ATLANTA - Coming off an opening night win at home, the Raptors take to the road, visiting the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of a weekend back-to-back set on Friday. The Raptors, who went 13-28 on the road a year ago, will play their first game away from the Air Canada Centre this season. Theyll play six of their next eight contests, and 19 of 33 outside of Toronto. "When you play on the road [for] so many games, you have a lot of adversity you have to fight through," said guard DeMar DeRozan, who struggled in the teams 93-87 win over Boston on Wednesday, scoring 13 points on 6-of-19 shooting. "That cant do anything but be beneficial for us, especially early on," he continued. "If we get through this little tough stretch, well be fine. Me personally, I think its a great test for us. Itll help us find our character early on." Toronto hopes to start the campaign on a winning streak, picking up where they left off when they closed last season with five consecutive victories. The Hawks return to Atlanta for their home opener after allowing the Mavericks to shoot 57 per cent in a 118-109 loss on Wednesday. "I think this team is a very offensive-minded team, a very good offensive team," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said of the Hawks, who shot 49 per cent in Dallas opening night. "The biggest change is now you have [Paul] Millsap, whos a very consistent pick and pop guy. Youve got two bigs (Millsap and Al Horford) who are not youre traditional low-post guys. Its a very versatile offensive team from that perspective." "Theyre one of the teams thats going to be knocking on that door for those last couple spots in the playoffs." After losing Josh Smith to free agency during the summer, Atlanta is turning the page with Millsap - the former Jazz forward, signed to a two-year $19 million deal in the offseason - and new head coach Mike Budenholzer. A first-year head coach, Budenholzer comes to Atlanta after 19 seasons as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. "Hes running the same things they ran in San Antonio," Casey said of the Hawks new coach. "Hes going to do a good job because hes taken a lot of San Antonios system there to Atlanta." Trends and Tidbits Last season, the Raptors were one of four teams in the NBA - along with the Bulls, Grizzlies and Suns - to average more points and shoot a higher field goal percentage on the road than at home. However, they gave up 102.4 points per game as a visiting team, 7.4 points more than they allowed at home. Fridays game is the first half of a weekend back-to-back which concludes in Milwaukee on Saturday, the teams first of 18 back-to-backs this season. Last year, Toronto had a 6-12 record in the first game of a back-to-back and 8-10 in the second game. Kyle Korvers current streak of 74 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer is the fourth longest in NBA history behind only Dana Barros (89), Michael Adams (79) and Dennis Scott (78). Korver is shooting 46 per cent from long distance during that run and ranks sixth among active players in career three-point field goal percentage (.419). Raptors forward Steve Novak ranks second (.433). What to Watch For Battle on the boards Finishing strong defensive possessions off with a rebound was a focus for Caseys club throughout camp. Not only did they control the defensive boards in Wednesdays home opener but they dominated the offensive glass, creating extra possessions that became crucial in grinding out an ugly win. Toronto outrebounded Boston 48-33, including a 19-7 advantage on the offensive boards. Although the Celtics were more efficient, shooting 49 per cent (another area of emphasis for Casey), the Raptors attempted 20 more shots and scored 28 second-chance points. Atlantas front line is a small one, with the undersized Millsap and Horford in the middle. The Hawks were bested on the boards 42-33 on Wednesday, grabbing just five offensive rebounds. Moving the ball The Raptors managed just 15 assists to 18 turnovers on 38 field goals on Wednesday, registering just two dimes in the final quarter when the team relied heavily on isolation sets. Casey said DeRozan, and the team in general, have to do a better job of adjusting to regular season defences and passing out of double teams. "I think a lot of it is getting used to the regular season basketball," Casey said. "I think everybody has to get used to that. Its a different mentality, a different toughness. We have to adapt to it." "Teams are more aggressive, theyre more fired up." Who to Watch For Kyle Lowry Lowry, playing with a splint on his injured left ring finger, struggled with his shot in the first game, shooting just 2-of-8 from the field and 7-for-12 at the line. The Raptors point guard chalked it up to an off-night and refused to blame the injury. Although he had eight assists in the opener, hell have to be more efficient offensively and will also be tasked with slowing down Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, one of the quicker players in the NBA. Paul Millsap Coming over from Utah, Millsap scored 20 points in his Hawks debut. As Casey alluded to, Millsap is a versatile big man who can play either forward position and stretch the floor with his mid-range shooting. "Hes a silent killer," Casey said of Millsap. "Hes just a solid, old-school, hardworking guy that were really going to have to be concerned about." Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough will share the responsibility of keeping Millsap contained on the pick and pop. "Hes a hell of a player," Lowry said of Millsap, both members of the 2006 draft class. "Hes an all-star calibre player. Hes tough, Im a big fan of his, Ive always been a big fan of his since his rookie year. Hes going to be a beast in the East." Injury Report Guard Lou Williams (right knee) and centre Gustavo Ayon (right shoulder) are both out for the Hawks. nfl jerseys china .ca. Hi Kerry, In the Montreal-Anaheim shootout on Wednesday night, they went to review on what appeared to be a goal. The Montreal goalies body language was that the puck went in. cheap nfl jerseys . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. http://www.jerseyscheapnfl.us.com/ . The 36-year-old Austrian, who is considering retirement after the season, came runner-up to Olympic champion Ted Ligety in a giant slalom on the Podkoren course on Saturday. As a 21-year-old, Raich finished third in a slalom here on Jan. jerseys from china .J. Mayo and Gary Neal put on a long-range shooting display, but it was Caron Butlers little 2-foot tip-in that made the difference for the Milwaukee Bucks. jerseys cheap nfl . The Manchester giants dipped into their reserves for a second game in three days and produced disjointed displays that were rescued by second-half winners. Edin Dzekos 66th-minute goal maintained Citys record of scoring in every home game in more than three years -- a run of 60 matches -- and lifted the team two points above Arsenal, which plays Newcastle on Sunday. TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are changing directions on their rebuilding project -- again. Coach Greg Schiano was fired Monday after two losing years extended the franchises playoff drought to six seasons. General manager Mark Dominik was also ousted, ending an unsuccessful five-year stint that produced flashes of hope but far more disappointment than ownership felt was acceptable. "The results over the past two years have not lived up to our standards and we believe the time has come to find a new direction," Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a brief statement released a day after a season-ending 42-17 loss to the New Orleans dropped Schianos record to 11-21. "Mark has been a valued member of our organization for two decades and we respect the passion he showed for the Buccaneers during his time here," Glazer added. "We thank Greg for his hard work and effort the past two seasons, but we feel these moves are necessary in order to achieve our goals." In typical Bucs fashion, the reclusive owners of the team announced the third coaching change in five years with a one paragraph statement and did not schedule a news conference to discuss the situation. Word broke less than 30 minutes after the team closed the locker room, where players were sorting through equipment and belongings before scattering for the off-season. They met with the coaching and medical staff for exit interviews and physicals and had not been informed of the dismissals before media was allowed into the room. Many, including Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, had hoped Schiano would keep his job. "Its tough for the players to see your coaches go. You never want to see anybody get fired," McCoy said after the announcement. "Me personally, I havent had any consistently in my career. Third head coach, going on my fifth year and three head coaches. Add up everybody, itll be six d-line coaches." The Bucs went 7-9 in their first season under Schiano, collapsing after a 6-4 start that had the team in playoff contention. After trading for three-time All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis and signing safety Dashon Goldson in free agency to bolster a porous defence, the team entered training camp this season with heightened expectations. But a messy split with former quarterback Josh Freeman, an outbreak of MRSA infections in the locker room and repoorts that Schiano was losing the support of players tiring of his rules and coaching style dogged the team during an 0-8 start that put the coachs job in jeopardy.dddddddddddd Despite having a rookie quarterback and finishing with 16 players on injured reserve, including running back Doug Martin and receiver Mike Williams, the Bucs went 4-4 over the second half of the season. That hardly seemed like progress, though, because the offence got progressively worse and finished last in the NFL in passing and total yardage. Still, players seemed impressed with the way Schiano held the team together, insisting right up until the end that the coach never lost the locker room. "In times like that you see a lot of guys crumble, a lot of guys break. You never saw a different attitude with him," McCoy said. "You could never see if the media was getting to him or see if anything we were doing was getting to him. He came in every day and was the same person, regardless," McCoy added. "... Hes the most consistent thing in the building, I will give him that." Schiano was hired in January 2012, leaving Rutgers to take over a team that ended its final 10 games under Raheem Morris on a 10-game losing streak. He inherited one the NFLs worst defences, but also a young quarterback in Freeman, who won 10 games in his first full season as a starter and became the franchises first 4,000-yard passer in Schianos first year in Tampa Bay. But Freemans relationship with Schiano soured when the Bucs dropped five of the final six games of 2012, with Freemans inconsistency contributing to the slide. The fifth-year quarterback was benched and subsequently released after an 0-3 start this season, replaced by rookie Mike Glennon, a third-round draft pick who went 4-9 in 13 starts. The Bucs have not made the playoffs since 2007. They havent won a post-season game since their 2002 Super Bowl run that produced the franchises only Super Bowl title. Part of the blame for the poor performance rests with Dominik, who was named general manager in 2009 -- the year Morris was promoted from defensive co-ordinator to replace former coach Jon Gruden. Dominik survived Morris firing after a 4-12 finish two years ago. But in the end, a spotty draft record, the mishandling of Freemans situation, and the teams 28-52 mark during a five-season tenure as GM became impossible to overlook. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '