TORONTO - The Raptors locker room was unnervingly quiet Friday evening, about how you would expect it after the implausible ending that sealed the teams fate in a double-overtime disaster. Nico Hischier Jersey . In the back corner sat an inconsolable John Salmons, the elephant in the room. Facing his locker, Salmons slouched forward in his chair, his head down in his hands and a long black towel draped over him. One by one his teammates came over to comfort him, patting him on the back and offering words of encouragement. He didnt move. He remained in that position, perfectly still for over 30 minutes. They win as a team and they lose as a team, but Salmons felt the brunt of it on this night. What seemed like a sure victory late in the second overtime period began to unravel when an exceptional player made an exceptional shot. With the Raptors up by eight, 49 seconds away from an improbable victory and season-sweep of the 50-win Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant banked in a 27-foot three-point jumper. Following another Thunder three - this one courtesy veteran assassin Derek Fisher - Salmons threw away an inbounds pass on the baseline, only to break up Durants runner and get sent to the line. With less than 10 seconds remaining, now up two, Salmons clanked both free throws, paving the way for the leagues leading scorer to do what he does best. Break hearts. "Great players make great plays," Dwane Casey said of Durant, moments after his 31-foot pull-up dagger gave the Thunder a 119-118 victory. Since coming over from Sacramento in December, Salmons has been praised for his poise and veteran savvy late in games, many of which hes helped them win. This was not his finest hour. "Hes a veteran (and) in those situations youve got to believe in him, that hes going to make those free throws," Casey said of Salmons, playing in place of Terrence Ross, who left the game with a hip contusion. "We had to go with John in that situation. Hes been one of our best defenders in that situation, but its not just one guy." The Raptors, now 1-6 in OT this season, need to close out these types of games. Salmons needs to be better down the stretch, they know it and so does he. It was three months ago, almost to this day that the Raptors pulled off their most impressive win of the season, a 104-98 victory in Oklahoma City. Coming off an OT win in Dallas a couple days prior and trailing by as many as 10 in the fourth, Toronto shocked the Thunder, who were undefeated at home at the time. "It helped kick start us going forward," Casey said of that night. "It helped our chemistry, it helped our togetherness it helped blend in the old and the new guys together." It would not have happened if not for Salmons. The 12-year vet spearheaded his new teams comeback, scoring nine points in the final quarter. After the game his teammates raved about his leadership and calming effect on the floor. Kyle Lowry gave him the game ball. Like Patrick Paterson - still out with an injured elbow - Greivis Vasquez, who was spectacular before fouling out Friday, and Chuck Hayes, Salmons fingerprints are all over the teams resurgence and that should not be forgotten, internally or externally. The Raptors proved something to themselves in OKC that night. They proved that they belonged. Three months later, clinging onto the Easts third seed and top spot in the Atlantic Division, they fell just short of proving something to everybody else. For whatever reason the franchise and its fan base has been battered by losses of the devastating variety to the point in which theyre almost immune to them. Toronto has lost 10 straight overtime games at home, an NBA record. "It does (hurt)," Casey admitted, "but we cant let it." "We cant let this game (give us a) hangover. (Its) a big learning experience for our guys. Youre playing with one of the top teams in the league, one of the top players... and you give yourself a chance to win in (double) overtime." KD the magnificent It seems impossible to fathom that Friday once started off as a slow night for Durant. The Thunder forward made just three of his 12 first-half shots but once Russell Westbrook went down in the third quarter - colliding with Lowry and spraining his surgically repaired right knee - Durant, with the help of some generous officiating, completely took over. Durant scored 51 and finished with 12 rebounds and seven assists, getting to the line 19 times and extending his streak of 25 or more points to 34 games, longest since Michael Jordans 40-game run in 1986-87. Amirs memorable game Playing in his 500th career contest, Amir Johnson nearly willed his team to victory. The Raptors forward recorded a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds, connecting on 12 of his 19 shots in 50 minutes of action. He also spent the bulk of the second half guarding Durant, per his own request made after Ross exited with the hip injury. "It was tough, man," he said, asked about defending the leagues leading scorer. "Hes my height, out there shooting from half court. Theres not too much you can do but double team that." "He did a great job," Casey added. "I felt for him. Hes hurt. He was all over him, draped over him. (Durant) made a tough shot. Theres nothing Amir did wrong." The stat For the first time since Jan. 13, 2013, the Raptors had four players score 20 or more points. Along with Johnson, DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 33 points, hitting all but one of his 16 free throws, while Lowry added 25 and Vasquez scored 21 off the bench. The quote "We couldnt go another overtime," Durant said. "I had to live with whatever happened. You had to get out of there. I wasnt trying to go to another overtime. I pulled up for it, it looked good when it left my hands and God guided that thing to the basket, man. That was the craziest game Ive ever been a part of." Custom New Jersey Devils Jerseys . There was little fanfare, though, when the Yankees captain was taken out of his final regular-season Subway Series game in the eighth inning. Jeter watched the last four outs from the bench, pulled off the field during a double switch Thursday night as the Yankees held off the Mets 1-0. Miles Wood Jersey . The South Africa international, who rejoined the club last month on loan from Tottenham, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful shot into the roof of the net. http://www.devilssale.com/authentic-jesper-bratt-devils-jersey/ .com) - American Madison Keys grabbed a first- round victory on Sunday in a rainy start to the Apia International Sydney tournament. DALLAS -- Fears that the Dallas Mavericks would a suffer hangover against the Utah Jazz following an emotional victory seemed improbable -- until the closing minutes. The Mavericks cruised to a 28-point lead in the second quarter but had to fend off the determined Jazz, who pulled within five in the final minutes before falling 103-93 Friday night. The Mavericks were coming off a 123-120 win Wednesday over the Rockets in which they rallied from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter. Dallas (9-4) has opened its home schedule 7-0 for the first time since 2003-04, when it won its first 10 home games of the season. Utah (1-13) is winless in its first eight road games. The Jazz have lost five straight since notching their only victory of the season on Nov. 13 at home against New Orleans. Monta Ellis scored 26 points to pace five Mavericks in double figures. Ellis added six assists, and Dirk Nowitzki and Samuel Dalembert scored 18 apiece, a season high for Dalembert, who also grabbed 12 rebounds. Reserve forward Marvin Williams scored 19 points, 16 in the second half, to lead the Jazz. Williams returned to the lineup wearing a protective mask after missing one game for surgery on a broken nose, arriving in Dallas about four hours before tipoff. "It was a long day," Williams said. "I got up in time this morning and then got here at 3 p.m. on the bus. Thats part of being a professional." The Jazz got 14 points reserve Jeremy Evans, his season high. Gordon Hayward, Utahs leading scorer this season averaging 18.2 points, scored 13 points after his 1-for-17 shooting night in New Orleans on Wednesday. "It was disappointing, but wins are hard to get so its a good win from that perspective," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Utahs furious finish. "Our execution was poor in the secondd half on both ends; it was pretty obvious. Taylor Hall Devils Jersey. ." After Utahs Derrick Favours opened the games scoring with a finger roll, Dallas ran off the next nine points to take control. The outcome appeared secure when the Mavericks led 54-26 with 2:11 to play in the half. But Utah followed a 38.9 per cent effort in the first half by shooting 59.5 per cent after intermission. A dunk by Favours with 4:42 remaining in the fourth quarter shaved Dallas lead to 90-85. But the Mavericks starters responded with a 3-pointer by Jose Calderon and a putback by Dalembert to stave off Utahs rally. "They came back in the third quarter when we were kind of slacking a bit," Dalembert said. Utah coach Tyrone Corbin was pleased with his benchs production, particularly Williams given the circumstances. "I cant say enough about how much we appreciate him," Corbin said. "Actually playing a few games before having (his nose) reset (after) he broke it." "It was a long day. I got up in time this morning and then got here at 3 p.m. on the bus. Thats part of being a professional." In addition to Dalemberts rebounding, backup centre DeJuan Blair grabbed nine rebounds. The two combined for 10 offensive rebounds on a team that is waiting for No. 1 centre Brandan Wright to recover from a shoulder injury that he suffered before the season. "Those guys have been doing good things all year," Carlisle said of his post duo. "I am not shocked by it." NOTES: When Ellis scored 37 points and Nowitzki 35 on Wednesday, it marked the first time since April 1995 that two Mavericks topped 35 points in a game. . With the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy commemorated in Dallas on Friday, Jazz players toured the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on Thursday. ' ' '