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TORONTO -- Two up-tempo quarters left the short-handed Toronto Raptors with nothing in the tank for the second half -- and the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks made them pay. cheap nfl jerseys . Jeff Teague had 19 points and 10 assists as Atlanta pulled away after the break en route to a 109-87 rout of the Raptors, earning a split of their home-and-home series. Teague torched the Raptors in the pivotal third quarter, scoring eight points and dishing out four helpers to help Atlanta pull away. The Hawks (36-25) cruised from there to remain tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with the Orlando Magic, who defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 113-100 earlier Monday. Ivan Johnson had a team-high 21 points off the bench and Joe Johnson added 18 in the victory, which officially secured the Hawks a post-season berth. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 22 points for the Raptors (22-40), who were coming off impressive wins over Boston and Atlanta and kept things close Monday before being overwhelmed by a healthier and more seasoned Hawks club. Toronto was playing without four of its veteran regulars, including leading scorer Andrea Bargnani and starting point guard Jose Calderon. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey suggested the demands of a condensed schedule -- and roster to match -- may finally be catching up with his team. "Our disposition was a little different (Monday) than it was (Sunday) for reasons I dont know," Casey said. "I thought we ran out of gas having a shortened roster." Play in the paint told the story Monday: Toronto dominated inside in the first half, only to see the Hawks take control after the break. That, combined with 19 turnovers, ultimately cost Toronto the game. Raptors forward James Johnson said his team should have been more aggressive getting to the basket in the second half. "They did a good job packing the paint but that wasnt keeping (anybody) out ... we still had the backdoor," said Johnson, who finished with 18 points in a reserve role. "They had good denial defence and their help was better, but I think we still could have (gone) into the paint a lot more." The point guard combo of Ben Uzoh and Gary Forbes also struggled in the loss, combining to shoot 5-for-23 from the field and doing little to harangue Teague on the defensive end. The second-year Wake Forest alum converted a pair of three-point plays -- both times resulting in a foul by Uzoh -- that stretched a three-point lead to eight. The Hawks werent challenged the rest of the way. Casey said that Uzoh, who played 26 minutes on Sunday and 33 more on Monday, looked tired in the second half. "He played big minutes and he wore down," said Casey. "Thats why Teague was alternating with (Kirk Hinrich) and they were running at him in transition, and thats why I saw more fatigue in Ben." Uzoh may have been exhausted -- and judging by his 2-for-11 shooting performance, he was -- but he found other ways to contribute by leading the team in both rebounds (10) and assists (eight). "I can do a lot of things well," he said. "Im a whatever-it-takes kind of guy. I just want to win." Hawks head coach Larry Drew was impressed with how his team bounced back from Sundays lopsided loss to the Raptors. "I have all the confidence in the world with this team," he said. "(Sunday) nights game we laid an egg, but I challenged the guys to come back and more than anything just bring energy, the way we know we are capable of playing. "I thought we did that right at the start." Notes: Calderon was in uniform but was relegated to third-string duty. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said prior to the game that Calderon would only be used in an emergency situation, but added that the Spaniard wasnt being shut down for the season. ... The Raptors signed Uzoh and F Alan Anderson for the remainder of the season Monday. Both players second 10-day contracts had expired. The club also declined to renew PG Justin Dentmons 10-day contract. Dentmon appeared in four games with Toronto, averaging 5.5 points and 2.3 assists in 18 minutes. ... Hall of Famer and former Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alomar sat courtside. nfl jerseys china . -- Dwight Howard vs. cheap jerseys from china . The solutions? Not so much. Given an extra week to stew over the worst start in 45 years, Tomlin is tweaking the lineup hoping to find a spark that will help his team begin the long road back to respectability.PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks took on the big boys of Major League Baseball in the competition to land Japanese pitching sensation Masahiro Tanaka only to see him sign, hardly to anyones surprise, with the New York Yankees. Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers, speaking to a handful of reporters in a conference call on Wednesday, thanked the teams ownership for allowing him, for what he said was the first time, to "sit at the table in a high stakes poker game for one of the elite free agents." Towers said the Diamondbacks made "a very competitive offer." But not competitive enough. The 25-year-old right-handers deal with the Yankees pays him $155 million over seven years, in addition to the $20 million due as a posting fee to his Japanese club. Now Towers moves on in search, via free agency or a trade, of help for the Diamondbacks rotation, seeking either a No. 1 starter or a strong No. 2. And, he said, those are hard to find. The Diamondbacks contingent of managing partner Ken Kendrick, Towers, manager Kirk Gibson and star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt met with Tanaka and his entourage about three weeks ago. "All you can do is put your best foot forward, which is what we did," Towers said. The Diamondbacks emphasized their family atmosphere, the weather, the factt that the team trains in Arizona. wholesale jerseys. Tanaka would have been the unquestioned No. 1 pitcher on the staff. That and what undoubtedly was a substantial money offer, certainly by Diamondbacks standards, wasnt enough. There is no large Japanese community in Phoenix. Towers said international players often are lured by the "Yankee pinstripes." He noted the Yankees have two veteran Japanese pitchers who can ease Tanaka into his new life. The Diamondbacks will continue to see what the possibilities are for landing a pitcher. "It doesnt stop just because we didnt get Tanaka," Towers said. But the Diamondbacks dont want to sign any pitcher to a contract longer than three years, Tanaka being an obvious exception. Unsigned free agent starters include Ervin Santana, Matt Garza and Ubaldo Jimenez. Towers insisted that if Arizona does not acquire another starter, hes comfortable with the returning staff, specifically mentioning the possibility of talented young flame-thrower Archie Bradley competing for a spot in the rotation this spring. Because of their early-season trip to Australia to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Diamondbacks will be the first team to gather for spring training. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 6 with the full squad due on Feb. 11. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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