TORONTO - For those who believe the NBAs preseason is too long, the Raptors potentially costly rout of Memphis on Wednesday - exactly one week before the start of the regular season - could serve as exhibit A. With nothing tangible at stake, the Raptors turned in their most impressive outing of the fall in their seventh and second to last exhibition tilt against their stiffest competition yet, but they lost a couple starters in the process. Point guard Kyle Lowry was the first to exit the game after his left ring finger popped out reaching for a loose ball with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter of Torontos 108-72 victory. Lowry sprinted to the locker room and did not return to the game. Just two and a half minutes later, centre Jonas Valanciunas took an inadvertent elbow from Zach Randolph to the face and needed three stitches to patch up a laceration to his chin. "It wouldnt be preseason if we didnt have any drama right now," Dwane Casey said, half-jokingly after his teams impressive defeat of the Grizzlies. Lowry sported a protective wrap on his non-shooting hand following the game. The severity of his injury was not known at the time. "Hes going to have it examined tomorrow and see what it is," Casey said of Lowrys injured finger. "Well find out tomorrow what it is and go from there." Valanciunas had ice on his stitched up chin post-game. Understandably, he was very sore but Casey indicated he could have returned had this been a regular season game. "Hes got some battle scars now, and I like it," Casey said. "He didnt back down, he was battling. Thats what weve got to do. People have to know that theyre not going to come in and just embarrass us." "Were going to play clean but weve got to hold our ground and thats what I tell our guys all the time. Nobody comes in, pushes you around, takes a cheap shot at you without you responding and weve got to continue to be that way and keep that reputation." Randolph was assessed a flagrant foul on the play, his sixth personal, fouling out in the process. "Its a contact sport, that happens," said Rudy Gay, a former teammate of Randolphs in Memphis. "Obviously (Randolph) showed remorse after he did it. Hes a tough player, hes a gritty player and sometimes that happens. For us to get better, for JV to get better he has to learn how to, not retaliate but then go out there and play with that same kind of grittiness." Although the injury to Valanciunas is not believed to have long-term repercussions, the team is holding their collective breath awaiting the prognoses on Lowry, whom they cant afford to be without. Without a viable back up on the roster, Lowry figures to play major minutes, assuming good health, at the point this season. Neither D.J. Augustin nor Dwight Buycks has stood out or inspired much confidence in the teams depth at the position. Julyan Stone, who has been battling for the teams final roster spot, has been a pleasant surprise but he too left Wednesdays game after just three minutes, taking a knee to his right hip, the same hip he had surgery on last year. Tyler Hansbrough was also wearing a wrap on his hand as a precaution after the game. The Raptors forward banged his right thumb, though the injury is not expected to be serious. A tough test, albeit in the preseason Although the Raptors 6-1 mark in the preseason - matching last years exhibition record - hasnt satisfied Coach Casey, nor should it, he was pleased with the way his team responded to the challenge against an elite Western Conference power. "They did an excellent job, they responded," Casey said of the Raptors, holding Memphis to 35 percent shooting and outrebounding them 54-36. "Again its preseason but we have to set a tone. We only gave up seven offensive rebounds to one of the top offensive rebounding teams and I thought our guys met the challenge defensively." Casey had spoken about giving his starters some playing time in the fourth quarter but given the lopsided score and the third-quarter injury scare he capped them off between 21-28 minutes. However, the first unit did play the bulk of the first three frames and faced legitimate competition as Memphis also played its starters, minus Tayshaun Prince. "Tonight was a great test for us," said DeMar DeRozan, who led the way once again, scoring 21 points including eight (on nine attempts) from the free-throw line. "It definitely was a big game for us and we held our own. That was our main focus going into tonight, trying to hold our ground and thats what we did." For the first time, Casey experimented with different combinations that included one or two of his starters on the floor with three or four reserves. "We didnt have a whole (second) group out there by themselves so that helped," he said, stressing that his rotation will operate this way - although it will be fluid - during the regular season. As a result, there was little-to-no drop off when Toronto went to its bench on Wednesday. Initially with Lowry and Gay also on the floor, both Terrence Ross and Landry Fields got off to quick starts, combining for 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first half. Ross did get an earful from his coach for attempting to bite off more than he could chew later in the game. "Terrence shot the ball decent", Casey said, "but I got upset with him about the running Harlem Globetrotter hook shot. We want to play the game the right way because the basketball gods have a way of coming back and getting you if you mess with the game." Familiar faces Gay chipped in with 15 points, playing 26 minutes against his former team. "Its fun," he said, asked about facing the Grizzlies, a team he was a member of for six-plus seasons before Januarys three-team swap sent him to Toronto. "Its competitive. I think its even more competitive, at least on my end it is. Its good to see familiar faces but then again you want to get a win no matter what it is, preseason or regular season." Austin Daye was also part of that deal, going from Detroit to Memphis before signing with the Raptors during the summer. The forward had his best game in a Raptors jersey, scoring 14 points in less than 17 minutes and connecting on all three of his attempts from long range. Ed Davis, who was sent from Toronto to Memphis, made his second return to the Air Canada Centre and finished one rebound shy of a double-double in just 16 minutes, registering 11 points and nine boards. The former Raptors forward will begin the season playing behind two all-star big