th foul after turning the ball over to Davis early in

TORONTO - On the eve of the All-Star starters announcement, just before the leagues coaches begin to fill out their ballots for the reserves, DeMar DeRozan made his case a little bit more compelling. A career performance, just when his team needed it most, may be enough to sway a vote or two and send the Raptors fifth-year guard to New Orleans. "Oh man, hes definitely been playing well, All-Star level," said Amir Johnson, shortly after watching his teammate go off for a career-high 40 points in the Raptors come-from-behind win, 93-85 over the Mavericks on Wednesday. "Hes a big reason why weve been so successful." Coming into the game, the Raptors had dropped three of four, all to losing teams missing their best player. The 25-win Mavericks were a different animal, though they too were without leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki, and after 12 minutes this had disaster written all over it. "I thought it was going to be a blow out," Dwane Casey admitted, his team down by 19 going into the second quarter, trailing by as many as 21 in the first. DeRozan kept his team afloat in the first half. He scored 12 of their 15 first-quarter points, accounting for four of their five field goals. He was playing well, having the sort of outing that winds up forcing its way into the bottom of a somber game story, a footnote at the end of another horrific defeat. Then he took his game, and most importantly his team, to another level, a ridiculous level. "He got in the flow of the game," Casey said of DeRozan, who scored 15 points in the third quarter, then another nine in the fourth, missing just two shots in the second half. "He was running the pick-and-roll, they started blitzing him, he did a good job of finding [his teammates] and then the ball found him back and that was good. It was a growth on his part from being double teamed but being patient enough to get the ball back and be able to score." The Raptors guard was remarkable coming out of the break, knocking down off balance jumpers, getting to the rim at will but most importantly, he was efficient and he got to the free throw line. DeRozan needed just 22 shots to become the seventh player in franchise history to record 40 points, connecting on nine of 14 attempts from the stripe and knocking down his only three-pointer. He matched his previous career-high - 37, set three times - with a nifty spin and reverse layup, solidifying a new personal best on the subsequent free throw with 3:38 remaining. For him, the accomplishment was gravy. Despite his recent fourth-quarter struggles, DeRozan came through for his team in the clutch. That three-point play broke the tie and gave the Raptors a lead they would go on to hold for the duration of the night. "This loss would have hurt," DeRozan said. "We didnt want to lose three in a row. I just told myself, just try to do as much as I can to win, try to pull this one off and keep my team in it." DeRozan was saddled with more of the offensive burden on Wednesday, as fellow All-Star candidate Kyle Lowry battled a stomach flu that had the Raptors point guard running to the locker room, back and forth throughout the evening. Lowry scored just three points, misfiring on all 10 of his field goal attempts in 35 hard-fought minutes. "Once I [saw] Kyle go back [to the locker room] and he came back, he had his head down and holding his stomach, I could tell he wasnt feeling too well," DeRozan said. "He didnt stop playing," Casey said, crediting Lowry. "He dove on the floor, got his hands on loose balls, he affected the game without scoring." Casey continues to contact his fellow coaches, campaigning for both guards to get the nod and represent the Raptors as reserves in next months All-Star game, set to take place in New Orleans on Feb. 16. The starters for both East and West teams will be announced live on TNT on Thursday and the reserves, to be voted in by the coaches, will be revealed a week later, also on TNT. With representatives from Miami and Indiana expected to monopolize the Eastern Conference roster, its unlikely Toronto will have more than one All-Star. Of the two, DeRozans bid has been gaining some traction, according to league sources. Entering Wednesdays games, DeRozan ranked 12th in the NBA in scoring, fifth in the East and has tallied 20 or more points in nine of 12 contests during the month of January. Returning to Toronto for the second time since last seasons trade, Jose Calderon - beloved Raptors alum - was genuinely proud of Lowry and long-time teammate DeRozan. "Theyre just playing better, they just have that confidence and theyre playing at a very high level every game," Calderon said of the Raptors backcourt duo prior to Wednesdays game. "I really enjoy watching them and its great. Hopefully they get that call and they can be in New Orleans. Its always great to see your [former] teammates being successful and Im really happy for them." Like his first return, as a member of the Pistons last year, Calderon was greeted by a standing ovation during pre-game introductions at the Air Canada Centre. Another former Raptor, Vince Carter, received a mixed reception, which was verging on positive for the first time since his messy divorce with the franchise nearly nine years ago. Thanks to another admirable performance from the Raptors bench, who helped turn things around in the second quarter, and some late-game heroics from the slumping Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas, DeRozans career night was not wasted. Greivis Vasquez scored a season-high 17 to go along with seven assists, also picking up the slack for the flu-ridden Lowry. Meanwhile, Casey entrusted both Johnson and Valanciunas with