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Toronto Raptors vs Seattle Supersonics Mar.09/08

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There were nights early in the season when Rasho Nesterovic didn't play at all. But rather than sulk about his situation in the post-game locker-room, the veteran Toronto Raptors centre would head upstairs to the practice gym and run.

Now, with all-star forward Chris Bosh sidelined with a knee injury, and Nesterovic manning the frontcourt, those nights are paying off.

Nesterovic scored 17 points in another solid performance Sunday to lead Toronto to a 114-106 win over the Seattle SuperSonics, the Raptors' fifth consecutive game without Bosh.

``Rasho is a pro,'' said Raptors coach Sam Mitchell. ``He never complains and is always ready to play. That's something our young players need to learn from.''

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The game marked the third time in the last five that Nesterovic has scored 16-plus points. But perhaps more remarkable, he topped the team in assists with six, which may be a first for the big Slovenian.

``I can't remember (the last time he led his team in assists),'' Nesterovic said laughing. ``They don't let big guys pass, because they don't trust them. I finally found a team that trusts big guys.''

Anthony Parker scored 23 points to lead the Raptors (34-28), who had six players score in double figures. Andrea Bargnani had 16, Carlos Defino finished with 15, Kris Humphries scored 12, and Jason Kapono chipped in with 10.

Chris Wilcox scored 28 point to top the slumping Sonics (16-47), while Kevin Durant added 20.

Heading into a tough five-game road trip out West, and with the health of Bosh still questionable, the Raptors sorely needed this win.

``This is one of the hardest trips of the season, if not the hardest,'' said Nesterovic.

A lackadaisical first-half effort though had the Raptors looking like they may be headed for loss No. 5 of their last six games. The Sonics, who have lost eight of nine and are on pace to finish with the worst record in franchise history, had a four-point advantage at halftime.

But the Raptors found another gear in the third quarter, outscoring the Sonics 35-21 in the frame and taking an 89-79 lead into the fourth, much to the delight of the capacity crowd of 19,800 that turned out to the Air Canada Centre despite the snowstorm that had pounded the city for the previous two days.

``We knew the mistakes we had in the first half so we just came out and tried to run a little more, be a little more aggressive on the defence and on the offence,'' said Raptors guard Jose Calderon.

The Raptors stretched their lead to 18 points early in the fourth on a basket by Bargnani. But Seattle wasn't giving up, and when Luke Ridnour drained two free throws with just under four minutes left, after a hard hit by Delfino sent him crashing face-first to the court, Seattle was within five.

But Nesterovic scored on a running dunk on Toronto's next possession, and it was all Raptors the rest of the way.

The strong performance by Nesterovic is good news for the Raptors, who traditionally struggle without Bosh. They're 4-6 without their leading scorer and rebounder this season, and 2-3 during this current injury, a sore right knee that could keep Bosh out of some, if not all, of the upcoming West Coast trip.

``Rasho's great, he just knows how to play the game, he can step out and shoot, he can pass,'' Parker said. ``He's a great asset for us on defence as well, and we finally got him in some sets that really you could see some different things that he's able to do.''

Nesterovic said he was never too worried about his lack of playing time early in the season, and putting in the extra work in the gym is part of his job.

``You get paid for that, you know,'' said the seven-foot centre. ``It's not a bad job, to get so much money for what you like to do. I don't want to think about whether I play two or 30 minutes every night, I just want to be always in shape because you never know what's going to happen, who's going to get injured and when they're going to need you.''

Seattle outshot and outrebounded Toronto on Sunday, connecting on 54 per cent on their shots, and grabbing 38 boards to Toronto's 36. Toronto shot 49 per cent on the afternoon.

But the Sonics were hit hard by turnovers, coughing up the ball 22 times for 30 points.

Channel: Sports
Uploaded: March 9, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Author: monuow

Length: 00:05:58
Rating: 4.75
Views: 6713

Tags: Toronto Raptors vs Seattle Supersonics Mar.09/08

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