men in Randolph and Marc Gasol but is feeling more comfortable with his new team having a full training camp under his belt. "They didnt really get to see my all-around game because we didnt practice that much last year so I feel much better," he said after shoot-around Wednesday morning. Up Next The Raptors conclude the exhibition schedule in Milwaukee against the Bucks on Friday before beginning the regular season at home to the Celtics on Wednesday. cheap jerseys from china . The investigators said they have ruled out problems with his skis, trail conditions or signage. Although they would not estimate Schumachers speed, they said it was not considered a significant factor in the Dec. 29 crash at Meribel in the French Alps. "His pace was completely normal for a skilled skier," said Lt. wholesale nhl jerseys . LOUIS -- While taking down the San Francisco Giants bullpen, the St. http://www.cheap-nhljerseys.us.com/[/ur... . An official of the security department for the province of Buenos Aires, who asked not to be identified, said the traffic accident occurred in the Buenos Aires suburb of Ezeiza where Maradona lives. [url=http://www.cheap-nhljerseys.us.com/rs770/]Cheap New York Islanders Jerseys . The Crimson Tide edged out Oklahoma State in the final round of voting Sunday and will play the top-ranked Tigers in the BCS national championship game on Jan. jerseys from china . The way he was walking around London on Wednesday, it would have been tough to guess he had surgery a month ago. "I feel good. Rehab is going very well," Wade told The Associated Press. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Kings not only have a future in Sacramento, it appears they have discovered their future point guard as well in rookie Isaiah Thomas. The hustling Thomas sparked a second-half surge and DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 18 rebounds for the Kings, who celebrated a possible new arena deal with a 103-96 victory over the struggling Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. The city, the Kings and the NBA announced a tentative deal Monday to finance a new arena that would be built by 2015 and keep the team in Sacramento for many years, quieting talk that the franchise would be moving to Anaheim or Seattle at the end of the season. The City Council will vote on the plan March 6. It was the 5-foot-9 Thomas firing up the crowd and his teammates after a lacklustre first half by the Kings. The rookie from Washington did his thing, getting the team in running mode with his speed and quickness. Quiet in the opening half with three points, he finished with 18 points and eight assists, including nine points in the fourth quarter. "I had to pick up the tempo, not just for myself, but for my teammates," Thomas said. "We needed to get out in transition and run. Im out there trying to make the right play. Im doing that at a pretty high level right now." Thomas, the last player chosen in the 2011 draft, started his fifth straight game. He has scored 96 points in those five games to tie a franchise mark set by Otis Birdsong in 1977. "We did a pretty good job on him early by keeping him out of the paint," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "But in the second half he got away from us. He got in the paint and made a couple of scores, and he got a three-point play." Perhaps getting the loudest ovation Tuesday were the Kings owners, who addressed the crowd regarding the decision one day earlier to keep the club in Sacramento. The Kings almost moved to Anaheim a year ago before Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, city leaders, and fan groups convinced the NBA to give Sacramento one last chance to help finance an arena. The team has been trying to get an arena deal for 13 years, according to owner Gavin Maloof. Johnson was in the spirited crowd of 13,896. A former standout NBA point guard, he and Thomas are now casual friends. "Having guys like Kevin Johnson and the Maloofs (owners Joe and Gavin) at the game made it a little more exciting," said Thomas, who shot 6 of 12, hit two 3-pointers and connverted all four free throws.dddddddddddd. "You want to win for guys like that." Marcus Thornton scored 21 points and made five of six free throws in the final 16 seconds to help the Kings secure the victory. Tyreke Evans scored 13 and Jason Thompson had 10 points and eight rebounds. Thornton was pleased to get the second half of the season off to a good start and reward the citys loyal fans. "To hear that news yesterday that the team was staying, Im so happy for our fans," Thornton said. "The Sacramento Kings are here to stay for a long time." Devin Harris scored 18 and had seven assists for Utah, which has dropped four straight and nine of 10. Josh Howard had 15 points, CJ Miles 13 and Al Jefferson added 12 and eight rebounds. "We got caught up in their style of play instead of playing our style -- slow tempo and running our offence," Jefferson said. "We started taking quick shots and thats what they wanted us to do. Its getting old and getting frustrating." A basket from close range by Howard brought the Jazz to 98-96 with 1:08 remaining. After Gordon Hayward missed a 3-pointer from the corner, Thornton was fouled and made both attempts for a 100-96 Kings lead with 16.1 seconds left. Thomas tied the game at 87 with two free throws. John Salmons put the Kings ahead for good with a layup and Cousins scored four points, concluding an 8-0 run that gave Sacramento a 93-87 lead with 4:35 left. "I think as he grows as a pro theres going to be a lot of nights where people wont have an answer for him," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "I think our guys now are starting to see that we can go to him at different spots on the floor." NOTES: Corbin spent most of the 1995-96 season playing for the Kings and said he was very happy to see the franchise remain in Sacramento. ... After several turnovers, frustrated rookie Jimmer Fredette was coming out of the game midway through the second quarter. However, before another dead ball situation could occur, Fredette hit a long 3-pointer and made a pinpoint pass to Chuck Hayes for a layup. Following a Kings timeout, Thomas went back to the bench and Fredette remained in the game. He finished with five points and two assists in 8 second-quarter minutes. ... Utah second-year forward Jeremy Evans, the NBA slam dunk champion, didnt play. ... The Jazz are 3-12 on the road. cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '