TORONTO - The surging Phoenix Suns had already erased a 17-point deficit and hit seven of 10 three-point attempts in the fourth quarter when point guard Isaiah Thomas made his move, looking to complete Phoenixs comeback with just over 20 seconds remaining. Thomas, one of the leagues premier reserves, had hit all four of his shots in the frame, all four from beyond the arc and a couple of them from way behind the arc. Borrowing a play from his own greatest hits - one that won Toronto a game in Boston earlier this month - Kyle Lowry, defending Thomas, reached in and poked the ball away. Scrambling for it around centre court, Lowry forced a jump ball with the Suns 5-foot-9 super sub. Toronto was barely hanging onto a fleeting two-point lead when Lowry made the single biggest play of the night, ultimately sealing the Raptors 12th victory in 14 tries to begin the campaign. It was huge, Dwane Casey said following Mondays 104-100 win, Torontos fifth straight. That last play, where he dived on the ball and poked it away and caught [Thomas] sleeping was huge. He has the instincts to do that. As long as Casey is in charge, the Raptors will continue to hang their hats on defence. Thats what wins in this league, as hell tell you. Its what won on this night. However, its their suddenly red-hot offence that has helped propel them to their best start in team history. Mondays game featured two of the leagues highest scoring teams. The Raptors entered their meeting with Phoenix ranked second in points per game (first in the East), just ahead of the fourth-ranked Suns. Its hardly unusual to see the Suns at the top of the NBAs offensive hierarchy. With Steve Nash at the helm of a prolific and revolutionary offence, the Suns paced the NBA in scoring for six straight seasons earlier in the decade. Last year, their first under head coach Jeff Hornacek, they tailored their attack around a pair of dynamic point guards, reestablishing themselves as a nightly threat to run you out of the gym. But its a relatively new look for the defensive-minded Raptors. Their rise to the top of the scoring ladder has been gradual. Its been more subtle. In Caseys first year with the team, the 2011-12 lockout shortened campaign, the Raptors made strides in changing their culture by prioritizing defence, mostly at the expense of scoring. They were second to last in the league that season in offensive efficiency (scoring 100.8 points per 100 possessions). The next year, they improved to 13th in that category (105.9) before jumping to 10th last season (108.8). Through 14 games to begin the new year, the Raptors are the leagues second best team, scoring 114.1 points per 100 possessions, trailing only the Dallas Mavericks. There doesnt seem to be one easy explanation to justify the improvement. Firstly, internal growth has played a significant role. Lowry, by far the teams most valuable commodity and decision maker, has been unleashed, DeMar DeRozan has become more disciplined and Terrence Ross has blossomed into a reliable three-point shooter, stretching the floor and freeing up the two guards. The addition of Lou Williams, the Easts reigning Player of the Week, has added a new dimension off the bench. He, along with Lowry and DeRozan are among the best in the league at drawing and then selling contact on long jumpers, something that has helped the Raptors get to the line at an impressive rate. The Raptors attempted another 32 free throws Monday, hitting 26, which turned out to be a major advantage over the Suns, who made eight of their 11 shots from the line. Next, and perhaps most importantly, theyre getting back to sharing the ball. After being held under the 20-assist mark in seven of their first 10 games, the Raptors have exceeded 20 dimes in each of their last four contests. Lowry led Toronto with eight of its 21 assists against the Suns, but everyone was making a conscious effort to dish out the extra pass, from the teams guards all the way to Chuck Hayes, who dropped a nifty behind-the-back dime to Ross for a reverse slam in the second quarter. Its natural for our guys because theyve seen the fruits of it, of moving the ball, sharing the ball, Casey said. You wouldnt think it the first week, we were 27th in assists or something like that but now the ball is moving, its not sticking. I think once guys get comfortable within the offence, with the rhythm of the game, they do share the ball when they trust that the ball is going to go back to them. Then theres Jonas Valanciunas, the teams X-factor when utilized on offence. Hes never been better on that end than he was Monday. Valanciunas needed just 11 shots, missing only one, to score a career-best 27 points. The high-scoring tempo of the game didnt seem like one that would be conducive to a seven-footer with his skill set, but the Raptors third-year centre used that to his advantage, punishing the Suns smaller front line. To their credit, the Raptors - primarily Lowry - made a conscious effort to get Valanciunas the ball in the low post, which isnt always the case. He was dominant tonight, Lowry said. He was really aggressive, he asserted himself, he really attacked the basket. He really went out there and played like a true, dominant 7-foot centre. When all these pieces are clicking the way they have been, the Raptors offence has proven to be a handful. They have now scored 100 or more points in 12 of their first 14 games. But most importantly, for Casey, it hasnt come at the expense of their defence. Entering the game against Phoenix, the Raptors were still ranked fifth in defensive efficiency. Last year they were the only Eastern Conference team with a top 10 offensive and defensive rating. So far, Toronto and Memphis are the only NBA clubs ranked in the top five in both categories. We have a lot of scorers now, Valanciunas said. We have Lou, he can shoot from everywhere. Hes given us a lot. DeMar can shoot, Kyle Lowry can score, I can [list] names of every player who can score. Vapormax Plus Discount .Y. -- In a span of three days, Shabazz Napier and Connecticut knocked out both Philadelphia schools in the NCAA tournament. Air Max Plus Store . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. http://www.airmaxplusstoresale.com/ . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. Black Tns Sale . 4 jersey of former defenseman Rob Blake this coming season. The ceremony will take place prior to the Kings January 17 game against Anaheim. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Ultra Cheap . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.LONDON -- British Prime Minister David Cameron ruled out a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, saying Saturday that attending the games is a better way of tackling prejudice against gays. Cameron was responding to a letter from British actor and writer Stephen Fry, who called for the games to be taken away from Sochi, Russia, because of a new Russian law that bans "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" and imposes fines on those holding gay pride rallies. Fry was among hundreds of people protesting in London on Saturday against that law, which he called "preposterous." The demonstrators waved placards calling for a boycott of Sochi, and banners with the Olympic rings rendered in black. They chanted "Gay Rights for Russia" as they protested across from Downing Street, where Cameron resides. The British prime minister thankedd Fry for his note, saying on Twitter that he shares Frys "deep concern about the abuse of gay people in Russia.dddddddddddd" "I believe we can better challenge prejudice as we attend, rather than boycotting the Winter Olympics," Cameron said. Camerons words echoed remarks made a day earlier by President Barack Obama, who said he was deeply offended by Russias new law cracking down on gay rights activism but does not think it is "appropriate" to boycott the Olympics. While Fry acknowledged Saturday that it was "probably not realistic to call for a move or a boycott," he urged athletes to make symbolic protests at the games, such as crossing their arms over their chests. Such a move would "show they are thinking of the gay people of Russia who are being tormented and brutalized every day," Fry told the BBC. ' ' '