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MILWAUKEE - On a Saturday evening in early November the Raptors picked up their first road win of the season, defeating the Bucks in Milwaukee for the first time since 2008, the last year in which they qualified for the playoffs. Michael Irvin Youth Jersey . Its been a long and unpredictable campaign that has ultimately led them back to Wisconsin, where five months later they would make history on the same court where it all began. With their 102-98 victory at Bradley Center on Saturday, the Raptors picked up their 21st road win of the season, a franchise record, also assuring theyll finish the year with a winning record away from home for the first time in team history. The Raptors have exceeded every expectation since that first game in Milwaukee but the most surprising notch on their belt may just be the success theyve enjoyed on the road, an unlikely strength for a young and inexperienced team. "Even the veteran teams I had in Dallas and Seattle, it was tough to win on the road," Dwane Casey said. "Our focus has been good on the road for whatever reason. We keep the same routine, we try to make sure our travel is efficient, which is sometimes hard to do, so guys can get rest." Some of their finest moments have come away from the Air Canada Centre. Their second road triumph came in Memphis, Rudy Gays return to his old stomping grounds, a game Toronto won by 16. Just over a month later, Gay now in Sacramento, they overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat Dallas in overtime only to knock off the Thunder in Oklahoma City two days later, a character-building trip for the emerging Raptors. Theyve won a couple contests in Chicago and stolen one in Brooklyn, thanks to a clutch steal and late-game jumper from Patrick Patterson. Even with those victories in mind, the one that sticks out above the rest came against a Lakers team - now sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference - in Los Angeles on a Sunday evening in December. Mired in a five-game losing streak and undermanned after a franchise-altering trade, the Raptors spoiled Kobe Bryants long anticipated return to the court. That was the night they adopted the us against the world mentality that has stuck with them. With the cards stacked against them, they came together in a special way and just a few days later they would add four veteran pieces to a puzzle that was suddenly falling into place. "We keep everything together," said Greivis Vasquez, shortly after matching a season-high with 26 points and setting a new career mark with six three-pointers on Saturday. "Great chemistry, healthy locker room, great work ethic, were so connected to each other. This is a unique team." For all those impressive road victories on the resume, their 21st was rather forgettable. As Casey stood in front of the media, fuming after a narrow victory over the leagues worst team, the season flashed before all of our eyes. Look how far theyve come. They had just won their third straight, sixth in seven games, and their head coach could not get past their horrid first half. "The first half, we played like crap," he said. Harsh but true. "Theres no nice word you can put to it. We talked about it at halftime and after the game, we cant approach the game that way, its not acceptable for where we want to go and what we want to do. If we want to be average, fine, but to get where we want to go, to be a playoff calibre team, weve got to perform better than that. Doesnt matter if its Indiana or a high school team, it doesnt matter." He wasnt just blowing smoke. The first half was bad, real bad. Following a couple of inspired home wins over quality teams in Houston and Indiana, the 14-win Bucks shot 59 per cent in the opening 24 minutes, outscoring Toronto 38-14 in the paint and led by nine at intermission. "Our approach was not good, terrible," admitted Vasquez. "Were better than that and we understand that. We talked about it at halftime. Coach jumped on us and we reacted pretty well. In the second half we came to play. Thats the real Toronto Raptors." Toronto opened the second half on a 17-4 run to regain the lead minutes into the third quarter. They flipped the switch, something good teams do, and yes, the Raptors have become a good team. DeMar DeRozan scored 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, where he attempted eight free throws after failing to get to the line in the first half. Expectations have changed. The good news is no one is shying away from them. "We cannot have excuses," Vasquez said. "A team thats going to the playoffs, playing to win a division cannot have excuses. If you talk to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, they will tell you how it is. Were trying to get there. Its going to take us a little time. But we got the win. Ugly, pretty, it was a win and we need to learn from this game. Weve got to understand that weve got to approach games differently. These five games we got left, weve got to run the table." Lowry, Johnson sit out Kyle Lowry missed his third straight game with a bruised left kneecap, while Amir Johnson sat out nursing a sore right ankle. Although both starters were with the team in Milwaukee - Johnson even took jump shots on the court ahead of the game - Casey opted to rest his ailing players with three days off before their next contest, at home to Philadelphia on Wednesday. "We need them we want them but wed rather not risk their health, more than anything else," the Raptors coach said. Although theyre making progress, Casey thought it best to sit them as a precaution, avoiding further injury, on Saturday. Theyre both considered day-to-day and will likely be questionable for Wednesdays game. The stat After a stellar performance against Roy Hibbert and the Pacers on Friday, Jonas Valanciunas scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, recording his team-leading 22nd double-double of the season against the Bucks The quote "Ive been in locker rooms, man, I know how it is," said Vasquez, speaking on the teams chemistry. "Egos, money, its none of that here. None of that nonsense. Were just playing great basketball and were happy for each other. This is a real team." DeMarcus Ware Youth Jersey . Appearing on TSN 690 Monday afternoon, Mike Babcock said he had conversations with both P.K. Subban and Carey Price about those on-ice traits during Hockey Canadas summer orientation camp. Mike Babcock: McGill experience, P. Charles Haley Jersey . