PS2 » as their respect and he has a relationship with them.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Derrick Favors made quite an impression with the first game-winning shot of his career -- at any level. Through all his years of playing basketball, even in grade school, Favours had never been the last-second hero. "My first game-winner ever," Favors proclaimed after he finished with a flourish to beat Los Angeles Friday night. His putback dunk with 2.1 seconds remaining lifted the Utah Jazz to a 105-103 victory over the depleted Lakers. With the game tied at 103, Gordon Hayward drove to the basket on Utahs final possession but missed his off-balance attempt as the Lakers converged. Favours grabbed the rebound and slammed the ball home to snap Utahs four-game home losing streak. "The two big guys for the Lakers went over and altered his shot a little bit. It went off the rim and I was just there for the offensive rebound," said Favours, who had 18 points and 14 rebounds. The big mans follow jam was a relief to the Hayward and the Jazz. "He came in and cleaned up. I saw him with the finish and thats all I needed to see," said Hayward, who had with 24 points and nine assists. Utah coaches called the play for Hayward but reminded their players multiple times "to crash the boards hard," according to Trey Burke. "We had run that angle pick-and-roll with success throughout the game," Hayward said of the final play. "I tried to get to the basket and put it up on the rim there and give everyone a chance to rebound. They made a mistake by not boxing out Fav." The ailing Lakers seemed to be fighting back all night. Jodie Meeks tied the game at 99-all, but Hayward hit a 3-pointer, made a steal and hit one of two free throws to put Utah ahead. Jordan Hill put in a follow and then made a pair of free throws to knot the game at 103 with 18.6 seconds left. Nick Young scored 21 points in 27 minutes before fouling out with 5:45 remaining and Chris Kaman had a season-high 19 points starting in place of Pau Gasol, who was out with a respiratory infection. Kobe Bryant (knee fracture) and point guards Steve Nash (back) and Steve Blake (elbow) remain sidelined for Lakers, who have lost four in a row. Bryant missed his fifth game after a short six-game comeback after Achilles surgery and is not expected back for three to five weeks. Midway through the fourth quarter, Alec Burks hit 3 of 4 free throws and then tracked down a long rebound and fed the streaking Hayward for a dunk that made it 96-90. The rim-rocking slam brought a thunderous roar from the first sellout crowd of the season since opening night. "They pumped us up, man. We went on a couple runs and we couldnt even hear anything," Hayward said. "Its good to be home." Down the stretch, the Lakers fought back behind Hill, who had 13 points in the final period. Marvin Williams scored 16 points, Trey Burke had 14 points and seven assists, and Burks had 13 points for the Jazz, who stopped their worst home skid since losing seven straight in February and March of 2011. The Jazz are finally starting to learn how to win close games, coming out on top in a contest that featured 14 lead changes and 16 ties. "The poise we showed down the stretch after we gave up the lead, the fight to make big plays by Derrick and Gordon to win, that shows growth," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. Los Angeles did have Jordan Farmar, who had 16 points and seven assists. "I felt better down the stretch. But my legs were a little heavy and I missed some shots short that I should have made to help us out," said Farmar, who missed 10 games with a hamstring tear and then played 33 minutes against Miami on Christmas Day without the benefit of a full practice, scoring three points on 1-of-7 shooting. Without Blake and Nash, they dont have much of a choice but to go with Farmar, who spent last season playing in Turkey. "Im going to stay aggressive, keep working and get it back soon so I can help this team take it to the next level," Farmar said. NOTES: Jazz reserve Mike Harris was not with the team so he could be at the birth of his new baby. . A sizable percentage of the arena cheered loudly for the Lakers, including Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando and his son. . The Jazz have won five of their last six games against the Lakers. . The Lakers reserves outscored the Jazz, 51-26. Zay Jones Youth Jersey ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. Andre Roberts Womens Jersey . Erik Logan, president of the network, said Friday that the postponement was made after meetings with the St. Louis Rams. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Andre-Roberts-Bills-Jersey/ . -- Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. TreDavious White Bills Jersey . