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TORONTO - With just over seven seconds left on the clock and Fridays game hanging in the balance, a sellout Air Canada Centre crowd rose to their feet, holding their breath in anticipation. Theyve been holding their breath for six years now, but finally they can exhale. As Celtics forward Jared Sullinger forced up a wild, off-balance runner, the building erupted. It was official. The Raptors are heading back to the post-season. "We made it," shouted Amir Johnson repeatedly as the media filtered into Torontos locker room. "Its a satisfying, kind of overwhelming feeling," he described, following his teams 105-103 victory over Boston, officially snapping the Raptor five-year playoff drought. "Its been six years since this team, this organization made it to the playoffs. This team has worked so hard. We deserved it. Weve been playing our butts off, playing through injuries. Weve had our ups and downs." "Weve made it." Not lost on the team was the fact that they stole a game, their 41st victory of the season, that probably shouldnt have come down to the final possession. Down by four with under three minutes to play, it looked like the Raptors would have to hope for a New York Knicks loss later in the evening or wait until Sunday to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Theyve been resilient all year, so why wouldnt they be now? First DeMar DeRozan drained a fadeaway jumper, then Johnson hit the game-winning put-back layup. "It was fitting," Dwane Casey said. DeRozan and Johnson, the teams longest tenured players, were responsible for Torontos final four points. For them, this moment was a little sweeter. "It means a lot, honestly, man," said DeRozan, the Raptors fifth-year guard, who will make his post-season debut next month. "Especially for me and Amir and what weve been through here with the tough seasons, through the ups and downs and the struggles. We stuck with it." The only player in the building that could give a firsthand account of the Raptors last playoff experience - a five-game, first round defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic in 2007-08 - was Celtics forward Kris Humphries. Only four other players from that team are currently on an NBA roster, but DeRozan and Johnson – who arrived the year after – have both been in Toronto long enough to appreciate what a night like this means to the franchise, the city and the Raptors long-suffering fan base. "It was all worth it," said DeRozan. "These fans stuck behind us every single day and theyre going to continue to do so. Thats the reason why we work extremely hard. Our fans definitely push us." Of course, it was just a formality. It was inevitable, only a matter of time. Toronto wasnt going to go winless in its remaining games, just like the Knicks were not going to run the table the rest of the way. Still, they have refused to count their chickens before they hatched and for that you can credit the humility and focus of their head coach. Moments after the win, a loud chorus of applause could be heard from outside the teams locker room. Finally, they could celebrate, albeit behind closed doors. Even Casey, who wouldnt pat himself on the back and likely never will, found a way to indulge in what the evening represented. "Were excited about it," he admitted. "My hat is off to all the guys whove come through here," said Casey, crediting MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum as well as former general manager Bryan Colangelo for their contributions to the process. "To DeMar DeRozan [and] Amir Johnson, who have been through it all and for the fans, the fans for understanding and being patient. I know they didnt see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but its a process. You dont build Rome overnight in this league. Is very difficult to do. You talk about rebuilding, its a hard gig." The Raptors have surpassed every rational expectation, going 35-19 since the trade of Rudy Gay in early December. Its been a season of firsts for a franchise on the cusp of its 20th birthday, a franchise many pundits wrote off for dead after selling off its highest-paid player. "Everybody who writes something on a piece of paper isnt always right, thats how I look at it," said DeRozan, the first-time All-Star. Hes right. He and his team have proven a lot of people wrong. As the Celtics made their run, cutting their deficit - once 14 - down and ultimately taking the lead, DeRozan came through yet again. With Kyle Lowry slowed by an ankle injury he sustained in the first half, DeRozan picked him up and scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in the final 24 minutes. 16 of his 27 career 30-point games have come this season. With 10 games remaining and their spot in the pos-tseason locked up, the team can shift its attention to seeding but most importantly, going into the playoffs healthy and with momentum. "We cant be satisfied," Casey repeated, with his team moving into soul possession of the third seed following the Chicago Bulls loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. "We still want to continue on and weve still got to get better." Lowrys injury scare With three minutes to go in the second quarter, Lowry limped to the locker room after turning his right ankle while back-pedaling to get back on defence. After being examined by the medical staff, the Raptor point guard and most important player was able to return, starting the second half with his ankle taped up. As per usual, Lowry shrugged off whatever pain he was in after the win. "Im a little sore, but Im fine," he said after scoring nine points in 33 minutes. "Im okay. Good to go." Revenge of the second unit Naturally, Casey was frustrated with his under-performing bench after they were outscored 51-7 in Boston on Wednesday. "I challenged them before the game," said the Raptors coach. "I got on them about their productivity or lack thereof in the Boston game. I challenged them. I said, Look, guys want playing time, when the opportunity comes, youve got to do something, whether its defence, knocking somebody down, taking a charge, whatever. And they came through." Greivis Vasquez, who scored all seven of the benchs points on Wednesday, led the teams reserves with 15, but Chuck Hayes and John Salmons were also productive on both ends of the floor. Combined, the three former Kings - along with Tyler Hansbrough, who logged five minutes - totalled 28 points on the night. Patterson nearing a return Although he missed his 12th straight game, Patrick Patterson has been making progress and appears to be on the verge of returning from his right elbow injury. Although the Raptors havent had much practice time to get Patterson back up to speed - a concern Casey expressed before Fridays game - the Raptors forward has been able to participate in smaller, three-on-three scrimmages since being cleared for contact earlier this week. "[His] conditioning is probably going to be step behind a little bit," Casey acknowledged. "Its not going to be where he was before stepping away, so thats going to be expected. Thats why now we need to kind of get him back in rhythm and with the lack of practice time its going to have to be in a game situation." Patterson could be back in uniform this weekend in Florida, as the Raptors begin a back-to-back set with the Magic on Sunday before visiting the Heat Monday evening. The stat With their 41st win of the season, the Raptors secured a .500 record for the sixth time in franchise history and first since 2007-08, the last year they qualified for the playoffs. The quote "My grandmother called," Johnson told the media after his team clinched a spot in the playoffs. "She said that she was proud." Andrew Luck Womens Jersey . Arsene Wenger reportedly wants to convert the player into an attacking force, much like he did with Robin Van Persie. Reggie Wayne Colts Jersey . James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro.com/Marshall-faulk-colts-jersey/ ." The game can be seen live on TSN starting with Monday Night Countdown at 6:30 p.m et/3:30 p.m. pt. The Patriots, who had a bye in Week 10, will look to continue the offensive success they had a week earlier when New England scored 55 points and racked up 610 yards of total offense in a 55-31 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Reggie Wayne Jersey . "I have had no discussions with Chad Johnson or his representation," Popp said Friday in an email. However, he appeared to confirm a report on Twitter from TSN this week that Johnson was on Montreals negotiation list. Marshall Faulk Womens Jersey . Authorities in Medina, Minn., released the details one day after Cunningham was jailed for another alleged incident with the woman he had been living with for the previous eight months. Cunningham had already been charged with felony domestic assault for allegedly choking the woman last week.Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - LeVeon Bell ran for the go-ahead touchdown and Ben Roethlisberger hit Martavis Bryant for a 94-yard score during Pittsburghs big fourth quarter in a 42-21 victory over the AFC North- leading Cincinnati Bengals. Bell finished with 26 carries for 185 yards and two TDs, both in the final quarter, when the Steelers (8-5) outscored the Bengals, 25-0. Bell also had a touchdown reception, and Roethlisberger completed 25-of-39 passes for 350 yards and three scores to guide the Steelers to their fifth win in the last seven games. Andy Dalton finished 21-of-29 for 302 yards and a pair of scores for the Bengals (8-4-1), who had a three-game winning streak broken. A.J. Green caught 11 passes for a career- best 224 yards and a score. With Baltimore (8-5) winning at Miami and Cleveland (7-6) losing at home to Indianapolis Sunday, there is a crush in the division standings. The schedule is tough for both teams over the final three games. The Bengals play at Cleveland before hosting Denver on a Monday night, then conclude the season in Pittsburgh. The Steelers play at Atlanta then host Kansas City before what could be a giant encounter against the Bengals. Final Score: Indianapolis 25, Cleveland 24 Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Andrew Lucks 1-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton with 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter rallied the Indianapolis Colts to a 25-24 victory over the Cleveland Browns. The Colts (9-4) won their third straight game to inch closer to the AFC South title, while dealing the Browns (7-6) a heart-breaking defeat after they blew a two- touchdown lead. Luck connected on 24-of-53 throws for 294 yards with two scores and a pair of interceptions, both to Hilton, who had 10 catches for 150 yards. The Colts hold a two-game lead on Houston and can win the division with a home victory against the Texans next Sunday. The Browns had a pair of defensive TDs, but lost their second straight for the first time this season. It was a perfect opportunity for Cleveland to gain ground in the AFC North, especially with Cincinnati (8-4-1) falling at home to Pittsburgh (8-5) Sunday. The Ravens (8-5) won in Miami. Brian Hoyer finished 14-of-31 for 140 yards with two interceptions for the Browns. Final Score: Detroit 34, Tampa Bay 17 Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Matthew Stafford had three touchdown passes, and Joique Bell scored twice as the Detroit Lions pounded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34-17, at Ford Field on Sunday. Stafford went 26-for-34 for 311 yards with touchdown passes to Bell, Calvin Johnson and Joseph Fauria for the Lions (9-4), who have won two straight after consecutive road losses. Johnson finished the game with eight catches for 158 yards, while Bell had 18 carries for 83 yards and a rushing touchdown while adding five catches for 50 yards for Detroit. The Lions are still in the hunt for the top spot in the NFC North, as the team sits a half-game back of the Packers for first place. Green Bay hosts Atlanta on Monday night. Josh McCown was under pressure all day as he was sacked six times and took several hard hits. He completed 20-for-39 passes for 250 yards with two touchdown passes, but he was picked off twice and also lost a fumble. Vincent Jackson caught 10 passes for 159 yards, and Mike Evans caught both touchdown passes for the Buccaneers (2-11), who have lost their last three games. Final Score: Houston 27, Jacksonville 13 Jacksonville, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Arian Foster ran for 127 yards and a touchdown and helped the Houston Texans stay in the playoff hunt with a 27-13 victory over the Jaguars on a rainy Sunday in Jacksonville. The Texans (7-6), who earned consecutive wins for the first time since starting the season 2-0, still sit two games behind the AFC South-leading Colts but can make up ground with a visit to Indianapolis next week. They trailed 13-10 at halftime but scored 17 unanswered points as their defense -- led by J.J. Watts three sacks -- limited Jacksonville to 73 yards after the break. Ryan Fitzpatrick only threw 19 times and finished with 135 yards through the air but did run for a touchdown. One of his favorite targets, Andre Johnson, exited early in the second quarter with a concussion. Blake Bortles and the Jaguars (2-11) failed to build off last weeks 25-24 come-from-behind victory over the Giants. Bortles completed only 20-of-39 passes for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Final Score: Baltimore 28, Miami 13 Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the visiting Baltimore Ravens overcame a sluggish start to post a 28-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins in a crucial AFC matchup. Flacco was 25-of-33 for 269 yards and Justin Forsett added a rushing touchdown for the Ravens (8-5), who kept pace in the AFC North race. They are tied with Pittsburgh behind division-leading Cincinnati, which stands at 8-4-1. Ryan Tannehill finished 23-of-33 for 227 yards and a touchdown for a Miami (7-6) team that entered the game owning the AFCs second wild-card spot due to tiebreakers. Final Score: Minnesota 30, NY Jets 24 (OT) Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jarius Wright turned a screen pass into a winning 87-yard touchdown in overtime, lifting the Minnesota Vikings over the New York Jets 30-24 on Sunday. Facing a 3rd-and-5 on his teams first possession of overtime, Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw a pass to Wright behind the line of scrimmage. Wright got the first down and proceeded to beat the Jets defense down the sideline to win the game. Bridgewater completed 19-of-27 passes for 309 yards and a pair of touchdowns with an interception to lead the Vikings (6-7) to their second straight win. Wright finished with 123 yards on four catches, and Charles Johnson also scored with four catches for 103 yards. Matt Asiata led Minnesota with 54 rushing yards and linebacker Gerald Hodges returned an interception for a touchdown for the first score of the game. Geno Smith threw for 254 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Jets (2-11), who have lost three in a row. Percy Harvin caught six passes for 124 yards and a touchdown against his former team and Eric Decker added 89 yards on six catches for the Jets. Chris Ivory ran for 73 yards on 16 carries, and Chris Johnson finished the day with 16 carries for 53 yards. Final Score: Carolina 41, New Orleans 10 New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cam Newton had a hand in four of Carolinas five touchdowns, as the Panthers walked into the Superdome and embarrassed the New Orleans Saints by a 41-10 count on Sunday. Newton passed for 226 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-33 efficiency and rushed for 83 