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Deion-Sanders-Cowboys-Jersey/ .J. -- Freshman Eli Carter scored a career-high 31 points and hit the go-ahead basket in the second overtime as Rutgers rallied to stun No.CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Equatorial Guinea had two months to prepare to host the African Cup of Nations, making the colorful and sometimes chaotic continental soccer tournament even more unpredictable than usual this year.Along with the regular questions ahead of an African Cup — Will Ivory Coasts star-studded squad finally break its title drought? — comes a bunch of others this time: What will the small stadiums in the eastern border towns of Mongomo and Ebebiyin be like? And will the new highway carved through the jungle to those remote towns be OK in time for kickoff this weekend?Equatorial Guinea took over as host at very short notice from Morocco, which didnt want to stage the championship because of fears over the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and fans travelling from that region.The replacement host is a small, curious oil-rich nation in Central Africa.Equatorial Guinea has stadiums in the Malabo, the capital, and Bata, the biggest city, left over from when it co-hosted the 2012 African Cup. But the two other venues out near the Gabonese border are unknown and untested in top-level football. Organizers had little time to bring those grounds, used to hosting a few hundred people in Equatorial Guineas domestic league, up to standard. Its unclear how far they have got.Even without this years hurried preparations, few tournaments bring soccer stars back down to earth like the African Cup, where every two years some of the worlds best players leave their highly-paid day jobs in the luxurious English, Spanish and Italian leagues for three weeks of adventure back in Africa.And few tournaments are as difficult to predict.Burkina Faso, with no previous impressive history at the tournament, made the final and nearly won in 2013. Zambia did win in 2012, beating Yaya Toure, Didier Drogba, Gervinho and Ivory Coasts other big names in the final.In 2015, Algeria, the top-ranked team in Africa and its best performer at last years World Cup, is the favourite. But that isnt really helpful at the African Cup, as Ivory Coast and Ghana know too well. For a long time Africas two most talented teams, Ivory Coast hasnt won the title in more than 20 years and Ghanas misery stretches to more than 30 years.We cant make predictions in this kind of competition, said Algeria coach Christian Gourcuff, a Frenchman. Certainly many have named us tthe favourites but we must invest a great deal. Randall Cobb Youth Jersey. There is quality (in the team), but there are also conditions that we must get used to. We disregard the judgments of others.Algeria is in the toughest group, with Ghana, Senegal and South Africa. Theyll all be based in Mongomo for the group stage, where theyll likely come across each other often off the field in one of the towns two or three recognized hotels.Facing the unknown, Tunisia, probably like many teams, will be bringing its own cooks to prepare meals for the players in Ebebiyin, way up in the north-eastern corner of Equatorial Guinea. The Tunisians are also flying in all their food from home just in case, coach Georges Leekens said.Ivory Coast and Cameroon lead a list of contenders from West Africa, which also includes Ghana, Mali and Senegal. South Africa also qualified among the 16 teams.Ghana officials say theyve resolved a dispute over player payments, another issue that often plagues teams at the African Cup and which has been rumbling on for Ghana since last years World Cup. Bonuses have been cut to $5,000 per player for each match they play in, and a possible payout of $60,000 each if they win the title. In comparison, Spains players were each offered a $980,000 incentive to win the World Cup last year.It is not about the money, Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan said. We are just here to die for the nation because we are Ghanaians.Its not the richest tournament, but one thing the African Cup does produce is passion.For teams like Cape Verde, the tiny Atlantic Ocean island nation, and Republic of Congo, its the only chance they get to mix with the big stars. And for some fans, its the only chance they get to see their team have a chance at international glory.In Guinea, young supporters marched in the capital Conakry and erected barricades on the streets in protest after one of their favourite players, midfielder Sadio Diallo, was left out of the squad. Riot police were called in.The African Cup, with its haphazard organization and humble facilities, is still a big deal for many.___Associated Press writers Aomar Ouali in Algiers, Algeria, Bouazza ben Bouazza in Tunis, Tunisia, Francis Kokutse in Accra, Ghana, and Boubacar Diallo in Conakry, Guinea, contributed to this report.___Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP ' ' '