SAN FRANCISCO - Following three straight losses at home, the Raptors (6-10) begin a seven-day, three-game trip Tuesday when they visit the Golden State Warriors (10-8), a team they havent defeated on the road in nearly a decade. cheap jerseys from china . The Raptors went 1-3 during a season-long homestand last week and their upcoming schedule doesnt do them any favours. Although theyve had some early season success against the superior Western Conference - theyre 2-3 - eight of their next 11 games are against winning teams from the West. "Taking care of business at home was important for us and we didnt get it done," head coach Dwane Casey said after practice Monday. "Were in a semi-funk, I would call it. Its a daunting trip but thats what the NBA is about. Its a marathon, not a sprint." Looking to avoid a season-worst four-game losing streak, the Raptors open that stretch against a Warriors team that has had their number in California. Toronto is winless in its last eight visits to Oracle Arena and hasnt defeated the Warriors there since Feb. 8, 2004. Coming off another barnburner in Sacramento on Sunday, a game they won 115-113, the Warriors and their sharpshooting backcourt hope to take advantage of the struggling Raptors. Toronto allowed the Nuggets to shoot 50 per cent from the field Sunday afternoon, including 65 per cent in the second half, en route to a 112-98 loss. The Warriors, who shot 51 per cent in their win over the Kings - got 64 points from backcourt duo Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson - the two hitting 13 of their 19 attempts from three-point range. Torontos guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry went 10-of-29 from the field and 4-of-12 from long distance, scoring 17 points apiece against the Nuggets. Rudy Gay had a team-high 23 points, taking 23 shots, to go along with nine boards in that contest. For the first time this season, Casey made a change to his starting lineup, replacing the struggling Amir Johnson with Tyler Hansbrough, who played 34 minutes, scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds in his first start with the Raptors while Johnson was held scoreless in 14 minutes off the bench. "Well see," said Casey, asked if he plans to stick with the lineup change moving forward. "Right now, were probably going to but what weve got to do at the same time is make sure the second group has enough with it to make sure we can sustain a lead." Trends and Tidbits The Raptors are 1-7 when DeRozan scores 20 or more points this season. Theyre also 1-7 when Gay scores 20 or more. Theyre winless in four contests when both players score 20-plus in the same game. DeRozan has scored 17 or more in a career-high 10 straight games. Lowry has tied his career high, recording six or more assists in eight straight games. Toronto is 3-12 in its last 15 games against Golden State, allowing an average of 113.1 points in those contests. The Warriors have won 12 of 16 home games against Eastern Conference teams since the start of the 2012-13 season. What to Watch For Defending the three Paced by Curry and Thompson, the Warriors lead the NBA, shooting 44 per cent from three-point range. Most recently, Golden State connected on 15 of 25 attempts from distance Sunday with Curry (five) and Thompson (eight, a career-high) accounting for 13 of those treys. "The key to their team is Klay Thompson," Casey said. "You look at the stats, when he scores big is when they win. Currys going to get his, but we just cant let two guys go off and go crazy." Bench production The Raptors allowed the Nuggets bench to score 72 points on the weekend, the most theyve surrendered in franchise history. After the loss, Casey challenged his second unit to step up and match the intensity his starters began the game with in the first quarter. Over the last two games, Torontos reserves have been outscored by 69 points (101-32). Golden State has also struggled to get consistent production from its shortened bench. With Andre Iguodala out indefinitely nursing a strained left hamstring, Warriors coach Mark Jackson has been forced to play his starters big minutes. Who to Watch For Jonas Valanciunas Valanciunas is coming off a double-double performance (18 points and 11 rebounds) in Sundays matinee, a game in which he was utilized more consistently in the teams offence. "It felt really good, I had a lot of shots," said Valanciunas, who attempted a season-most 16 shots Sunday. "I was trying to help the team to win. Not everything can go the right way every game but I was trying, I was giving 100 per cent, so was the whole team." Still, more than half of his points have come in the first quarter this season, an ongoing concern for a Raptors team looking to diversify its offensive attack. To his credit, Valanciunas spoke about doing the things he can control - rebounding, playing hard on defence - consistently, regardless of whether the touches are coming. Valanciunas will have his hands full with Andrew Bogut, who appears to be fully healthy and has been anchoring a much improved Warriors defence. "First of all, Im going to start with good defence," the Raptors centre said of facing Bogut. "Hes a good player, he can score in the low post, he can pass the ball so Im going to try and defend him, to take away his looks." Stephen Curry Even after enjoying a breakout season last year, Curry continues to elevate his game for Golden State. The Warriors point guard is ninth in scoring (22.3 points per game), third in assists (8.7) and tied for second in threes made (51) behind teammate Thompson, who leads the league in long balls with 62. "We may do something different as far as whether we trap him before he gets in the play," Casey said of defending Curry. "Weve got to mix it up, we cant come down and give him the same look." In six career games against the Raptors, Curry is averaging 27.3 points and 8.5 assists, his best marks against any opponent. Injury Report The Warriors are expected to be without Iguodala for the sixth straight game as he recovers from a strained left hamstring. nfl jerseys china .C. -- Major League Soccers Vancouver Whitecaps and the City of New Westminster have signed a memorandum of understanding towards bringing a United Soccer Leagues Pro franchise to the British Columbia city. cheap jerseys . The new Romo deal, which is being reported by the Dallas Morning News, will save the team another $10 million. According to the report, the new deal drops Romos salary-cap figure from $21.