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NEW YORK -- In the final dramatic couple of minutes Sunday night, offensively-gifted DeMar DeRozan turned into a defensive superstar, sent sprawling to the floor when he took two charges. Not to be outdone, hobbling six-foot point guard Kyle Lowry dropped a lovely sky hook over 6-11 giant and future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett. The final minutes of the Toronto Raptors 87-79 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday could define this young team and their season -- fighting to the end, finding a way to win. "Thats just us, man," DeRozan said. "Were resilient. Were not going to give up until the games over, were going to fight it through. . . We did it on the defensive end to win this game." DeRozan scored 24 points and Lowry added 22 to lift the beaten-up Raptors to their first playoff victory on the road since Game 1 against Philadelphia way back in 2001. After the final whistle, a smiling coach Dwane Casey said it was the most proud hes ever been of his team. "(But) were on a mission, its a marathon," the coach added. "We cant get too excited about a win, cant get too down about a loss. Thats what the playoffs are about." Amir Johnson, playing on the wonky ankle that has plagued him all season, finished with 17 points. Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez finished with nine points apiece off the bench, and Patterson grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. The best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff series heads to Toronto tied at two wins apiece. Game 5 is Wednesday at Air Canada Centre, while Game 6 will be back at Barclays Center on Friday. The Raptors led by as much as 17 points -- the biggest lead by either team in this series -- in the first half, but struggled through the second and third quarters, running into foul trouble and failing to hit shots. Still, the nailbiter went into the fourth tied at 67-67. From there, the Raptors dug in with one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding the Nets to just three baskets in the final 12 minutes. And when the final whistle blew, the Raptors fans in attendance at Barclays Center stood and applauded the Toronto players off the floor. "I think were just encouraged," Lowry said. "Were going home 2-2. Were encouraged by that. We got a split, now its a three-game series, now weve got to take care of home. Our confidence is high, were excited." Lowry, who came away from Fridays game with a bad right knee and a busted lip, was noticeably limping at times. "Im OK," Lowry said. "Its something thats controllable, we can do what weve got to do to get through the playoffs, its nothing where I need surgery. Its definitely a pain, but Im not going to worry about it, Im not going to complain about it, Im going to go out there and do my job." Lowry kept his composure despite playing the entire second half with five fouls. "Hes dealing with a lot right now, and he came through with flying colours," Casey said. "Fought through foul trouble, a little bit of adversity throughout the game and still came through." Lowrys teammates heaped praise on their tough-as-nails point guard in the post-game dressing room. "I am not surprised at all that Kyle is limping around," Chuck Hayes said. "Man, he was limping all four quarters. Hes a warrior. Hes everything to this team. The guy gives it his all. We just feed off him." Lowry and DeRozan -- the teams leaders through this remarkable season -- sat side by side at the podium after the game, addressing the media. They talked about the chemistry in this young team. "Were a pretty close-knit team, we understand the situation that were in, its a stepping stone for us," Lowry said. "Were getting our feet wet. This man (DeRozan) is becoming a superstar in front of everybodys eyes. Hes doing it on the defensive end, the offensive end." They both chuckled when Lowry was asked about his late-game hook shot over Garnett that gave Toronto a six-point lead. "I think that was the first time (Ive done that) in a game," Lowry said. "Thats something I work on in the summertime. Kevin Garnett is 6-11, hes a guy who can block shots, and I thought that was a shot I can go to. I took the shot to be aggressive. It looked good. It felt good." There was more laughter when DeRozan was asked if the two charges he took down the stretch marked a career high. "Nah. I dont think so. I hope its not," DeRozan said. "With Kyle (being injured), I knew I had to pick up the offence early, so I did that, just come out aggressive and I knew they were going to change up and start trying to get the ball out of my hands. . . I knew I could do some things on the defensive end and thats what I did." Paul Pierce led the Nets with 22 points, while Mirza Teletovic had 12. Garnett and Deron Williams finished with 10 points apiece. "Theyre a competitive group," Pierce said on the Raptors play down the stretch. "Weve seen that all season long, how well they play, getting 48 wins, how well they play in the fourth quarter, so many comeback wins. We understand that this is a group thats not going to back down, thats not going to give up. They earn a lot of respect around the league." The Nets won Games 1 and 3, while the Raptors took Game 2 in whats been an incredibly even matchup all season between these two teams. Prior to Sunday, Toronto had outscored the Nets 678-677 in their seven meetings. The Raptors had struggled with turnovers all series, but cleaned up their act Sunday, giving up the ball just 12 times. The one negative on the night was Terrence Ross, who was M.I.A. for a fourth straight game. Couple with his struggles, Landry Fields being sidelined with a bad back, and the number of Raptors in early foul trouble, Casey went deep into his bench, utilizing John Salmons, Chuck Hayes and Steve Novak for stretches of the third and fourth quarters. Ross, who dropped 51 points in a game earlier this season, has struggled in his playoff debut, and had another rough night Sunday, finishing with zero points in 16 minutes. Fields, who got dumped on his back during Fridays game, didnt dress. While the Raptors braced a hostile crowd at Barclays Center -- especially after GM Masai Ujiris now famous F-bomb about Brooklyn -- it never really materialized. The crowds on either Friday or Sunday didnt pack the auditory punch of the Air Canada Centre. Fans waved white towels, and there was the odd chant of "Ref you suck!" A group of Nets fans chanted "Raptors suck!" before the singing of O Canada. There were large pockets of red-clad Raptors fans in attendance, and their cheers for Raptors baskets down the stretch almost negated Brooklyns homecourt advantage. Rihanna sat courtside, along with Michael K. Williams and Felicia (Snoop) Pearson -- Omar and Snoop from "The Wire." Williams did the Nets introductions. Russian boxer Ruslan Provodnikov, the current world light welterweight champion, was also in attendance. Meanwhile, back in Toronto on Sunday, thousands of fans jammed Maple Leaf Square to watch the game on the giant screen outside Air Canada Centre. They chanted "We the North!" Two fans participated in a tug-of-war with a Nets T-shirt on stage, eventually ripping it. Amir Johnson led the way with 11 points as the Raptors sprinted out to an 11-point lead just three minutes after tipoff. They continued to build their advantage, and seven straight points by Johnson put Toronto up by 15. They led 35-22 at the end of the first. The Raptors stretched their advantage to 17 points with 5:40 left in the first half. But the Nets went on a 14-2 run to pull within five points. The Raptors headed to the locker-room with a 51-44 lead at halftime. Toronto went a horrible 1-for-16 to open the third quarter, but managed to remain within five points of the Nets, and the game went into the fourth all tied up. Willie Stargell Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Dave Parker Jersey . -- Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew practiced in a limited capacity Friday, a positive sign he might be able to play against the Tennessee Titans. http://www.piratesrookiestore.com/Pirates-Josh-Harrison-Kids-Jersey/ . -- What Anthony Jennings lacked in experience, LSU more than compensated for with a talented supporting cast in the Outback Bowl. Kent Tekulve Jersey . - Rookie Kyle Larson will start from the pole position Saturday night in the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway after a thunderstorm arrived just in time to wash out qualifying. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla.CALGARY - Johnny Gaudreau was on full display in the third period for the Calgary Flames on Friday night.The dynamic 5-foot-9 rookie set up the tying goal, drew the penalty that led to the go-ahead power-play goal, then scored what would end up being the game winner as three goals in a span of just over four minutes powered Calgary to a 4-3 comeback win over the Nashville Predators.Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, Jiri Hudler got the rally started with the tying goal at 2:36. He converted a slick cross-crease pass from Markus Granlund, who got the puck to begin the sequence from Gaudreau.On his next shift, Gaudreau was tripped while hustling after the puck in the offensive zone by Mattias Ekholm. On the power play, TJ Brodies pass deflected in off Predators defenceman Shea Weber to give the Flames the lead at 4:23.The eventual game-winner came when Gaudreau darted down the left wing, showed good strength in fending off the stick check of Craig Smith, then whipped a shot from a bad angle that beat Pekka Rinne over his shoulder.It seems like the pucks on a string for him lately, not just this game but the past few. Its really nice to see, said Flames captain Mark Giordano. Tonight, he was a game changer. Theres nothing else to say. He really changed the game for us.After beginning the season with no points in his first give games, a stretch that culminated in him being a healthy scratch, Gaudreau has two goals and four assists in his last six games.I know every game Im feeling more comfortable and it helps when youre playing with guys like Hudler, Gaudreau said. Im just real fortunate to get to play with a lot of skilled guys. Thats just going to make me a better player when Im playing with great players like that.Contrary to earlier in the season when he appeared more cautious, now when Gaudreau gets the puck he attacks the opposing defenceman. In the first period, he completely turned Anton Volchenkov inside out on an individual rush.Im feeling a lot better in the defensive zone every game and I think thats just going to help me have more time in the offensive zone and create more offence during the game, Gaudreau said.Sean Monahan also scored for Calgary (6-4-2). The Flames finish 2-1-2 on a five-game homestand. They begin a five-game road trip Sunday night in Montreal.James Neal paced the offence for Nashville (6-2-2) with two goals — his sixth and seventh of the season. Smith also scored. The Predators have split the opening two games of a sseason-long six-game road trip, which continues Sunday in Vancouver.ddddddddddddIn this league, if a team hangs around long enough and gets a few bounces, theyre right back in it and gives themselves some life. Its just that six minutes in that third period where they got some life and we just couldnt get it back, said Neal. Other than that, I liked the way we play on the road and its a tough loss when you feel like you deserve better.Neal made it a one-goal game again at 4-3 with a power-play goal at 10:47, but that was all Jonas Hiller would give the Predators.Hiller finished the night with 28 saves to improve to 3-2-1 on the season. The veteran goalie was making his second straight start for Calgary, which was significant in the fact that until Friday, coach Bob Hartley had been rotating Hiller and Karri Ramo.In giving up a season-high four goals on 30 shots, Rinne saw his record fall to 6-2-1.Our guys played hard tonight. They were constantly on the attack, said Predators coach Peter Laviolette. We werent able to pull away when it was 2-1. I think we continued to press, it seemed like we had a lot of zone time. We just couldnt find the net one that would help us pull away.The banged up Flames won despite playing without three of their top centres in Mikael Backlund (abdominal strain), Matt Stajan (knee) and Joe Colborne (upper body). They joined Mason Raymond (shoulder), who is also sidelined.My job is to make our players believers and the longer and the better we play and we collect points and suddenly every morning we wake up and were in 6th place, were in 5th place, were in 7th place, well, were there, and the marathon has just started, said Hartley. I know everyone in the hockey world is waiting for us to trip but I have faith in our guys. Were going to succeed because were hard workers, were good people.Notes: Brodies four goals matches his career-high... Prior to the game, a moment of silence was held for ex-Stampeder and prominent businessman John Forzani. The 67-year-old Calgary native passed away from a heart attack... The game marked the NHL debut of Flames LW Michael Ferland and the season debut for Granlund... Ferland (upper body) left the game late in the second period and did not return after being shaken up after a hit by Volchenkov... Back in the Flames line-up for the first time in a while were RW Devin Setoguchi and RW Brian McGrattan. They had been healthy scratches for the last four and five games respectively. ' ' '