INDIANAPOLIS - It was just before 2pm local time when the Raptors landed on game-day, five hours prior to tipoff and 38 hours after they were originally scheduled to touchdown in Indianapolis. Creatures of habit, the Raptors were expecting to fly out after their previous game - a hard-fought loss in Miami on Sunday - practice on Monday and shoot around ahead of an already daunting match-up with the league-best Pacers, a team they had defeated at home a week earlier. Instead, Mother Nature threw them a curveball and they had no choice but to adjust. A major snowstorm and frigid temperatures in Indianapolis resulted in the altered itinerary, a reasonable excuse for a team that has vowed to stop making excuses, and to their credit they refused to take the bait. "We can have all the excuses in the world, but in a game like this you have to man up and bring it," Dwane Casey said after his road-weary club dropped Tuesdays sluggish rematch with the Pacers 86-79 in snow-covered Indianapolis. "Its a mans league. I expected us to have a little bit of a hangover with the bullcrap with the travel but I thought we put ourselves in a position to win. Now weve got to close the deal." Not one Raptor player would use the teams travel nightmare as justification for the loss; they would barely even acknowledge it in the visitors locker room post-game. It was the type of easy out they used to fall back on, almost routinely. This time they did what winning teams do. They owned it. "[We] had the opportunity, but didnt make shots," said Kyle Lowry, who had 16 points to go along with just two dimes, his lowest assist total since November 11th. "They beat us. We were a little bit off, schedule off, routine, but still had a chance to win, so cant really say it messed us up too much." The loss was just their fifth in 15 games since the trade, dropping a game below the .500 mark. "We came out a little sluggish, had a couple turnovers at the beginning, shots werent falling for us and we got out-rebounded," said Amir Johnson, coming off his worst outing of the season. "Theres your ball game." More often than not, the Raptors were a step slow against a team that prides itself on pounding opponents into submission, especially at home, where theyve suffered just one loss. Toronto was out of sync, looking nothing like the club that stunned the Pacers at the Air Canada Centre last week. The Raptors managed just 18 assists, failing to reach 20 dimes for only the fourth time in the last 15 games. They were out-rebounded by 17 and bested by 14 in the paint, 11 in second-chance points. True to character they nearly made something out of nothing, cutting their deficit - once as big as 17 - to six down the stretch before eventually succumbing to the home teams punishing brand of basketball. "Guys were just a little bit off from their rhythm," Lowry said. "Not making shots, just the timing of everything was just a little off tonight." DeMar DeRozan scored the teams final 17 of the third quarter and finished with 28 and Patrick Patterson - playing in place of Johnson - had 11 of his 20 points in the fourth. Johnson was not himself, finishing scoreless on five attempts in just over 20 minutes of action. Battling a cold on top of the travel snafus, the Raptors forward struggled through fatigue, looking out of breath on a couple of occasions in the first half. With Patterson playing well, Casey opted to ride the hot hand and sit Johnson in the fourth. Jonas Valanciunas also had an off night, held to just four points in 32 minutes and outplayed by Pacers centre Roy Hibbert on both ends of the floor. The team checked in and out of its Miami hotel three times before eventually taking off for Indianapolis at 11:30am Tuesday morning. There, they spent less than an hour at the hotel before boarding three busses to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, skipping shoot around and putting a dent into most of their game-day routine. "Youve just got to get your body going," Johnson said before the game. "After sitting down for a couple of hours, youve got to [stay active]." "Adversity sometimes comes in different ways," Casey said. "Its a good character builder for us. You hate to be against the best team in the conference but it is what it is." Kevin Durant Shoes From China . "Im going to send Webbie a six-pack (of beer) tonight," she said. Webb wasnt sure that would help. "Ill probably drink one and go to sleep," the Australian veteran said. The two players set up a Sunday showdown between former HSBC champions after finishing off their third rounds with identical birdies over three of the last five holes Saturday to separate themselves slightly from the rest of the crowded leaderboard. Kevin Durant Shoes For Sale . Mika Zibanejad and Jason Spezza scored in the shootout to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday night. https://www.kevindurantshoescheap.com/ . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again. Kevin Durant Shoes Outlet . - Olympic champion Marielle Thompson accomplished her mission of defending her skicross World Cup title at Nakiska Ski Area on Saturday. Kevin Durant Shoes Deals . The matchup will be made up in Minnesota at a later date. The arena was evacuated about 45 minutes before the scheduled 9:30 p.m. EST tipoff when a generator malfunction outside the arena sent smoke pouring into the building, according to NBA spokeswoman Sharon Lima.ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Cardinals say an MRI exam on right-hander Michael Wachas injured shoulder showed progress, but not enough for him to resume throwing. General manager John Mozeliak said Monday that Wacha, the NL championship series MVP last fall, will be evaluated again in two weeks. He said continued treatment along with weight training to strengthen the area around the stress fracture was in the pitchers best interests. "Its not there yet," Mozeliak said. "Im sure hes frustrated and would like to feel a little better." The 23-year-old Wacha was 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA last post-season. Hes been on the 15-day disabled list since June 18 and is 5-5 with a 2.79 ERA for the defending National League champions. The injury is uncommon for a pitcher, so the Cardinals are "creating our own road map," Mozeliak said. The team has consulted several specialists to help determine the course of treatment. Mozeliak said Joe Kelly, on the DL since April 17 with a left hamstring strain, could return to the rotation Friday at Milwaukee. Kelly allowed a run in 4 1-3 innings and allowed a run on three hits in his third rehab start. "The hamstring doesnt even seem to be an issue with him right now," manager Mike Matheny said. "After that, its what does his stuff look like, and he was prretty happy.dddddddddddd" The Cardinals have already counted lefty Jaimie Garcia out for the year with a shoulder injury. Garcia is likely to undergo thoracic outlet surgery to relieve nerve issues in his shoulder soon and has bypassed the teams medical staff in favour of Dr. Robert Thompson of St. Louis. Despite the injuries, Mozeliak believes the Cardinals have plenty of pitching and wont be desperate at the trade deadline. Left-hander Tyler Lyons was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to add bullpen depth with fellow lefty Marco Gonzales optioned a day after he started against the Marlins. Matheny said Lyons could be an option to start Friday but emphasized he wouldnt hesitate to use him right away in relief. Lyons, 26, was 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA in six appearances, including four starts, earlier this season. He went on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain on May 13 and has made three starts since being reinstated on June 19. The 22-year-old Gonzales made his first three career starts after being recalled from Double-A Springfield and was 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA, allowing one run in 4 2-3 innings Sunday while walking five. He was a first-round pick last year and is 5-4 with a 1.89 ERA in 13 starts at Class A Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield, and is at the Triple-A level for the first time. ' ' '