yards and another score on 12 carries for the Panthers (4-8-1), who suddenly find themselves back in the race for the NFC South crown. Jonathan Stewart racked up a game-best 155 yards on the ground with a TD on 20 attempts, while Greg Olsen was Newtons top target with 10 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Drew Brees was contained for most of the contest, but threw for 235 yards and a score to Benjamin Watson for the Saints (5-8), who hadnt lost four in a row at home since 1999 -- Mike Ditkas final season as head coach. Marques Colston totaled 72 yards on five catches, while the rushing tandem of Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas was limited to 81 yards on 15 combined carries. Final Score: NY Giants 36, Tennessee 7 Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Rookie Andre Williams rushed for a career- high 131 yards, much of it on a 50-yard touchdown run that helped the New York Giants snap a seven-game losing streak with a 36-7 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Something had to give between the two teams, who came into the game with 13 consecutive losses between them. While the Giants (4-9) ended their skid, the Titans (2-11) remained winless since Oct. 12, losing seven in a row for the first time since an 11-game slide in 1994 when they were the Houston Oilers. Eli Manning threw for 260 yards with a 15-yard touchdown pass to rising star Odell Beckham Jr., who had 11 catches for 130 yards. Much of New Yorks scoring came on five Josh Brown field goals and a defensive touchdown from Markus Kuhn, who returned a Zach Mettenberger fumble. Mettenberger re-injured his sprained right shoulder in the fourth quarter after going 14-of-24 for 125 yards. Jake Locker relieved him for the second week in a row and also threw a pick. MMarqueston Huff scored the only Tennessee points on a 23-yard interception return in the third quarter.dddddddddddd Final Score: St. Louis 24, Washington 0 Landover, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Brockers, Janoris Jenkins, Alec Ogletree and Greg Robinson were in the St. Louis Rams starting lineup. Robert Griffin III was still on the Washington Redskins bench, at least for the first 58 minutes. Shaun Hill tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Jared Cook and the Rams blanked the Redskins 24-0 on Sunday afternoon to record their second straight shutout win. After Tavon Austins 78-yard punt return staked the Rams to a 24-0 advantage late in the third quarter, chants of RGIII, RGIII, RGIII, reverberated throughout FedEx Field. Griffin, though, never got the call until two minutes remained after Colt McCoy departed with a neck strain. Brockers, Jenkins, Ogletree and Robinson were among the slew of players the Rams received from their 2012 blockbuster trade with Washington. Hill was 16-of-22 for 213 yards, while Cook hauled in four passes for 61 yards for St. Louis (6-7), which posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1945. The Rams blanked Oakland 52-0 last Sunday. The defense recorded seven sacks, two interceptions and eight tackles for loss in the triumph. Pierre Garcon tallied nine receptions for 95 yards for the Redskins (3-10), who have dropped five games in a row. Final Score: Arizona 17, Kansas City 14 Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Drew Stanton tossed a go-ahead 26-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Brown late in the third quarter and Arizonas defense held off Kansas City in the fourth as the Cardinals edged the Chiefs 17-14 on Sunday. Stanton had lost two of his last three starts coming in after Carson Palmer was lost for the season with a knee injury during a Week 10 victory over St. Louis. He was 15-of-30 for 239 yards for Arizona (10-3), which remained a game ahead of the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West. Seattle beat Philadelphia 24-14 on Sunday. Ball-hawking safety Tyrann Mathieu will miss significant time after fracturing his left thumb and the secondary took another blow with the loss of Antonio Cromartie. He hurt his left Achilles during the middle stages of the fourth and had to be carted off the field. Jamaal Charles gained 91 yards on 10 totes with a rushing and receiving touchdown, while Travis Kelce totaled 110 yards on seven receptions for the Chiefs (7-6), who have dropped three straight on the heels of a five-game winning streak. Final Score: Denver 24, Buffalo 17 Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - C.J. Andersons three touchdown runs and a solid defensive effort led the Denver Broncos to a narrow 24-17 victory over the playoff-hopeful Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Peyton Manning failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in over four years, but the Broncos (10-3) nevertheless came away with their third straight win and stayed in sole possession of first place in the AFC West. Manning threw two interceptions and finished with a season-low in passing yards (173) for the second straight week. His streak of tossing a TD pass ended at 51, one shy of tying Tom Brady for the second-longest in NFL history. Anderson and Juwan Thompson combined for 121 yards on the ground, and Wes Welker caught six passes for 82 yards for the