MIAMI - With self-preservation topping the Raptors list of late-season priorities, the player they can least afford to lose left American Airlines Arena on a cart. Walking with a noticeable limp, Kyle Lowry boarded the team bus following a 93-83 loss to the two-time defending champion Miami Heat. The result of the game was of little importance. Now it was secondary, as the status of Lowry - and with him, Torontos remarkable season - hung in the balance. "Well just have to wait and see how he is tomorrow," head coach Dwane Casey said after Lowry was pulled from Mondays loss with a sore left knee. Lowry sustained the injury with roughly three minutes remaining in the first half, colliding knee-on-knee with LeBron James, just about the last person on the planet youd want to plow into at high speed. Naturally, the Raptors point guard was slow to collect his bearings, but true to character, he got back up and remained in the game until, eventually, his body betrayed him. "We pulled him out," Casey said. "He couldnt go." Lowry finished the half and started and played most of the third quarter before leaving for the locker room and calling it a night, whether he liked it or not. The knee had swelled and he could barely walk. "We substituted him for Greivis (Vasquez) at that time," Casey continued, "and hes limping, limping, limping. [The medical staff] looked at him and decided he couldnt go back in." X-rays were negative, per Casey, but the status of Torontos most indispensable plater remains up in the air. Its not the first time Lowry has given his team a scare. Most recently, he was pulled in the first half of Fridays win over the Boston Celtics after turning his ankle, but he would re-enter and finish the game. Its inevitable given the way in which he plays. "He does this all the time, so hell be fine," said teammate Terrence Ross. "Kyle, hes a tough guy. He always comes through. No matter what, hes going to find a way to get back on the court." "With Kyle, no matter what his injury is, no matter what type of feeling hes having or what his body is telling him he cant do, his mind and his heart pushes through," echoed Patrick Patterson, who returned from a 13-game absence of his own. "So no matter what the circumstances are with him, unless its something real serious - knock on wood - then hell play. Thats the type of mentality he has. Thats the type of mentality he brings to the team and it rubs off on all of us." Could the Raptors shut Lowry down? Depending on how his knee reacts to a night of swelling and a flight back home, they may not have a choice, at least for a game or two. Again, theyll have to balance the importance of self-preservation and finishing out the season strong. Theres still work to be done with seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff hierarchy at stake. "His body will tell us, he will tell us [and] the medical people will tell us if he can go," said Casey, his team now sharing the third seed with Chicago. "Were not in the position to totally just shut him down. I think weve got to be smart with it. Well see where it is." LeBron carries undermanned Heat Without one-third of Miamis Big Three, as Dwyane Wade sat out resting a sore hamstring, James put the Heat on his shoulders. The reigning MVP began the second quarter sitting on Miamis bench, because even the leagues most physically intimidating specimen needs a breather every now and then. As James sat, Toronto quickly turned a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Overall, the Raptors outscored Miami by 12 points in the nine minutes that James spent on the bench Monday evening. However, the leagues best player dominated when he was on the floor, spearheading a 22-9 run to end the first half and putting the game away late in the fourth. Patterson returns Patterson played eight minutes in his return from an elbow sprain that kept him out of Torontos previous 13 contests. Sporting a protective brace on his right elbow, the Raptors forward was understandably rusty but made an impact with his energy and versatility off the bench, something Toronto had missed in his absence. Casey had planned to limit Pattersons minutes in his first game back and could continue to do so until he finds his rhythm. "Its just all about getting used to the brace," said Patterson, who scored his lone field goal on a put-back in the first quarter. "I thought I was a tad bit slow out there, just getting used to the brace as far as my jump shot goes." "Its going to take a little bit more time to get used to, but hopefully in these next three or four games Ill be back to top shape." The stat The Raptors set a new season-low, making just five free throws against the Heat. James, alone, got to the line (11 times) more than Toronto (10). The quote "First of all, we really didnt have the legs like that coming from a tough game last night," said DeMar DeRozan, who scored 16 points after tallying 28 in Sundays win over Orlando. "We got to stop letting teams get easy points in the paint. Thats what is hurting us." Clearance Nike Shoes From China .Y. - Carey Price had an early feeling that one goal might be enough to settle the latest matchup between his Montreal Canadiens and longtime Original Six foe, the New York Rangers. Wholesale Nike Shoes From China . "Its amazing to do this coming from such a small island, where tennis isnt necessarily recognized as one of the main sports," Puig said. "Im just happy Im able to be here playing tennis not only for myself, but for my country too. https://www.nikeshoeschina.us/. The goals took Liverpools tally in the Premier League this season to 70, overtaking Manchester City as the top scorers, and left the fourth-place team just four points behind league leader Chelsea. Nike Shoes From China .5 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, a deal that covers his final two arbitration seasons. Discount Nike Shoes From China . Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard.MINNEAPOLIS -- One meeting down, one to go for Memphis coach Dave Joerger and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Joerger met with Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders about Minnesotas coaching vacancy on Thursday and is scheduled to meet with owner Glen Taylor at some point this weekend, a person with knowledge of the process told The Associated Press. If Joerger makes a good impression with Taylor and the Timberwolves and Grizzlies can come to some sort of agreement on compensation for to get him out of his contract, all signs point to Joerger replacing the retired Rick Adelman back in his home state. The 40-year-old Joerger grew up in Staples, about 150 miles northeast of Minneapolis, and played collegiately at Division-II Minnesota State, Moorhead. Joerger went 50-32 in his first season as an NBA head coach with the Grizzlies, leading an injury-plagued team back from a 10-15 start to the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoff field. After the Grizzlies lost to Oklahoma City in seven games in the first round, owner Robert Pera made the surprising decision to fire two of his top executives, including the one most responsible for elevating Joerger from assistant to replace Lionel Hollins. The disarray has led Joerger to look elsewhere, and the prospects of returning home to coach in front of family and friends, and work for a team president that he has known foor two decades, has him ready to make the move.dddddddddddd. When Joerger was just starting to break into the coaching ranks, he attended Timberwolves practices run by Saunders, who coached the team from 1995-2005. Joerger and Saunders hit it off before Joerger embarked on a coaching journey that took him through International Basketball Association, the CBA and the NBDL before landing on the Grizzlies bench as an assistant. Joerger spent six years as an assistant before getting the chance to be he head coach. Joergers resume appeals to Saunders because he travelled a similar path early in his career, coaching in the CBA before joining the Timberwolves organization. Saunders has been looking for a candidate with head coaching experience who is prepared to handle a potentially combustible situation with forward Kevin Love. The three-time All-Star can opt out of his contract after next season, which has raised the possibility of him being traded at some point this summer. Joerger deftly navigated sticky situations in Memphis last season, especially during the teams poor start. He also showed some flexibility to change a few his offensive philosophies and return the grind-it-out style that the physical Grizzlies preferred, and the team took off. In Minnesota, Joerger would take over a team that went 40-42 last season and missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year. ' ' '