MILWAUKEE - It wasnt the bounce-back performance they expected, but it was the one they needed. Coming off a disappointing loss, their first of the young season in Atlanta 24 hours earlier, the Raptors responded with a gritty victory and one they can be proud of despite shooting just 40 per cent from the field. Rudy Gay, like the rest of his team, was not perfect, but delivered on his promise to be better after turning in one of his worst outings as a Raptor on Friday. "We learned from last night," said Gay, the Raptors leading scorer, who had a career night rebounding the ball in Torontos 97-90 win over the Bucks Saturday. "It shows how resilient we are. We just picked it up and still got the win, even if it wasnt pretty." In terms of offensive efficiency, it wasnt pretty. Gay, fresh off a 6-for-23 shooting night, shot just 4-of-14 from the floor. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry also struggled, each shooting 5-for-14, while Jonas Valanciunas was 3-of-8 in just 16 minutes. "I mean, myself, I cant remember the last time I knocked down a shot personally," Gay joked after the game. "But as far as the team [goes], we were moving the ball around and we defended our asses off." "It definitely wasnt our offence," Raptors coach Dwane Casey admitted. "We had to do it with our defence. We had to dig in." Hanging their heads following Fridays defeat, Casey reminded his players they were just two games into a long season. His message to Gay and the others: if your shots not falling, find another way to help the team win. Message received. Gay grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds and got to the line 10 times, DeRozan dished out five assists and Lowry contributed six boards and four dimes. All three were a factor on defence. "Im just trying not to be one-dimensional," Gay said. "[Friday,] my shot wasnt falling. Tonight my shot wasnt falling. I just wanted to make an effort on defence and on the glass...try to make myself a part of the game, because Friday I didnt feel like I was." Shot selection was still an issue for Gay and so too were turnovers - he had five. With six minutes remaining and following a sloppy pass, Gay missed a 25-foot three-point jumper and committed a frustration foul. As a result, Casey took Gay out of the game. Whether the Raptors coach felt he needed a breather or whether he was sending Gay another message, the forward responded when he re-entered a minute-and-a-half later. "I know he probably didnt like it," Casey said of his decision to sit Gay down midway through the final quarter. "But I know whats best for him. He needed to sit down for a little bit [and] let his second wind kick in. We got him right back in and he finished it out." Gay checked back in with 4:24 left to go with the Raptors up two on the Bucks. He didnt attempt a single field goal the rest of the way, but knocked down a couple free throws and pulled down six big rebounds. "Nobody wants to come out of the game in the fourth quarter," Gay said candidly after the victory. "I dont know anyone who does. But no matter what happens, you have to stay focused and do the best you can for the team." The Raptors took advantage of six Milwaukee miscues in the third quarter to stretch their lead to as big as 13 before the Bucks made a run in the fourth, tying the game at 85 with just under six minutes to play and Gay on the bench at the time. A similar stretch, late in the second quarter, turned the game in Atlanta, but this time, the Raptors responded, mainly on the defensive end. "We are becoming a resilient team," Gay said. "Times where we would fold last season, we are showing we can come back after a tough loss and still win games." Dominating the boards, the Raptors out-rebounded Milwaukee 60-38, including an 18-6 advantage on the offensive boards Saturday night. Including Gays career total, seven Raptors tallied five or more rebounds and the team won the battle of the boards for a third consecutive game. "[It was a] concerted effort to rebound," Lowry said. "Thats our team game. When we go to small ball, we all have to rebound." Through three games, the Raptors have out-rebounded their opponents by 42 with a plus-23 differential on the offensive glass. Moving the ball After totalling just 15 assists in each of the teams first two games, the Raptors registered 19 dimes on 31 made field goals. "I think the ball really moved a lot better tonight," said Lowry, who had four assists without committing a turnover. "I think everyone made a concerted effort from watching the film this morning of last nights game to try to get the ball from side to side and get everybody involved early." Quiet night for Jonas For the second straight night, Jonas Valanciunas played fewer than 18 minutes, a product of the match-up against smaller, quicker front lines according to Casey. Casey has opted to use small lineups in the fourth quarter of each game, matching up with both the Hawks and Bucks, who have done the same. "When you go small, hes not ready to be that five man yet, alone," Casey said of Valanciunas, preferring to use Amir Johnson or Tyler Hansbrough as an anchor in the middle with four smaller, more versatile players. "Hes going to get there, believe me - hes going to get there. Hes not there yet." Up next The Raptors return home, where theyll host the two-time defending champion Miami Heat at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday. You can catch all the action live at 7:00pm et on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto. Corentin Tolisso Jersey . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Canadiens at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The game can also be heard on TSN Radio Montreal 690. The Calgary Flames will see if they can take their recent hot streak on the road when they shoot for a sixth consecutive win Monday night in Montreal. Nabil Fekir Jersey . Lexie Lou earned a commanding 4 1/2-length win Sunday in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/stev...nce-jersey/.com) - Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer were among the third-round winners Friday at the French Open. Djibril Sidibe France Jersey . Then Klay Thompson put his foot on the gas. Thompson scored 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and Harrison Barnes scored 14 points in his season debut to help the Golden State Warriors to a 106-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. NGolo Kante Jersey . After rookie right-hander Alex Colome excelled in a 5-2 victory in the opener, the Rays fell to Chris Tillman and the Orioles 4-1 on Friday night.The red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs will aim for their seventh win in eight games to begin the season when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in Thursdays battle at Air Canada Centre. James Reimer will get the start for Toronto after his solid outing on Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. The team will have to do it without James van Riemsdyk however, as head coach Randy Carlyle said Thursday morning the forward is suffering from back spasms. The Maple Leafs currently are on their second three-game winning streak of the season, having opened the campaign with three straight victories before suffering their only loss on Oct. 8 against Colorado. Toronto has beaten Nashville, Edmonton and Minnesota since that home loss to the Avalanche and is sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 12 points. Torontos last two wins came on home ice and the club is wrapping a three-game stand at ACC on Thursday. The Maple Leafs were last in action on Tuesday, when Mason Raymond tallied a pair of goals to help Toronto record a 4-1 decision over the Minnesota Wild. Raymond scored his first of the game in the second period and added a late empty-netter for Toronto, which is shooting for its first four-game winning streak since Feb. 5-11 of last season. Tyler Bozak and Trevor Smith also scored in Tuesdays victory. "It was tough, theyre a good team," said Bozak. "They play hard, they dont give you much out there. We found a way to get it done, and thats the most important thing." Reimer, making his first appearance in goal after he was pulled for Jonathan Bernier in the second period of a win over Ottawa on Oct. 5, stood tall between the pipes, stopping 37-of-38 shots. "You want contribution from everybody all over the ice," said Raymond. "Reims tonight was huge. From our standpoint, we didnt have the best game ever, didnt have a lot of shots on net, but at the end of the day we found a way to win." Carolina has lost three straight heading into Thursdays contest, but the Canes were able to record a point in two of those setbacks, including Tuesdays 3-2 shootout loss against visiting Chicago. Patrick Sharp scored in the third round of the shootout to help the Blackhawks take a 3-2 win, but Carolina overcame a 2-0 deficit in the third period to steal a point from the defending Stanley Cup champions. Alexander Semin and Ron Hainsey scored in the third period for the Hurricanes, who havent won since beating Washington on Oct. 10. Cam Ward finished the game with 34 saves, but fell to 0-2-3 on the season. Trailing by two goals entering the third period, the Hurricanes made it a one- goal game 3:54 in as a big slap shot from the right circle by Eric Staal was stopped, but the rebound sat on the doorstep and Semin swept it in for his second of the year. Carolina tied the game with 7:27 to play, as Hainsey wound up with the puck at the left point and threw it on net. The disc sailed past several players and beat a screened Crawford. "To come back and tie the game in the third period is a huge confidence booster for this team," said Ward. "We just have to learn how to finish these games." Ward is 13-8-2 with a 2.78 GAA in 23 career outings against Toronto and is expected to get the call on Thursday. Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk sat out Tuesdays game with an undisclosed injury and he is questionable for tonight. Carolinas Elias Lindholm has sat out the last two tilts with an upper-body issue and the centerman is also questionable for Thursdays contest. Toronto posted a 6-3 home win over the HHurricanes when the clubs last met on March 28.dddddddddddd That victory ended a four-game slide in the series for the Maple Leafs, who only have two wins in the last seven games against Carolina. Toronto has claimed three of the last five meetings at Air Canada Centre, but the Hurricanes have taken seven of the past 10 encounters on the road. New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators The New Jersey Devils once again will aim for their first victory of the season when the Ottawa Senators host Thursdays home opener at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators shook up their lines during morning skate Wednesday with Cory Conacher taking Bobby Ryans spot on the top line and Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zack Smith swapping spots as well. The Devils are 0-3-3 on the season and are coming off consecutive regulation losses. New Jersey does enter Thursdays game in Ottawa well rested, however, as the club hasnt played since Sundays 3-0 setback in Winnipeg. New Jersey sent 24 shots Al Montoyas way on Sunday, but the Jets goaltender stopped ever single one to lead Winnipeg to the win. Evander Kane added two goals to the home teams cause, while Cory Schneider stopped 32 shots in a losing effort. The Devils, who have tallied just 11 goals in six games this season, have scored once on 15 opportunities on the power play in 2013-14. The club was 0- for-5 on the power play against the Jets and failed to score on a two-man advantage for 1:12 early in the second period. "You got a full five-on-three there. If we score, I think its a different game. We have to generate something there," New Jersey head coach Peter DeBoer remarked. The Devils will turn to Martin Brodeur in net on Thursday. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer is 0-1-2 with a 3.19 goals against average this season, but is 36-23-3 with four ties and a 2.17 GAA in 67 career games against the Senators. New Jersey will play Thursday without forward Ryane Clowe, who suffered a head injury in the loss to the Jets and has been placed on injured reserve. Clowe, who signed a five-year, $24.25 million deal with the Devils in the offseason, has one assist in six games this season. The Senators, meanwhile, are happy to be home after going 2-2-2 on a season- opening six-game road trip. Ottawa had lost four straight before closing the swing with Tuesdays overtime decision against the Phoenix Coyotes. Cory Conacher scored 2:48 into the extra session to lift the Sens to the 4-3 triumph in the desert. Jason Spezza completed the fifth hat trick of his career for the Senators and his third goal gave Ottawa a 3-2 lead with 12:41 left in the third, but Phoenixs Mike Ribeiro was credited with a power-play goal with 3:30 remaining to force overtime. In the extra session, Marc Methot sent a diagonal slap pass to below the right circle for a successful one-timer by Conacher. Craig Anderson made 34 saves for Ottawa. "We end up with a .500 record to start the season with six games on the road. We can go home and feel good about that, not really feel good about maybe the way we played in all those games but we did find a way to get some points out of four of the games," said Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean. The Senators are playing two straight and four of their next five games on home ice. Ottawa was 15-6-3 as the host during the lockout-shortened 2013 season compared to a 10-11-3 mark on the road. Ottawa also won all three of its games against New Jersey last season and has taken six of nine overall in the series. The Devils have lost five of their last six games in Canadas capital city. ' ' '