him in double digits with 10. Patrik Berglund, David Perron and Jami Langenbrunner also scored for the Blues, who have points in 114 of their last 16 games. Nigel Bradham Womens Jersey. "I thought we really did a lot of good things today," St. Louis coach Ken Hitch**** said. "We moved the puck, our exits were as good as its been all year. We were able to get out of our zone and not get hemmed in. We were able to sustain a good quality game from start to finish." Michael Del Zotto scored for New York, and Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves. "It was tough," Lundqvist said. "I felt pretty sharp, but there were a couple of tough bounces. Theyre a good team. They play very solid." Given Elliotts stinginess, the Rangers put themselves in a big hole by allowing two goals in the first 11:03. Berglund opened the scoring at 7:06 when he walked out from the corner and beat Lundqvist with a wrist shot from the right circle. Just 3:57 later, Perron tipped home Carlo Colaiacovos shot from the left point, marking the first time the Blues had scored two goals in the first period since Oct. 22, a span of 21 games. "The way their goaltenders playing, you obviously dont want to go down 2-0," New Yorks Brad Richards said. "Its going to be a tough one to come back from." The Blues outshot the Rangers 13-5 in the second period, but New York got the only goal when Del Zotto beat Elliott with a backhander at 16:18 to make it 2-1. Steen gave St. Louis its two-goal lead back when he scored 1:01 into the third period. Langenbrunner then scored into an empty net with 2:17 left to seal it. Notes: Colaiacovos next assist will be his 100th. ... The Blues and the Red Wings are the only teams that Lundqvist has failed to beat in his career. Hes 0-3-0 against St. Louis. ... St. Louis is 13-0-0 when it scores three or more goals. ... The game marked only the 11th time in 29 games an opponent has scored more than two goals against New York. cheap jerseyscheap jerseys from china ' ' '