crucial fourth-quarter playing time despite subpar starts, the frontcourt duo combining for 10 points in that final period. The Raptors 21-point comeback victory was their largest of the year, besting last months win in Dallas, where they overcame a 19-point deficit. Toronto sweeps the season series with the Mavs for the second time in franchise history and first since 1996-97, wrapping up the first half of the campaign with a winning record. "Were ahead of schedule," Casey said, assessing his teams progress 41 games in. "Were winning some games in our building and were happy with that." "But were still not a finished product. [We] have a lot of work to do." Elgin Baylor Jersey . PAUL, Minn. Nick Van Exel Jersey . -- The anointed starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders is strengthening his hold on the position this training camp instead of losing it. http://www.lakersteamofficial.com/Javale-Mcgee-Lakers-Jersey/ .C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2. Rajon Rondo Jersey . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Magic Johnson Lakers Jersey .ca presents a week long look at some of the teams and stories that will shape the up coming campaign.NEW ORLEANS - With breakaway dunks, putback dunks and even a banked 21-foot fade as he was fouled, Anthony Davis continued to make franchise history for the New Orleans Pelicans. Meanwhile, LeBron James played through back soreness, only to twist his ankle and see his two-time defending champion Miami Heat fall to a seventh loss in 11 games. Davis had 30 points, 11 rebounds and three steals — giving him a franchise record three straight 30-point, 10-rebound games — and the Pelicans pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 105-95 victory on Saturday night. "I dont care what I score as long as we win," Davis said. "But if it comes to me, Im not going to turn down any shots. Whoever has the hot hand, the team goes to them to make sure they stay in their groove." Davis, an All-Star in only his second pro season out of Kentucky, has been in a remarkable groove for someone who just turned 21 this month. He has scored at least 28 points and grabbed at least nine rebounds in eight straight games, the longest such streak since Shaquille ONeal did it 12 games in a row with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001. "Hes spectacular. Hes getting better every single day," James said of Davis. "When you know youre a star and your team looks at you as a leader, as a star, you make plays and thats what hes doing." James twisted his right ankle while stepping on Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans foot during a drive to the hoop late in the third quarter. He remained in the game and finished with 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. It was not enough for Miami, which gave guard Dwyane Wade and centre Greg Oden the night off following Fridays victory at Memphis. "Put another injury on my list," James said. "It is what it is. Im not using it as an excuse." James thinks the Heat already have enough of them, and his annoyance was evident. "Its too many excuses. Everything is an excuse. We do something wrong, its an excuse. We dont get a stop, its an excuse. We turn the ball over, its an excuse," James said. "What were doing right now aint good enough. "Its very frustrating. Were all frustrated," James continued. "We just got to all get on the same page. I dont know what were going to do, but weve got to figure it out.dddddddddddd" One thing James made clear was that the solution would not entail more rest for him, despite his back and ankle soreness. "I dont have time to take off," he said. "We dont have time to take off." Pelicans guard Eric Gordon also sat out with a sore left knee, but New Orleans got 14 points from Evans, 12 from Al-Farouq Aminu and 11 from Luke Babbitt. Mario Chalmers scored 19 points and Michael Beasley 16 for Miami, which trailed for all but 18 seconds of the second half and trailed by as much as 16 in the fourth quarter. "Yes, our locker room is angry," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Were not accustomed to this type of play, these type of standards, particularly on the defensive end, and if we want to change, we have to look inward." Babbitt was making his first start of the season and hit three 3-pointers. The Pelicans were 7 of 17 from long range and hit 51 per cent (43 of 84) of their shots from the field. Miami shot 50.7 per cent (37 of 73), but turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 19 New Orleans points. New Orleans, which has won two straight, also outrebounded Miami 38-33. Toney Douglas started for Wade, but was called for his fourth foul after turning the ball over to Davis early in the third quarter and played only 13:52. The Pelicans led 76-72 after three periods, but began to pull away early in the fourth even as Davis was resting on the bench. Anthony Morrow, who had 10 points, hit his second 3 to give New Orleans an 85-76 lead with nine minutes left. Davis checked in shortly after, and put the Pelicans up 92-78 on a 21-foot bank shot as he was fouled by Chris Andersen. Miami opened the game on a 10-2 run, which turned out to be its biggest lead of the game. Then the Heat got sloppy. The Pelicans scored off of turnovers by James, Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh during a 15-3 run, highlighted by Davis steal from Bosh for a breakaway dunk. Davis had 14 points in the first half, and his putback dunk put New Orleans up 43-38 before Ray Allens 3 and James 19-foot fadeaway helped pull Miami to 45-43 at halftime. Notes: The Pelicans victory was their first over Miami since November 2010. ... Bosh finished with 12 points for the Heat and Allen had 10. ' ' '