Plauderkasten^^ » Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics pl

The first statement of the NBA preseason was made by the Toronto Raptors, one that came even before Kevin Durant made his unofficial debut with the Golden State Warriors.The Raptors players and coaches linked arms during the playing of the American and Canadian national anthems Saturday night, their statement serving as the latest entry in a widespread series of protests across sports in recent weeks designed to raise awareness of racial injustice and other social problems.Guys were real, guys had sincere feelings, sincere thoughts, sincere things to talk about and concerns, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said before the game. Thats what all this should be about -- to induce conversation.Its an issue that has been addressed by high school, college and pro teams in the U.S. often since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first refused to stand for the national anthem in August. The Raptors linking arms may be considered more than symbolic -- theyre the only Canadian-based team in the NBA, and their game against the Warriors was played in Vancouver, British Columbia.The Warriors players and coaches who were on the floor in Vancouver all stood for the anthems as per usual. In Bossier City, Louisiana, so did the members of the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, some with their hands over their hearts.Durant took the first shot of the preseason, a step-back jumper from the right side that was well short. The former Oklahoma City stars first basket with the Warriors was a dunk with about a minute left in the opening quarter, one that drew a loud reaction from the sellout crowd of 19,000.---RAPTORS 97, WARRIORS 93Kevin Durant had nine points on 2 for 9 shooting in his preseason debut with Golden State, while Klay Thompson had 16 points and two-time reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry added eight. None of them played after halftime.DeMar DeRozan scored 11 points and Kyle Lowry had six for Toronto. DeRozan and Lowry, the All-Star guards who led Toronto to the Eastern Conference finals last season, were taken out midway through the third quarter.- WARRIORS: Thompson made 4 of 11 shots from 3-point range. Curry was 1 for 5 from beyond the arc.- RAPTORS: DeMarre Carroll, whos still working his way back from knee surgery performed last year, started for Toronto. He led the Raptors with 14 points, making 6 of 9 shots. Terrence Ross scored 11 for the Raptors and Jared Sullinger grabbed 10 rebounds.- UP NEXT: Toronto (1-0) plays Denver in Calgary, Alberta on Monday. Golden State (0-1) plays host to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Authentic Soccer Jerseys . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Cyber Monday Soccer Jerseys . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Soccer Jerseys China . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. GSTAAD, Switzerland -- Top-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain won his first career clay-court title Sunday, beating Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-4, 7-5 in the Swiss Open final.The 34-year-old Lopezs fifth career tournament title followed two on grass and two on hard courts.Ten years after losing the Gstaad final to Richard Gasquet of France, Lopez lifted the trophy on his seventh trip to the Swisss Alps venue.ddddddddddddLopez arrived ranked No. 21 and should return to the top 20 when the rankings are updated Monday.The 95th-ranked Haase had his service broken once in the first set and twice in the second as Lopez completed the victory in less than 80 minutes. ' ' '