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09	Oktober 2018

three seasons in Kansas City.

As postgame questions go Kenny Moore Jersey , it was relatively innocuous, and maybe because of that, and because it came at a news conference after the Toronto Raptors moved into the second round of the playoffs by eliminating the Washington Wizards in Game 6, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were in a playful mood.

So as Toronto�s pair of All-Star guards sat there, waiting for the other to talk, DeRozan eventually spoke up, not to respond, but to kid to his running mate: �You want me to answer everything.� To which Lowry retorted, referring to the reporter, �He didn�t say `Kyle.'�

DeRozan: �He said both of us.� Lowry pointed a hand in his teammate�s direction, indicating DeRozan needed to reply, and instructed: �That�s how this works.� And then Lowry teased: �You don�t even remember the question.� DeRozan, with a grin, conceded: �No, I don�t.�

As long as the DeRozan-Lowry duo works in harmony on the court � and gets plenty of help from a terrific bench unit, just as it did while No. 1 seed Toronto finished off Washington with a 102-92 road victory Friday night � the Raptors have a formula for success this postseason.

Because of those reserves, led by point guard Fred VanVleet, DeRozan and Lowry were able to spend plenty of time resting in the last game, neither playing more than 33 minutes. They won�t be spent by the time they get to the Eastern Conference�s next round Tony Jefferson Jersey , which will come against either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Indiana Pacers.

�It�s big, especially the dynamic of how we can do it,� DeRozan said. �He can have a big night. I can have a big night. And the nights that we don�t, we have a bench that can go out there and can win the game for us, as well. Any given night, whether it�s a closeout game or a Game 1, I think we�re just capable of showing so many different elements of how to win a game that we didn�t have last year.�

Last season, the Raptors were swept in the second round by LeBron James and the Cavaliers. A season earlier, they also were knocked out by the Cavs, in six games in the East finals.

Now Toronto has to wait a bit to find out if it�ll go up against LBJ and Co. for the third year in a row. Because Indiana won 121-87 on Friday, that series will head to a Game 7 at Cleveland on Sunday.

Asked whether he preferred one possible opponent or the other, DeRozan gave a quick answer: �No.�

He averaged a series-leading 26.7 points against the Wizards, and Lowry was second among the Raptors at 17.2, along with 8.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds.

But what has to make them rather happy moving forward is what happened when they were on the sideline in Game 6. VanVleet, the backup point guard, finally saw extended action for the first time against the Wizards, after being out for all but three minutes because of an injured right shoulder.

Finally healthy enough to play, VanVleet led the second unit capably at both ends of the floor, contributing five points Eddie Goldman Jersey , four assists and four rebounds, while playing pesky defense against All-Star shooting guard Bradley Beal.

�He is kind of the engine, the toughness,� Toronto coach Dwane Casey said about VanVleet.

In all, the bench outscored Washington�s reserves 21-6 and outrebounded them 15-3 in the second half, allowing the Raptors to finally win a road playoff game in which they trailed at halftime.

Their record before Friday in such situations was 0-23.

Knowing they can win on the road at all should be a confidence-builder as the playoffs continue.

The Raptors already knew they had an elite bunch of reserves.

Looking at teams that reached the playoffs, they tied for first during the regular season in bench scoring, averaging 41.8 points.

�It�s been like that all year. It�s not going to be any different in the playoffs,� VanVleet said. �I thought our bench team had been good this series at home, and we just needed to put together a performance on the road.�

�

Aaron Donald makes a joke during a break in practice, and Ndamukong Suh chuckles. Pretty soon, the entire Los Angeles Rams' defensive line is cracking up.

This new defense is no laughing matter, though. Six months after the Rams assembled a remarkable collection of veteran talent, it's finally all out on the practice field together.

Michael Brockers, the other defensive lineman in the Rams' fearsome threesome up front, thinks the rest of the NFL should be wary.

"Just backing out of the huddle and looking at all the talent we have is kind of surreal," Brockers said. "I look back and I'm like, 'Bro, we can be so crazy on this field.' But it's on paper first Morgan Rielly Jersey , so we have to go out there and prove why we're so talented, why we're so great."

Donald, Suh and Brockers have been together in practice for the first time over the past week while the Rams prepare for their opener in Oakland on Monday night. Cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib are eager to get on the field after barely playing in the preseason to see if this defense can live up to its enormous potential.

The bulk of the defensive starters only got seven snaps together in the preseason. That's still more than the offense, which didn't play at all, and defensive coordinator Phillips doesn't sound overly concerned.

"I think they're going to be really good," Phillips said. "But it's (about) meshing together and playing the right way. I have a lot of confidence in them. ... We have a group that really likes football. Some teams or players I've been with, they played because they were good at it or whatever. But this group, they like football. They like playing football, and some of them even like practicing, which is a little different."

Donald is the biggest key to the Rams' aspirations, and the NFL's defensive player of the year is going full-speed in practice after being away from the team for several months in a contract holdout. He won't have any limit on his snaps in Oakland, coach Sean McVay confirmed Friday.

"We've been missing that little puzzle piece, the final piece, so it's been awesome," Brockers said. "He's been making some great jokes, and we're just happy to have him back. ... A.D. is a pro. He's been studying the playbook. He's been watching film. Literally, we plugged him in, and he knew everything he's supposed to do. We haven't had to slow down at all. We honestly picked up the tempo."

Donald missed the Rams' 2017 season opener after ending his holdout one day earlier. This year, he signed his new contract last Friday and reported to the Rams in time to get ample work before the games begin.

"You kind of know what to expect Troy Brouwer Jersey ," Donald said of his second straight late arrival. "But you've got the opportunity to come back and basically get six practices under my belt before the first game, so I think that's going to be a big help for me, as far as getting adjusted out there."

Donald's partnership with Suh has been hotly anticipated ever since the Rams outmaneuvered several suitors last March to sign Suh to a one-year deal.

"He makes my job easier, you know?" Donald said. "When you've got guys out there like him and Brock next to you, you know the other guy is going to make plays, just like you make plays. You're just a little bit more comfortable."

Any talk about the potential success of this defense comes with a giant caveat in the middle.

While the defensive line and secondary are jam-packed with proven NFL talent, the Rams' linebackers are mostly unproven at an elite level. What's more, veteran inside linebacker Mark Barron seems increasingly unlikely to begin the season healthy after missing the first two days of practice this week with a flare-up of an Achilles tendon injury that has dogged him for months.

Untested Cory Littleton is taking over for traded middle linebacker Alec Ogletree, the Rams' leading tackler in four of the past five seasons. Samson Ebukam and Matt Longacre also are penciled into starting spots, and even defensive lineman Dominique Easley has taken practice reps as a pass-rushing outside linebacker.

If Barron can't play against the Raiders, Los Angeles is likely to put Ramik Wilson into the starting lineup for his Rams debut after three seasons in Kansas City.

"He's a smart player," said Phillips, who played Wilson more extensively in the preseason than other probable regular-season contributors. "He's started before in the league, and he's played well when he's been in there. He knows what to do."

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