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Im sure you have thousands of emails on this already. How can that third Kings goal in Game 2 be allowed? The Kings player went in to the blue paint on his own accord, made contact with the Rangers defender and then laid on Lundqvists leg as the shot went in. If it is not a two-minute goalie interference call, it is at least a disallowed goal because of "incidental" contact with the goalie. I really dont see how they could rule any other way. Thank You,Bruce ChangoDillsburg, PA ----- Hi Kerry, Dwight Kings goal with plenty of time left in the third period last night was a huge momentum swing, eventually resulting in the Kings overtime win. However, the Rangers were unhappy about what they thought was goaltender interference on Henrik Lundqvist. Do the Rangers have any argument here? Anthony Z.Sault Ste. Marie, ON ----- Kerry, Im sure youve been asked to comment on the Kings third goal in Saturdays game and the goaltender interference controversy. But Ill ask again. What did you see and how would you have called it? J. RockwellEaston, PA Bruce, Anthony and ‘J-Rock: A violation of Rule 69 (goalkeeper interference) was committed by Dwight King when he initiated contact with Rangers goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist inside the goal crease. As a result of this deliberate action by King, the goal should have been disallowed and a minor penalty assessed to King for goalkeeper interference. Some fans will maintain that King was pushed into Lundqvist through the actions of Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonough, which would have resulted in the scoring of a legal goal. From the quick look and decision rendered by referee Dan OHalloran, I have to believe that he also felt McDonough was guilty to some degree of pushing King into the crease. Allow me to explain why this was not the case and why I am confident that, if the referee was afforded the luxury of video review, he would have also concluded that Lundqvist was the victim of goalkeeper interference and the goal subsequently would have been disallowed. What I want to disprove is the premise that King was pushed into Lundqvist and that he did not make any reasonable effort to avoid the Ranger goalkeeper as per 69.1: “If an attacking player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with the goalkeeper, such contact will not be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.” We pick up the action outside the goal crease to the right of Henrik Lundqvist when Dwight King (approaching on an angle outside the crease and from behind goal line) and Ryan McDonough (front of net) engaged one another in frontal combat with their sticks in a prone cross-check position toward one another. With McDonoughs posture and position, he was set too move his opponent away from the crease and not into it. cheap nfl jerseys. . King was also moving in a direction towards the slot and not facing into the blue paint. Note also that Kings stick blade appears to be in tight on Lundqvist. In this pose, both players are willing combatants engaging in a battle for position outside of the crease. Following their initial contact, King played off McDonough to the inside and then slipped laterally into the blue paint and toward Lundqvist. King then made a movement independent (separation) of McDonough with a backward press deeper into the crease and a resulting lateral ‘skate hop that initiated solid contact with the Rangers goalie. The resulting tumble caused King to land on the right pad of Lundqvist inside the crease. This action took place as Lundqvist was attempting to remain square and set for a shot from the point that King was ultimately given credit for deflecting past the Ranger goalkeeper. Once again from 69.1: “The overriding rationale of this rule is that a goalkeeper should have the ability to move freely within his goal crease without being hindered by the actions of an attacking player. If an attacking player enters the goal crease and, by his actions, impairs the goalkeepers ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.” So why was this play, as I described it, missed by the referee you might ask? First of all, contact such as this can happen very quickly in real-time and, especially, while other action is taking place. Different angles can also be deceiving. In this situation, Justin Williams carried the puck behind the Rangers goal and deep into the corner directly toward referee OHalloran. The referee was forced to pivot out from the corner and then back to allow Williams space to carry the puck wide and up the wall. Based on the referees body posture, he visually followed Williams carry the puck up the wall and then deliver a cross-ice outlet pass to Matt Greene at the right point position. While this action was taking place, the contact between King and McDonough had been initiated. This, along with Kings independent move into the blue paint, would have been undetected by the referee. With a pending shot from the point and a refocus by the referee toward the front of the net, it would likely have appeared from the refs vantage that McDonough deposited King in the goal crease as a result of the fall. It would have been a “bang-bang” play in the eye and mind of the referee under these circumstances. Lundqvist claimed that the referee told him the puck had already entered the net prior to any contact by King. Plays of this nature and magnitude must be reviewable as I have contended for at least the past couple of seasons! Review will be a crucial safety-check for the referees to correctly determine and enforce goalkeeper interference. The Competition Committee apparently met today. The eventual outcome of some games might just rest in their hands pending final approval of the rules committee. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '