PHILADELPHIA - Despite a slow start to the season, the Raptors (4-7) can overtake the surprising 76ers (5-7) in the standings and claim sole possession of first place in the Atlantic when the division rivals meet on Wednesday. Dwane Casey has reminded his players that "the league hasnt gone anywhere" and their own division is a prime example. Its still early but Atlantic front runners New York and Brooklyn sit at the bottom of the division, both at 3-7, while Philadelphia - expected to be among the NBAs worst this season - has been a pleasant surprise, although the young 76ers appear to be coming back down to earth. "You read all this stuff about, theyre not playing to win, or whatever," Casey said, referring to the widespread belief that Philadelphia has constructed its team with the intention to tank this season. "Teams go in there with that relaxed attitude and thats not true." "Whatever the message is, those players are playing hard to win. You can have a different mission as an organization but as players theyre playing to win." After a 3-0 start - with impressive wins over the Heat and Bulls - the 76ers have struggled and, like the Raptors, have lost three of four coming into Wednesdays game. Two of Torontos defeats have come in overtime, including a 118-110 loss to the Trail Blazers at home Sunday afternoon. Rudy Gay scored 10 of his team-high 30 points during a 19-6 fourth-quarter run which was capped off by the forwards buzzer-beating layup to force extra time. The 76ers - who have defeated Toronto in seven of nine meetings - are coming off a 97-94 loss in Dallas on Monday, a game in which they shot just 38 per cent from the field. "They play really hard and outwork guys," said Philadelphia-native Kyle Lowry. "Theyve got some good players, theyve got players that are trying to make a name for themselves and theyre just going out there and playing hard." The Raptors havent been atop the Atlantic later than 10 games into a season since 2006-07, the only year they won the division. Trends and Tidbits Gay (20.6 points per game) and DeMar DeRozan (20.5) are one of four pairs of teammates averaging 20 or more points apiece in the NBA. Gay has scored 20 or more in each of the last four contests however, the team is winless (0-3) when both players exceed 20 points in the same game. The Raptors are 0-5 when DeRozan scores 20 or more. Gay and DeRozan have accounted for 46 per cent of the teams field goal attempts through 11 games, shooting a combined 39 per cent from the floor. The Raptors have reached 100 points in four of their last five games, averaging 102.4 points, after failing to hit the century mark in each of the six games to open the season, scoring 92.3. Toronto is 2-2 when scoring 100 or more this season and was 16-16 a year ago. Amir Johnson is one block away from reaching 500 for his career. Johnson has blocked 342 shots in 310 games as a Raptor and currently ranks seventh on the teams all-time blocks list. What to Watch For Control the pace With an average age just under 24-years-old, the 76ers are tied with Cleveland for the youngest team in the NBA. Theyre young, theyre quick and they look to run wherever possible. "They have some guys that get out in transition," Casey said of the hosting 76ers, who play at the fastest pace in the league. "Weve got to get back, build a wall, ready to play quick one-one-one defence and then when the shot goes up, weve got to make sure we find a body." Conversely, Toronto is last in the league in pace and although the Raptors coach has indicated hed like to get out in transition, hes also not planning on forcing the issue. "I dont know if we have natural runners," Casey said. "A lot of people get caught up in pace of play [but] I dont. I think you have to play the pace of play thats comfortable according to your talents." Pressure the young Sixers "The number one thing, the way they beat Miami, the way they beat Houston, the way they beat Chicago is hard play," Casey said of the 76ers. "Weve got to match that intensity at their place." The 76ers have snuck up on a few of the leagues elite teams with their hard play but more recently, their youth and inexperience has stood out. Philadelphia is committing an average of 17.3 turnovers per game, sixth most in the league, including 4.4 in the fourth quarter. Toronto has outscored its opponent in the fourth quarter in each of its last four games. Bench production Can either teams second unit step up and take pressure off the starters? Both teams rank in the bottom four in bench scoring, the Sixers reserves averaging 24.3 points per game (27th) and Torontos subs scoring 23.9 (29th). Who to Watch For Kyle Lowry The Raptors point guard has done a better job as the teams floor general, totalling 24 assists and only three turnovers over the last three games. However, he continues to struggle with his jump shot. Lowry is just 6-for-26 from the field in his last two contests, including 1-for-14 from three-point range. Lowry, a Philadelphia native, will look to get back on track against the team he grew up watching. "It never gets old," Lowry said ahead of his return to Philadelphia. "It never gets old because its home." The 27-year-old is averaging 13.8 points and 5.8 assists in five career games in his hometown. Evan Turner The fourth-year forward is one of the young 76ers players who has stood out early in the season, taking advantage of the added playing time hes been given. Turner is scoring a career-best 22.0 points per game on 47 per cent shooting, also averaging 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Historically, Turner has struggled against Toronto, averaging only 8.2 points on 35 per cent shooting in 11 career meetings with the Raptors. Injury Report 76ers rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams has missed the last four games with a bruised left foot but participated in shootaround Wednesday morning and hopes to play against Toronto. Raptors forward Quincy Acy is questionable after spraining his right ankle early in Sundays game against Portland. Cheap Shoes Black Friday . -- One shot came out of bottom of a cactus, the other from the base of a desert bush with rocks scattered around it. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday . The match, billed as a "next-gen" encounter between two of the sports rising stars, lasted two and a half hours. The loss kept Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., from reaching a third fourth-round spot in Melbourne over the past four years. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/. Johns, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., after a deal was announced to build a new $106-million "event centre" in the Lake Superior community. Discount Shoes Black Friday .com) - The NFL is investigating whether the New England Patriots intentionally deflated balls during Sundays AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis. Buy Shoes Black Friday . Kenny Miller scored from the penalty spot and Camilo Sanvezzo came off the bench to add two late goals as the Whitecaps kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over the sagging Impact on Saturday afternoon.NEW YORK -- The latest buzzer-beater at the Big East tournament belongs to a Seton Hall reserve with a familiar last name. Sterling Gibbs hit a step-back jumper as time expired and Seton Hall stunned No. 3 Villanova 64-63 in a thrilling quarter-final Thursday, a loss that could cost the Wildcats a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. "Were really confident, honestly, especially after you beat the No. 3 team in the country," said Gibbs, a sophomore transfer from Texas whose brother was a Pittsburgh star. "We know if we can beat them, we can beat anyone. So were just up for the challenge." Eugene Teague had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the eighth-seeded Pirates (17-16), who advanced to the tournament semifinals for the first time in 13 years. They will play Friday night against No. 4 seed Providence, which held off fifth-seeded St. Johns 79-74. Josh Hart scored 18 to lead the top-seeded Wildcats (28-4), beaten only twice in 18 regular-season conference games while winning their first outright Big East title since 1982. Both losses were blowouts by Doug McDermott and Creighton. "Youve all heard me say this before: This was not about 1 seeds, 2 seeds. This was about we wanted to come to Madison Square Garden and win the Big East tournament. Winning the Big East tournament would mean much more to us than a 1 seed," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "The NCAA tournament seedings, my belief is 1, 2, 3, it doesnt matter that much. Youre going to play great teams." Patrik Auda scored all 13 of his points in the first half for Seton Hall, a 10 1/2-point underdog. But the pesky Pirates, accustomed to playing close games, built a 15-point lead and recovered after Villanova spurted past them with a 16-0 run in the second half. It was Seton Halls first victory in five tries against top-seeded teams at the Big East tournament. "We never really got rattled," coach Kevin Willard said. "These guys have a lot of heart. They have a lot of character, and they deserve to win." Villanova took a 63-62 lead on Darrun Hilliards floater in the lane with 7.8 seconds to go. Seton Hall pushed the ball past halfcourt, then called timeout with 3.7 seconds left. With much of the crowd on its feet, Jaren Sina inbounded and Gibbs backed off Hilliard with a hard step back, draining a 17-foot jumper from the top of the key just as the horn sounded. "We usually dont like to call timeouts. We usually like just to go. But I wanted the ball, at that time, in Sterlings hands," Willard said. A fired-up Gibbs, who finished with 10 points, jumped onto the scorers table and looked up at the crowd as excited teammates ran all over the ccourt in a wild celebration.dddddddddddd The shot was a near carbon copy of the one Kemba Walker hit three years ago at the Garden during Connecticuts captivating run to Big East and NCAA tournament championships. That buzzer-beating jumper by Walker, also in the quarterfinals, beat a top-seeded Pittsburgh team that was led by Gibbs brother, Ashton. "It ended up being a little bit of a scramble. The plan kind of got switched up a little bit," Sterling Gibbs said before Teague interrupted. "A little bit?" said the senior centre. "Yeah, a lot of bit," Gibbs acknowledged. "In the end, it was supposed to get in my hands and I was supposed to create a shot for my teammates or create a shot for myself, and I just stepped back and hit the jumper." Hilliard scored all 11 of his points in the second half. JayVaughn Pinkston also had 11 for the Wildcats, but the 77 per cent free throw shooter was 3 of 10 at the foul line as the Wildcats went 15 for 25 (60 per cent) to Seton Halls 6-for-9 mark. The Pirates limited Villanova to 37.9 per cent shooting and 21.1 per cent from 3-point range (4 for 19), less than 18 hours after holding Butler to a 2-for-18 mark (11.1 per cent) from long distance in the opening round. "We got the shots we wanted to. We just werent making them," Villanova guard Ryan Arcidiacono said. Playing in the Big East quarterfinals for the first time since 2003, the Pirates won despite getting only seven points from leading scorer Fuquan Edwin on 3-of-15 shooting. Villanova won both regular-season meetings, by an average of 16.5 points, and figured to have an advantage again after Seton Hall had to hold off Butler 51-50 Wednesday night. Early on, though, it was the Pirates who looked fresh even though they had little time to rest. On a bitterly cold day in the Big Apple, the Wildcats took a while to warm up. They missed 13 of their first 14 attempts from 3-point range and trailed 44-31 with 14 minutes remaining. But they made a flurry of steals during a 16-0 run and took their first lead at 47-44 on Hilliards 3-pointer with 8:03 left. Edwin tied it with a 3 and Teague followed with a three-point play to put the Pirates back in front. With the score tied at 59, Arcidiaconos steal sent Villanova on a fast break that culminated in Harts layup with 40 seconds left. Undeterred, the Pirates worked the ball around and Gibbs passed to Sina for a 3 from the left corner that gave them for a 62-61 edge with 17.2 seconds remaining. "That was a great college basketball game," Wright said. "Great to be a part of it. Great atmosphere. The Garden was rocking. We had a lot of fun." ' ' '