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TORONTO - Amir Johnson has never been one to sulk over playing time. Whether starting or coming off the bench, Johnson has always accepted his role in stride, part of whats made him the Raptors unsung hero for the better part of the last three seasons. His body language spoke louder than words on Sunday, both before and after his teams 112-98 loss to the Nuggets, their third straight defeat at home. An hour before tip-off a subdued Johnson sat alone in front of his locker. Playing a racing game on his phone - with the volume turned up - he knew what everyone else would find out 50 minutes later. For the first time since Mar. 23, a span of 27 games, Johnson would come off the bench with Tyler Hansbrough replacing him in the Raptors starting five. Dwane Casey had hinted a lineup change could be on its way after practice the day prior but the Raptors coach kept his cards close to his vest during his pre-game availability, with the Nuggets withholding the status of starter Kenneth Faried. Following a couple slow starts in back-to-back defeats at home, the shakeup was not a surprise. "Weve been talking about it, a few days back," Johnson said, despondent after the game. A man of few words. While Johnson was held scoreless in 14 uninspiring minutes as a reserve - an uncharacteristic minus-16 on the afternoon - the change seemed to spark his team out of the gate. Along with Jonas Valanciunas, Hansbrough set the tone for the Raptors, who took an early 15-point lead thanks in large part to Torontos energy and physical work on the boards. However, that lead shrunk in a hurry as both teams went to their second units. The Nuggets - a team assembled, at least in part by Raptors GM Masai Ujiri - dominated the final 36 minutes with their superior depth, exploiting the deficiencies in Torontos shallow roster. "Masai did too good of a job of putting that group together," Casey joked before the game. The Nuggets and their new coach Brian Shaw went 10 players deep, six of them scoring in double figures, including four off the bench. "Our bench has got to give us something," Casey maintained after Denvers subs scored 72 points, an opponent record against the Raptors. "Our (starters) cant play for 48 (minutes), so weve got to get production from the bench." "The guys coming in have got to develop a toughness, a resilience of getting stops and it starts on the defensive end. Thats where our problems started in the second half. They shot well but we didnt make them feel us and thats the difference." As a team, the Nuggets shot 65 per cent in the second half and their bench went 17-for-23 from the field. Johnson - now a member of the Raptors second unit that managed just 16 points on Sunday - has not been himself this season, to his own admission. "No, Ive been on and off," he responded, asked if his early-season play has met his standards. "I mean thats why we made the change in the lineup," Casey said in agreement. "Just to give us some energy, give (Johnson) a chance to recharge a little bit, refresh a little bit, refocus a little bit." Even after Sundays game, Johnson is a plus-20 this season - the teams second best mark - shooting 54 per cent from the field, tops on the Raptors. Still, his effort and consequently his impact has been inconsistent following a career season last year. At times Casey has questioned the forwards focus. "Everybodys been through some rough times," said Rudy Gay, who had a team-high 23 points on 10-of-23 shooting in the loss. "Ive been through it… and hes going through it now." "Everybodys going to go through it at some point in their career and this is the time hes been going through it. But I have all confidence in Amir. Hes going to be great, hes going to be the same Amir we know he can be." Frustration boiling over The Raptors have now dropped three straight and five of their last six games at home, prompting a sensible question; is frustration beginning to get the best of them? "It should hurt," Casey insisted. "But the teams that we played against, if you looked at the schedule before the season started, how many of them would we have been favoured (in)? But thats no excuse because we put ourselves in a position (to win) in each of these games and even in this one in the first half. I dont see frustration." DeMar DeRozan didnt mince words, expressing his frustration after the loss. "Me personally, Im frustrated period," he exclaimed after scoring 17 points in defeat. "Just losing, I mean I hate it, I hate it with a passion." "I mean were right there. Were the ones doing it. Nobodys making us miss our coverages or nothing like that. Its on us. We show it in spurts, weve just got to be more consistent with it." Rare third-quarter touches for Valanciunas Coming into Sundays contest, Jonas Valanciunas had scored 71 points on 57 shots in first quarters this season, tallying just 60 points on 58 shots in the other three quarters combined. The sophomore was utilized more consistently against a smaller Denver team and he responded with one of his better performances of the campaign. "I thought he had a (good) matchup with those guys so we made it a focal point of getting him the ball in the paint," Casey said of Valanciunas, who had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes of action. "He did an excellent job of getting to where he wanted to go." Valanciunas had four points on seven shots in the first frame, a quarter the Raptors won, also taking seven shots and scoring eight in the third, their next best quarter. As Toronto got steamrolled in the fourth, Valanciunas attempted just one field goal in over nine minutes. If the Raptors hope to diversify their offence, which has largely been centred on Gay and DeRozan, they must find ways to incorporate their centre more consistently, a task thats easier said than done given the teams personnel and the sophomores continued development on both ends of the floor. Up next After winning one of four games during their season-long home stand, the Raptors travel west next week. Their first stop is in Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors. Kurt Warner Jersey .Currently no, Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs deputy director of the competitions division and head of womens competitions, said Tuesday in an interview from Ottawa. Haason Reddick Jersey . "Im very pleased to be able to add a quarterback with Adrians experience and skill set," Calgary head coach and general manager John Hufnagel said in a statement. http://www.officialarizonacardinalspro.c...rdinals-jersey/. Not to be outdone, Atletico Madrid bettered its title rivals by demolishing 10-man Getafe 7-0 with Diego Costa returning from injury to score with a brilliant bicycle kick. "It was an almost perfect night," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. Adrian Wilson Jersey .C. -- The Carolina Panthers announced Thursday theyve signed free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a two-year contract, helping rebuild a depleted wide receiving corps. Pat Tillman Jersey . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24.PHOENIX -- There were too many players close behind and too many low scores to be had for Lydia Ko to feel at ease at the top of the JTBC Founders Cup leaderboard. That wont change the 16-year-old New Zealanders approach Sunday at Desert Mountain. "Im just going to play my own game," Ko said. "If somebody goes crazy low like shooting 10 under, 9 under or whatever, its not something I can control." She shot a 5-under 67 on Saturday to reach 16-under 200. Jessica Korda and Mirim Lee were a stroke back, and a dozen players were within four shots on a course that gave up a 63 and two 64s in the third round. "Obviously, theres going to be some nerves," Ko said. "Of course, thats always there." Ko was 3 under on Wildfires Arnold Palmer-designed front nine Saturday after playing it in even par the first two days. She eagled the par-5 fifth after hitting a 5-wood to 7 feet. "I played much better on the front nine, so I was really happy with that," Ko said. Ko tapped in for birdie on the par-5 15th after missing an eagle try and took the outright lead with a 10-footer on the par-3 17th. Shes 13 under on the Nick Faldo-designed back nine, where the tournament will be decided. "You never know until the last hole, last putt," Ko said. Ko won the Canadian Womens Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Thailand in her second start as a professional. She has five victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand. "It would be pretty special and especially at the Founders Cup," Ko said. "Without the founders, there would be no LPGA. This has been my dream tour." Ko will play alongside Korda. They also played together in the first two rounds. "Its always cool to play with her," Ko said. Korda, the winner in the season-opening event in the Bahamas, birdied the final two holes for her second bogey-free 66 in a row. "I look at her like a little sister," Korda said about Ko. "Shes a great girl." Lee, the leader after each of the first two rounds, bogeyed the 15th and shot 70. Shes making her third start on the LPPGA Tour after winning three times on the Korean LPGA.dddddddddddd Sun Young Yoo, the 2012 Kraft Nabisco winner, was 14 under after a 68. Michelle Wie had a 67 to join Azahara Munoz, So Yeon Ryu, Amy Yang and Chella Choi at 13 under. "I couldnt get anything to the hole, but scrambled and shot 5 under," Wie said. "Im really happy to be in the position that I am. Im really excited for tomorrow." Munoz, coming off a playoff loss to Paula Creamer three weeks ago in Singapore, shot 64 -- one of 19 rounds of 67 or better in the 74-player field Saturday. Yang had a 67, and Ryu and Choi shot 68. Choi holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-4 18th. Creamer had a 64 to match defending champion Stacy Lewis and Morgan Pressel at 12 under. Creamer played the first 15 holes in 9 under, then bogeyed the short par-4 16 after driving into a bunker. "I have hit the ball great this week," Creamer said. "Ive given myself so many opportunities, its kind of ridiculous. I just didnt putt my best the last two days." In Singapore, she holed a 75-foot eagle putt to beat Munoz on the second extra hole. Lewis and Pressel, 9 under after 11 holes Thursday, shot 67. "Pretty disappointing," Lewis said. "I left a ton of shots out there today. The greens were a bit softer and I just didnt quite adjust to it. Speed was a little bit different." Scottsdale resident Cristie Kerr matched the course record with a 63 to reach 11 under, finishing an hour before the leaders teed off. "I saw Cristie shot 9 under and Paula was 8 and I was like, Wow! Thats serious scoring," Korda said. "But the greens are a little bit bouncier in the afternoon and you can kind of see where people have walked." Kerr, playing a new set of irons this week, had an eagle, eight birdies and a three-putt bogey. "Im glad that I had the courage to switch because Im just so much more consistent now," Kerr said. DIVOTS: The third-round scoring average was 69.421. ... Top-ranked Inbee Park was 11 under after a 70. ... Ai Miyazato set the course record in the first round last year. ... Fifty-year-old Laura Davies shot 66 to reach 11 under. 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