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NEW ORLEANS -- Greivis Vasquez drew a round of applause when he first checked in against the team for which he played the past two seasons. Later, he all but silenced the New Orleans crowd with five straight points that gave his new team the lead for good inside the final two minutes. DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points, Vasquez finished with 14, and the Toronto Raptors snapped a two-game skid with a resilient 107-100 victory over the Pelicans on Wednesday night. "I was blessed enough to be out there at the end of the game," said Vasquez, who was traded by New Orleans after last season in a deal that brought Tyreke Evans to the Pelicans. "I had a really rough first half and then the second half I was just on a mission," Vasquez said. "I like close games, man. Im not afraid. I would never be afraid. Im the type of player that would risk everything. Thats how I got (the starting point guard) job here in New Orleans." Kyle Lowry scored 23, Amir Johnson added 17 and Vasquez finished with 14 to help Toronto overcome a 14-point first-half deficit and snap a two-game skid. Tyler Hansbrough, playing additional minutes with starting centre Jonas Valanciunas sidelined by a sore back, grabbed 13 rebounds, seven on the offensive end. "Thats psycho-T at his finest," DeRozan said of Hansbrough. "He went out there, played extremely hard, got rebounds and came up with some big rebounds late in the game. Thats just him." The game was tied at 94 when Vasquez scored five straight points in a 36-second span on a running floater and a driving layup as he was fouled -- the latter coming after Vasquez rebounded his missed jumper for one of Torontos 22 offensive rebounds. "Its cool to have a teammate like that because you see how much he wanted it," DeRozan said of Vasquez. "Thats why we call him Spicy. You never know what youre going to get until you eat it." Al-Farouq Aminu had 19 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which was without All-Star Anthony Davis because of an illness. The Pelicans could not deny that Davis absence, one game after his career-high 40 points and 21 rebounds in Sundays overtime win over Boston, was a factor. "Obviously, with a guy that can rebound like Anthony, its hard to make up for that," rookie centre Jeff Withey said. Evans had 18 points for the Pelicans. Eric Gordon added 15, but was shut out in the second half, when his playing time was limited after he was called for his fourth foul in the middle of the third quarter. "Once he got in foul trouble ... I think that probably broke his rhythm," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. Brian Roberts scored 11 points, while Alexis Ajinca and Austin Rivers each had 10 to keep New Orleans in front for most of the game. New Orleans led 94-90 on Witheys free throw with 4:26 left. But during the next 50 seconds, Johnson slammed home a putback dunk and followed that with a driving layup as the shot clock expired to tie it at 94. Next came Vasquezs five straight points, followed by Lowrys free throw and Johnsons tip shot to cap a 12-1 run from which New Orleans never recovered. "We played decent defence, forced them to miss and they got rebound after rebound," Williams said. "We missed a lot of shots, layups in the paint, but the rebounding tonight was not good at all." Gordon, Aminu (12 points) and Evans (10 points) all reached double figures in the first half, much of which was controlled by New Orleans. The Pelicans seemed to surprise the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors by racing to an early double-digit lead. Rivers driving layup gave New Orleans a 31-18 lead late in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the lead reached 14 points several times, the last on Aminus layup that made it 50-36. At that point, there was 5:20 left in the second quarter, which was about all the time Toronto needed to nearly pull even. The Raptors outscored the Pelicans 20-7 to close the half. DeRozan scored nine during the stint, including a three-point play on a driving layup and a 12-foot fade at the halftime horn that made it 57-56. NOTES: The Pelicans went 3-3 on their six-game home stand. New Orleans next plays at Atlanta on Friday, then hosts Miami on Saturday to open a four-game home stand. ... The Raptors have not lost three straight since making a seven-player trade with Sacramento on Dec. 9. Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night. Cheap Custom Jerseys China . The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics finished their recent trek at 3-1 on Monday in Salt Lake City when Rajon Rondo made a key jumper with 24.1 seconds remaining, as Boston held off the Utah Jazz, 107-102, at EnergySolutions Arena. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/ . The 33-year-old defender has spent his entire career at Chelsea, scoring 57 goals in 621 appearances. He regained his regular starting place under Jose Mourinho in the season that ended at the weekend without Chelsea winning a trophy. Fake Custom Jerseys Online . The Senators return from a lengthy layoff caused by Wednesdays attack on Parliament Hill to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Custom Jerseys From China . Nick Holden scored two goals and had an assist and the Avalanche held off the Nashville Predators 5-4 Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.The NBA is holding a news conference on Tuesday in New York to discuss the investigation into racist comments allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in a recorded conversation. You can watch it live on TSN, TSN.ca and TSN GO at at 2pm et/11am pt. The news conference is a clear sign NBA Commissioner Adam Silver - in the first real crisis of his short tenure - is both following through on his plan to move quickly on this matter and adhering to a request from the players union for some sort of resolution in short order. The Clippers host Golden State in Game 5 of their Western Conference first round series on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. "He should not continue owning the clippers," Lakers star Kobe Bryant wrote Monday on Twitter. Fallout from the Sterling scandal continued Monday, with CarMax -- the nations largest retailer of used vehicles -- ending its sponsorship of the team. The company said in a statement it finds the statements attributed to Sterling "completely unacceptable." "While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor for nine years and support the team, fans and community, these statements necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship," it explained. Portions of the recordings were released over the weekend by TMZ and Deadspin. Silvers first step in the process was to authenticate that Sterlings voice is on the tape, and while the NBA has not confirmed that it is, Sterlings wife attributed the comments to her husband. "Our family is devastated by the racist comments made by my estranged husband," Rochelle Sterling said in a statement sent KABC-TV in Los Angeles. "My children and I do not share these despicable views or prejudices. We will not let one mans small mindedness poison the spirit of the fans and accomplishments of the team in the city we love. We are doing everything in our power to stand by and support our Clippers team." Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, the former NBA All-Star who is serving as an adviser to the National Basketball Players Association while the Sterling matter plays out, called it "a massive distraction" to the league. What Silver will do remains unclear. He works for the owners -- and so far that group seems to have no sympathy for Sterlings latest controversy. Among those who have spoken out publicly to condemn the alleged Sterling remarks: Washingtons Ted Leonsis, Miamis Micky Arison and perhaps most notably, Charlottes Michael Jordan, who won six NBA titles as a player. "Im obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views," Jordan said in a statement released Sunday. "Im confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly." Silvers tenure&nbbsp;as commissioner began on Feb.dddddddddddd 1, replacing the retired David Stern. Silver met with Kevin Johnson on Sunday and heard five things that the players union wants from the commissioner. The list includes: - Sterling not attending any NBA games for the rest of the playoffs because of the "enormous distraction." - A full account of past allegations of discrimination by Sterling and why the league never sanctioned him. - An explanation of the range of penalties the league could bring against Sterling. - Assurance the NBA and the union will be partners in the investigation. - A decisive ruling. "Hes got to come down hard," Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson, who was referenced on the audio recording, said Sunday on ABC. The NBA constitution is not public, though its understood the commissioners powers are broad when it comes to dealing with matters deemed "prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball." A fine, a suspension, a demand for sensitivity training, all those and more are surely at Silvers disposal. Meanwhile, more audio may be coming. An employee in the office of attorney Mac E. Nehoray, who represents the woman allegedly on the tape, said the full recording lasts about an hour. The clips released by TMZ and Deadspin are significantly shorter than that. The attorneys office also insists that the recording is legitimate and that Sterling is the man on the tape. Also on Sunday, the NAACP announced on Twitter that Sterling will not be receiving a lifetime achievement award from the LA Branch of the NAACP." Sterling had been slated to receive the honour May 15 as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the groups Los Angeles chapter. Some players feel for the magnitude of the task Silver is facing. "What, hes been three months on the job? And he has to deal with an issue like this," Washingtons Garrett Temple said. "Its unfair to him. ... Its going to be a difficult situation for him to take care of, and hes probably going to act swiftly as he said. And he needs to do so. Its a very tough issue. A lot of different sides. But its more than basketball." Sterling has been the subject of many past controversies, but this, particularly at playoff time and with his own team a potential title contender, has perhaps generated more outcry than the others combined. Even President Barack Obama addressed the issue Sunday at a news conference in Malaysia. The next move will be made by Silver, and Tuesday apparently is the day. "This is a defining moment for the league," Kevin Johnson said. "Its a defining moment for the commissioner." AP Sports Writers Antonio Gonzalez and Joseph White and Associated Press Writer John Rogers contributed to this report. ' ' '