victors. Buffalo (7-6) forced three turnovers but gave it away three times as well and committed 11 penalties for 98 yards. Kyle Orton threw for 355 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Bills, who were trying to win three in a row for the first time since the start of the 2011 season. Orton also ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 55 seconds remaining, but Denver recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the win. Sammy Watkins caught seven passes for 127 yards and lost a fumble near midfield on Buffalos opening drive. Final Score: Oakland 24, San Francisco 13 Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Derek Carr had three touchdown passes to lead the Oakland Raiders in a 24-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Carr went 22-for-28 for 254 yards with touchdown passes to Donald Penn, Marcel Reece and Mychal Rivera as the Raiders (2-11) bounced back from a 52-0 loss at St. Louis last week. Colin Kaepernick went 18-for-33 for 174 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the 49ers (7-6), who have dropped two straight to deal a hard blow to their postseason hopes. Final Score: Seattle 24, Philadelphia 14 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Russell Wilson accounted for three touchdowns, including one on a 15-yard pass to Marshawn Lynch that helped the Seattle Seahawks pull away in the second half for a 24-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Seahawks (9-4) controlled the game more than the score showed, holding Chip Kellys fast-paced offense to just 139 yards in 18 minutes of possession to get their third win in a row. The Eagles (9-4) had a 10-game regular season home winning streak snapped and fell into a tie with Dallas for first place in the NFC East nine days after beating the Cowboys convincingly on Thanksgiving. The Seahawks, who were also coming off a win over division rival San Francisco on Thanksgiving, remained a game behind Arizona in the NFC West. Wilson was 22-of-37 passing for 263 yards and two touchdowns and scrambled for a 26-yard score in the first half that countered an early Eagles touchdown. Lynch rushed 23 times for 86 yards -- going over 1,000 yards for the fourth season in a row -- and Doug Baldwin had five catches for 97 yards and a score. Mark Sanchez completed just 10 of his 20 passes for 96 yards in his fifth straight start for the injured Nick Foles. He threw touchdown passes to Jeremy Maclin and Zach Ertz, but McCoy ran for just 50 yards on 17 carries against a stout Seattle front four. Philadelphias division lead disappeared with the loss, which came three days after Dallas beat the Bears on Thursday night in Chicago. The Cowboys will visit Philadelphia for a key game next Sunday night. Final Score: New England 23, San Diego 14 San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tom Brady has Philip Rivers number. Its that simple. Brady threw for 317 yards with two touchdowns and an interception as the New England Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers, 23-14, on Sunday night. New Englands signal-caller improved to 6-0 all-time against Rivers Chargers. Julian Edelman totaled 141 yards on eight catches with a touchdown that essentially sealed the game in the fourth quarter, and Rob Gronkowski also caught a touchdown pass for the Patriots (10-3), who have won at least 10 games for a 14th consecutive season. Rivers couldnt generate much offense for his team throughout the night, throwing for 189 yards with a touchdown and interception. San Diego had its three-game winning streak snapped and will host AFC West-leading Denver in a pivotal division matchup next Sunday. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 Final Score: Dallas 41, Chicago 28 Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Dallas Cowboys stayed perfect on the road and ended a three-game losing streak to the Chicago Bears by getting the ball to DeMarco Murray every chance they could. Murray had 41 touches and gained 228 yards from scrimmage as the Cowboys shook off a demoralizing division loss on Thanksgiving to beat the Bears 41-28 on Thursday night. There was no relief for the Bears, who lost not only the game, but also star wide receiver Brandon Marshall, who was taken away from Soldier Field in an ambulance after suffering an injury to his ribs in the first half, though he tweeted later that he was OK. Murray, the NFLs leading rusher, followed last years 146-yard effort against the Bears with 179 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and added 49 yards on nine catches. Tony Romo had three touchdown passes -- two to Cole Beasley -- and earned his eighth career win in Thursday games as he and the Cowboys bounced back from a 33-10 loss to NFC East rival Philadelphia by winning in Chicago for the first time since 2007. Its on the road where the Cowboys (9-4) have thrived this season, going 6-0. That mark will be put to the test next Sunday when they play in Philly with first place in the division on the line. Matt Forte and Jay Cutler rushed for touchdowns in the fourth quarter -- Cutler after an onside kick, cutting a 25-point Dallas lead to 10. But the Bears (5-8) lost for the second week in a row after falling in Detroit on Thanksgiving. ' ' '