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. TreDavious White Jersey . -- Gary Harris gave No.TORONTO - With just over two minutes remaining in the first half of Mondays win over the lowly Bucks, Kyle Lowry dumped the ball into Jonas Valanciunas on the left block. Isolated against Ersan Ilyasova, Valanciunas turned to face up, took one dribble and barreled into the smaller defender, who took the charge. As Milwaukee called a timeout, Lowry followed the Raptors promising sophomore centre straight to the bench. “Know your opponent,” he implored, instructing Valanciunas to post-up when he has a size and strength advantage over the defender. The Raptors were up by 14 at the time, they would go on to win by 22 and Valanciunas would register his 12th double-double of the campaign, four more than he totalled as a rookie last season. Still, Lowry was all over the gaffe. The two have developed a mutually beneficial mentor-protégé relationship. "Hes kind of like a coach," Valanciunas said of Lowry after practice the day prior. He knows a lot, he tries to help everybody, especially me because Im the young guy." Lowry has been as tough on the young centre as anyone in the Raptors organization and as such his fingerprints can be found all over the 21-year-olds continued development. "Hes been great," coach Dwane Casey told TSN.ca, speaking of Lowry and the leadership role hes taken with Valanciunas. "He has a way of getting on him but yet still he has a relationship with him that he can talk to him that way. "Other people may not understand it but Kyles done a great job of working with Jonas, letting him know what he needs to do. [Hes] just been a great mentor to him. Thats been huge for Jonas." Both players are approaching the middle of their second season together in Toronto. Lowry was acquired in a trade from Houston in July of 2012, just around the same time Valanciunas - Torontos fifth overall pick in 2011 - had arrived from Lithuania. After missing the bulk of training camp with injuries last season, both of their Raptor careers got off to shaky starts. While Lowry struggled through injuries, fluctuating playing time and philosophical differences with the coaching staff, Valanciunas experienced the growing pains you would expect from a 20-year-old getting accustomed to his surroundings in a new country, in a new league. Valanciunas has seen his playing time increase by five minutes per night in his second season; hes regularly on the court during crucial moments at the end of games and he is becoming more of a focal point in Torontos offence. However, as both his coach and his point guard would tell you, hes far from a finished product. He continues to make nightly mistakes - with his positioning, in the pick-and-roll game, and on defence, particularly as the help man - and Lowry is usually the first person to let him hear about it. "Every time he messes up we talk about it," Lowry said. "I tell him what he did and then he fixes it and I congratulate him when he does it [right]. "I think he has the skills and he has the heart and he has the right mentality to be one of the best bigs in the league," the Raptors point guard continued. "My constructive criticism is just tough, big brother love. I think the world of him, I think he can be so good [and] tthats why I push him.dddddddddddd. Im always going to be tough on him because I know how good hes going to be." Lowry, an eight-year NBA vet, is also coming into his own, playing the best basketball of his career and spearheading the Raptors recent resurgence. "Thats just coming from buying in if you ask me," former Raptors teammate Alan Anderson said of Lowry. Most importantly - for a player that will be in the market for a new contract this summer - he is well on his way to shedding the reputation that has followed him like a dark cloud over the years. "Kyles showed hes been a positive leader," Casey said over the weekend. "I think that was the biggest question among coaches around the league, could he be a positive leader and be productive on the court." Not only has he been productive, averaging career-highs across the board, but hes been the consummate professional his team has desperately needed him to be while remaining a positive influence on his younger teammates, namely Valanciunas. Occasionally combative, Lowrys fiery nature has often been misunderstood. The reality - which his teammates and coaches have come to accept and appreciate - is, he holds himself and everyone around him to an incredibly high standard. He is a fierce competitor with an unrelenting will to win. Lowry is a strong personality, certainly not the first Casey has coached. The Raptors coach worked with future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett in Minnesota and current Nets bench boss Jason Kidd in Dallas, but Lowrys leadership style reminds him of another hard-nosed point guard from his past. "The guards that Ive had, Gary Payton was one of the [toughest]," Casey said, having coached ‘The Glove as an assistant in Seattle. "He would use some colourful words to talk with his teammates but they understood it, he had a relationship with [them], just like Kyle. Kyle reminds me so much of Gary in the fact that he can talk to players in a certain way that they understand because he has their respect and he has a relationship with them. "As long as you have that relationship and you back it up with love and real sugar than you can get on guys but I havent seen Kyle be overly tough on JV, just when he needs it and just the right amount." As Casey points out, Lowry walks a fine line between tough love and going too far, but he does it with precision. Hes hard on Valanciunas because he recognizes the young mans upside but also, and most importantly, he knows the seven-footer can take it. "Hes really receptive," Lowry said, "because I tell him, I tell him why Im so tough on him and he understands that. "He knows how to do it," said Valanciunas, who has thick skin, having played professionally in Europe since he was 15. "I understand hes my teammates, he wants me to do good and [Ive] just got to live with that." Whether or not Valanciunas realizes or fully appreciates it now, Lowry should have a long-lasting impact on his auspicious NBA career. As for Lowry, his future with the team remains uncertain but wherever he ends up, after cashing in on this seasons revival, his Raptors legacy will live on in the growth of the franchises emerging centre. ' ' '