TORONTO - The Raptors (2-1) face their toughest test of the young season Tuesday when the defending champion Miami Heat (2-2) visit the Air Canada Centre, still looking for their first road win. Patrice Bergeron Jersey . You can catch the action live at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN2 and on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto. After splitting a back-to-back set on the road this weekend, the Raptors return home hoping to steal a win from a team thats had their number since LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined forced in 2010. Miami has outscored Toronto by an average of 13.3 in 10 meetings - all wins - since their talented trio came together. The Heat have won 11 straight in the series overall, Torontos longest active losing streak against any opponent. "Theyre champions twice for a reason," Dwane Casey said of the Heat after shoot around Tuesday morning. "This is an opportunity for us to come in and see what were made of against the two-time champions in our house. Were not going to out-talent them but theyre not going to outwork us, thats the mentality weve got to have. "The Heat bounced back after suffered consecutive loses, their first two road games of the season, with a decisive 103-93 home win over the Wizards on Sunday. Their Big Three combined for 69 points, each of them scoring 20 or more, and shot 61 per cent from the field. "What we have to this year is the same thing we last year, we have to reinvent ourselves," said veteran forward Shane Battier. "We cant assume that what worked last year is going to work this year. Thats the fun part of the journey." The defending champs will be a man down Tuesday with Bosh back home following the Monday morning birth of his second child, a daughter, Dylan Skye. Click here to listen as Josh Lewenberg and Duane Watson preview the Raptors match-up with the Heat and look back at the first week of the season in TSN 1050s Raptors Report podcast. Despite shooting just 40 per cent, the Raptors came away with a much-needed 97-90 victory in Milwaukee on Saturday, thanks in large part to their improved defensive approach from the night before - a disappointing loss in Atlanta - and a dominant performance on the boards. "Theyve improved this offseason and part of it is just having a young team together, the core players and you add another year," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Raptors. "Theyre extremely athletic, theyre long [and] they have size at all the positions." Trends and Tidbits Although the Raptors have made a concerted effort to get Jonas Valanciunas involved early in the first three games, he has not had a major impact after the opening period. The sophomore centre, whos played fewer than 18 minutes in each of the last two games, has not been on the floor much down the stretch, as Casey still feels more comfortable with Amir Johnson anchoring the small lineup hes been using. Per NBA.com, Valanciunas has attempted 14 shots in 25 first-quarter minutes but has taken just seven in 40 minutes after the opening frame. The Raptors most efficient offensive spurts (106.1 points per 100 possessions) have come when playing in their small lineup, according to NBA.com. The last time Toronto was two games over .500 was Jan. 27, 2010 following a 111-103 win over Miami. Chris Bosh had 24 points and 18 rebounds for the Raptors in that game, months before leaving to join the Heat as a free agent. Miami has trailed by at least seven in the opening minutes in each of their first four games; Chicago led 9-2 in the opener, Philadelphia had a 19-0 advantage early, Brooklyn had an 11-3 lead and Washington was up 9-2 early. James double-digit scoring streak has reached 499 straight regular-season games, dating back to January of 2007. His teams - the Heat and Cavaliers - hold a 363-136 record in those contests. "We dont want to put a ceiling on him," Spoelstra said of the four-time MVP. "And even at the level he played last year hopefully he can reinvent himself and take us to a different level." What to Watch For Disrupting Miamis rhythm Now four years into the Big Three era, the Heat have become a well-oiled machine on both ends of the floor, specially offensively where they move the ball as well as any team in the NBA. Their pristine spacing and ball movement was on display in Sundays victory over Washington, registering 32 assists on 37 made field goals. The Heat are 54-3 when collecting at least 25 assists since the start of the 2010-11 season. In order for the Raptors to have a fighting chance against a far more experienced and superior offence, theyll have to take Miami out of its comfort zone - easier said than done - or catch them on a rare off day. Keeping them inside the arch Three-point shooting continues to be a big part of what makes the Heat so dangerous, aided by their excellent ball movement. Miami shot 11-for-27 from three-point range on Sunday and the Raptors hope to force them to settle for long twos in Toronto. "You cant take away everything from them," Casey cautioned. "When you try to take away everything, you take away nothing. One thing we do want to do is make them take tough twos [and] try to limit the number of threes they get. They have to have the three to be successful so we want to run them off the three-point line." After adding Ray Allen a year ago, the Heat finished the 2012-13 season shooting 40 per cent from long range, good for the second best mark in the league. Control the boards Unexpectedly the Raptors strength through three games has been on the boards, where they struggled through most of the preseason. They havent just been impressive rebounding the basketball, theyve been dominant, which could present a problem for a small Heat team if it carries over into Tuesdays game. The Raptors have out-rebounded opponents 150-108 through three games, including a 47-20 advantage on the offensive glass, a category in which they lead the league early in the campaign. Nearly a quarter of Torontos points (22.5 per cent) have come off second-chance opportunities. Miami was last in the league on the boards a year ago and will be without their leading rebounder with Bosh unavailable Tuesday. Who to Watch For Rudy Gay The Raptors forward has struggled with shot selection and offensive efficiency early in the season, shooting just 33 per cent from the field and leading the team in turnovers. Coming off one of his worst games as a Raptor in Fridays loss to Atlanta, Gay had a better night in Milwaukee 24 hours later. Despite another rough evening in the shooting department (4-of-14 from the field) and some careless ball handling down the stretch, Gay contributed in other areas, grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds, getting to the line 10 times and playing inspired defence. Gay will be counted on as both a scorer and a defender in Tuesdays match-up against James. Gay always relishes the opportunity to face the leagues premier players at his position and has played the reigning MVP competitively in the past. Offensively, Gay also rose to the occasion against the Heat last season, averaging 25.7 points on 48 per cent shooting in three games. "Rudy is a scorer," Battier said of his former Grizzlies teammate. "Any given night hes capable of putting big numbers on the board. I think hes settled a little more now [in Toronto]." Dwyane Wade On the wrong side of 30 and having battled a series of knee injuries over the last couple years, Wade has been forced to adapt and change his game. "He used to be pretty reckless, attacking the rim with reckless abandon," Battier said of the 31-year-old Wade. "When you get over 30 you cant do that as much, you need to pick your spots." Even without his trademark explosiveness, Wade is still an elite player at his position and always seems to have big nights against the Raptors. Coming off the most efficient season of his 11-year career, shooting 52 per cent, Wade has averaged 28.0 points on 62 per cent from the field in the last seven meetings with Toronto. Hes smarter," said Casey. "He lets the game come to him. Hes a very wise veteran. People dont even talk about [him], everyone talks about LeBron but hes the wise old owl sitting back and waiting for you to make a mistake." Injury Report Steve Novak, who has been inactive over the last two games battling a sore back, could be available for Tuesdays game. Casey said hes doing better and the team will decide on his status prior to the game. Bosh will miss Tuesdays game against his former team, still with his wife after the birth of their daughter and Greg Oden will continue to be inactive for Miami rehabbing back from his knee injury. Carl Soderberg Bruins Jersey . Entering the day in second place behind overnight leader Vincenzo Nibali, the 41-year-old Horner pulled away from the Giro dItalia champion over the final meters of the uphill ascent to turn a three-second deficit into a three-second lead with just two days to go. Marc Savard Authentic Jersey . Forte was injured on a run deep in Chicago territory midway through the first quarter, when Kansas Citys Derrick Johnson hit him in the knee. BALTIMORE -- Manny Machado watched the previous two games from the bench, and he didnt much like the view. In his return to the Baltimore Orioles lineup Sunday, Machado enjoyed a far better sight: A ball soaring off his bat and over the 25-foot scoreboard in right field. Machado and Nelson Cruz homered, Steve Pearce had three hits and the Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians 4-2 for a split of the four-game series. During a 13-inning game Thursday night, Machado was pulled because of a right groin strain. He sat down Friday, then again Saturday before returning to his customary No. 2 spot in the lineup in the series finale. After a first-inning walk and a third-inning strikeout, Machado hit an opposite-field drive to right against Trevor Bauer (1-2) to put Baltimore ahead 3-2 in the fifth. As soon as the ball cleared the fence, Machado celebrated his second homer of the season with a joyous fist-pump. "It was just the adrenaline rushing," he said. "I thought the ball was going to be off the wall, and then obviously the ball kept carrying. My emotions came out a little bit." The 21-year-old Machado missed April after undergoing off-season knee surgery and was batting .229 with one homer and three RBIs before connecting. As frustrating as his slow start was, the groin injury was even more infuriating. So, after sitting for two days, the All-Star third baseman was delighted to be back. "It was a relief I was just able to run the bases and run and take some swings in the game," he said. "That was the biggest relief, obviously. That was the icing on the cake with the home run." Better yet, he felt pretty good afterward. "It still bothers me a little bit, but nothing too crazy," Machado said. "Feels much better than what it was initially when it first happened. Were just going to keep treating it and hopefully it will get better." Miguel Gonzalez (3-3) bounced back from a shaky start to hold the Indians to two runs and four hits over six innings. Hes 3-0 in three career starts against Cleveland. Zach Britton, the third Orioles reliever, worked a perfect ninth to earn his second save and complete the five-hitter. In the fifth, one out after Machado went deep, Cruz hit his major-league leading 16th home run on a 3-2 pitch. "The more games that I play the more comfortable I feel," said Cruz, who signed a one-year contract in late Feebruary. Tuukka Rask Bruins Jersey. "Its been a blessing to be a part of this team. To be able to contribute and have the team win, its been good." Pearce was playing first base for Chris Davis, who was placed on paternity leave before the game. Pearce matched his career high for hits in a game, scored Baltimores first run and also had an RBI. Bauer allowed four runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings, the second-shortest of his 11 career starts. The right-hander struck out eight, including Nick Markakis and J.J. Hardy twice each. "I thought right from the get-go he was having a tough time commanding his fastball," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He was a lot in deep counts. His stuff was good, but a lot of it was elevated." Bauer made no excuses. "My worst command of the year," he said. "Felt great. Felt good all day. Just couldnt throw the fastball where I wanted to." Cleveland did all its scoring in the first inning, got only two at-bats with runners in scoring position and absorbed its second loss in seven games. "I think were playing good baseball," Bauer said. "I wish I had given the team more of a chance to win today." The Indians used two hits and a walk to load the bases with no outs in the first before Lonnie Chisenhall and Nick Swisher delivered run-scoring flyballs. It was the second sacrifice fly in 241 career games for Chisenhall and Swishers fourth this season. Baltimore got a run in the second when Pearce singled, stole second and scored on a bloop single by Jonathan Schoop. In the third, Pearce hit an RBI single after Cruz doubled with two outs. NOTES: In addition to placing Davis on paternity leave, Baltimore added C Nick Hundley to the roster, recalled RHP Preston Guilmet from Triple-A Norfolk and optioned INF Steve Lombardozzi to the same minor league club. ... Swisher returned after missing two games with a sore knee. Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera (leg) missed a third straight start but entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth. ... The Orioles will send Chris Tillman to the mound Monday against NL Central leader Milwaukee. Cleveland travels to Chicago to face the White Sox. ... Clevelands Michael Brantley extended his hitting streak to 11 games, and teammate David Murphy snapped a 0-for-15 skid with a fifth-inning single. ... Chisenhall has an RBI in six straight games. cheap jerseys from chinacheap jerseys ' ' '
