SAN ANTONIO - As members of the media waited outside the visitors locker room at AT&T Center, Dwane Casey addressed his players behind closed doors, a standard post-game procedure, win or lose. After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. "It was a good trip," Casey said after their 112-99 loss to the Spurs capped off a 2-1 stretch in four days, highlighted by impressive wins in Dallas and Oklahoma City. "I told the guys it was a good start. Were just getting started to where we want to go." Playing in the second night of a back-to-back and coming off their most physically and mentally taxing victory of the campaign - a 104-98 win over the league-best Thunder Sunday - the Raptors simply ran out of gas in San Antonio, facing an unforgiving terror of a team. "We missed some good looks, some of it was fatigue, some of it was legs, some of it was their good defence getting into us," Casey said. "We knew that coming in, that it was going to be a battle. "And thats our next step, to be mentally tough, to fight through fatigue, to fight through back-to-backs and try to do the same things we did [Sunday] night." The final score is not indicative of how closely matched this game turned out to be. In fact, the 13-point margin of victory was San Antonios largest lead of the contest. Although the home team maintained control for most of the night, the Raptors kept pace and refused to roll over or look ahead to their upcoming two-day vacation. "We are a team that has to be scrappy," Amir Johnson acknowledged, scoring just seven points and grabbing eight rebounds in a match-up with future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. "Against teams like [the Spurs] we have to play with the physicality just like we did in Dallas and OKC. We have to be the team that pushes the tempo. We cant relax and thats what we have been doing these past couple of weeks. We fight but unfortunately we came up short tonight." Although Duncan had a quiet nine points and 12 boards, the other two-thirds of San Antonios vintage big three controlled the tempo of the game. Tony Parker led all scorers with 26 to go along with eight assists, while Manu Ginobili added 18 points of the Spurs bench. San Antonios second unit - one of the best in the association - contributed 52 points, giving the Spurs 48-minutes worth of high-level production. The Raptors couldnt keep up. The Spurs out-rebounded Toronto by 10 and grabbed 16 offensive boards. They held a 16-point advantage in the paint, dished out 27 assists and recorded a season-high 24 second chance points. "Its always tough playing in a back-to-back, especially against two of the best teams in the West," said DeMar DeRozan. "We understood that coming in but we were in the game. They hit a couple big time threes that pushed the lead up for them and made it tough for us to keep it within arms length but we fought." DeRozan - who had already face a pair of tough wing defenders in Shawn Marion and Thabo Sefolosha on the trip - struggled against Kawhi Leonard, scoring 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting. "He had a rough night but Kawhi Leonard is one of the top defenders in the league," Casey said of DeRozan. "They were double-teaming him in his post-ups so they werent going to let him go." Terrence Ross was the beneficiary of the added attention paid to DeRozan. The Raptors sophomore made 10 of 16 attempts for 23 points, while Kyle Lowry also scored 23 and recorded a team-best nine assists. Although a 2-1 record on this trip is nothing to scoff at - its two wins more than most expected them to get - Caseys message has been received and his team is striving for more. "I wish we would have got that last win," Johnson insisted. "The two wins is great but it would have been nice to finish with one more. "We cant settle," he continued. "We played some tough teams (on the trip) and that is definitely a confidence boost but we want to keep going and keep the focus we have over this break. We are definitely not happy. We just have to keep working." The Raptors players and coaches will be excused for two days to spend Christmas with their family and friends before reconvening in New York City for practice on Boxing Day. "Its coming at a great time," admitted DeRozan, who is among the league leaders in minutes played and could use the rest. "[It] just gives us a chance to refresh our minds and our bodies and understand what lies ahead after this Christmas break." DeRozan and Johnson are each spending their time off in Toronto with their daughters, both of whom will be celebrating their first Christmas. Cheap Jerseys China . He returned from a broken collarbone and is taking aim at a post-season run, even if it took one big pass to get there. Rodgers fired a 48-yard touchdown to Randall Cobb in the final minute, and the Packers beat the Chicago Bears 33-28 to capture the NFC North championship on Sunday. http://www.cheapauthenticjerseys.us.com/ . Mathieu, who was injured throughout 2011, edged the key points with the third-seeded Wawrinka converting just two of nine break chances in the second-round match. A former top-20 player, Mathieu is ranked No. http://www.cheapauthenticjerseys.us.com/nike-nfl-jerseys-china_seattle-seahawks-jersey-china/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Canadiens team that has been re-energized by young talent and should have a lot of continuity going into next season. One of the most remarkable facets of Montreals success last season is that they finished with such a strong record despite subpar goaltending. cheapauthenticjerseys.us.com . -- Tom Bradys first interception in more than a month led to a screaming match on the sideline. cheapauthenticjerseys .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. CARACAS, Venezuela -- Canada will have to settle for international experience instead of a berth at the 2014 Basketball World Cup. The mens team lost 73-67 to Argentina at the FIBA Americas Championship on Sunday, ruining Canadas chances of qualifying for one of two spots at the World Cup. For head coach Jay Triano, Canadas downfall was in his young teams relative inexperience at the international level. "Our three best players are 22, 22 and 23 years old," said Triano, referencing Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson and Andrew Nicholson. "Were going up against men who have played this game for a long time and have played at a high level for a long time. "Thats why were here. Were here to get the experience and play against these guys so when were that age, we can compete at the same level and understand the game that much better." Joseph had 19 points for Canada (3-4) in a losing effort, while Nicholson added 17 of his own. Thompson finished with eight points and 10 rebounds. Luis& Scola had 28 points and seven rebounds for Argentina while Selem Safar added 18 points off the bench.dddddddddddd Facundo Campazzo chipped in with 10 points and eight assists. Canada led 36-32 at halftime, but Argentina stormed out of the gate in the third quarter and led 61-56 heading to the fourth quarter. Despite the elimination loss, Triano said Canadas play at the tournament bodes well for the future of the national program. "We didnt come here thinking we were just going to get experience, we came here hoping to win. It didnt happen but the experience was gained," Triano said. "The future is still bright and I hope the rest of Canada continues to back these guys and not turn on them because we didnt qualify for the world championships." Canada had four NBA players on its roster at the tournament. Nicholson plays for the Orlando Magic, Joseph is with the San Antonio Spurs, Thompson is a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers and centre Joel Anthony is on the Miami Heat. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '