Gesundheit » do because of my faith." Salmons clarified, when a

MIAMI -- LeBron James watched from the bench in a stylish grey suit, and with the game deadlocked at halftime, he took off his necktie. Soon the tie on the scoreboard was gone, too. Stout defence plus Chris Boshs outside shooting and a boost from Miamis reserves helped the Heat overcome the absence of their MVP on Sunday to beat the Chicago Bulls 93-79. "We were missing a pretty big man," Dwyane Wade said. "Theres nothing we can do to replace the best player in the world, but we just had to go out there and play team basketball on both ends of the floor." James was a late scratch after he broke his nose in Thursdays win at Oklahoma City, and his teammates picked up the slack. Former NBA No. 1 draft pick Greg Oden replaced James for his first NBA start since December 2009, and reserves Chris Andersen, Michael Beasley and Ray Allen helped the Heat pull away in the second half. "You dont want to see guys out," said coach Erik Spoelstra, who earned his 300th career victory. "But when guys are out, Im always curious to see how you respond as a team. Weve have several of these games that could have been excuse games, but guys have stepped up." Bosh tied a career high with four 3-pointers and had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Wade added 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Mario Chalmers contributed 12 points and nine assists. Defence did the rest against the offensively challenged Bulls. "Were starting to put it together defensively," Bosh said. "We got off to a slow start early in the season, but I think right now were starting to get it, starting to click." Like the Heat, the Bulls were also short-handed, with starter Jimmy Butler a late scratch because of bruised ribs. They shot 36 per cent, went 6 for 21 from 3-point range and were called for a 24-second violation at least six times, including twice in a row. "We werent playing with a good enough thrust," guard Kirk Hinrich said. "We were slow getting into our stuff. We didnt make quick decisions, and we got stuck fighting the clock." Joakim Noah had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks for the Bulls, who had won five in a row. "Those guys have ended our seasons a lot," Noah said. "Youve got to hate playing those guys, and every time we play them our intensity has to be high. We did it in spurts, it wasnt good the whole time, and thats whats disappointing." Miami, playing at home for the first time in 20 days, extended its winning streak to five games. Wade sealed the victory by sinking a jumper with less than three minutes left, giving the Heat their first 18-point lead. Earlier two of his points came on free throws after he improvised a backward somersault when fouled hard in the lane. Otherwise there werent a lot of acrobatics from the typically high-flying Heat, who shot 42 per cent and had only seven fast-break points. Contributing to the workmanlike effort was the 7-foot Oden, playing his 11th game after being sidelined by knee trouble for 3 1/2 years. He had five points and five rebounds in 13 minutes. "Greg was great," Spoelstra said. "Hes an active player for somebody that big, and hes very intelligent. He has a good grasp of what we want to do." The stoic Oden shrugged off the milestone of returning to the starting lineup. "Im starting to feel a little more comfortable out there, and I think guys are starting to feel more comfortable with me," he said. "Its something we can build on. Being able to put me in that starting lineup showed some confidence in me." James, missing a game for only the second time this season, drew a big ovation when he was shown on the video scoreboard during an early timeout. During another timeout in the fourth quarter, when the Heat had built a big cushion, he danced to music blaring over the public address system while his teammates huddled. They scored on seven consecutive possessions during a 16-2 run at the end of the third quarter that put them ahead 65-52. The catalysts were unlikely: In quick succession, Andersen dunked on an alley-oop, Allen hit a runner and Beasley banked home a basket. "It doesnt matter if LeBrons out," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Theyre a good team. That team has other players. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade -- those are All-Stars, too. The bench is deep. Thats a championship team." NOTES: Spoelstra earned his 300th victory in his 448th game. Only five coaches reached the milestone more quickly, including his boss, Pat Riley, who did it the fastest at 416 games. ... Wades seven offensive rebounds were a career high. ... The Bulls fell to 24-6 when leading after one quarter. ... Miami improved to 8-1 in February. Wholesale Yeezy China . Napoli hit two home runs, Jonny Gomes and prized rookie Xander Bogaerts also connected, and the Red Sox kept up their dizzying scoring spree at Yankee Stadium by bashing New York 13-9 Saturday for a fifth straight win. Yeezy China . However, Jim Popp isnt sure how long hell be able to admire wide receiver Duron Carter. https://www.yeezychina.us/ . According to a report from ESPN, sources said Manuels college coach Jimbo Fisher told teams he didnt think Manuel had the tools to be an NFL starter. Fake Yeezy China . The Henry Burris-led squad finished second in the East Division before advancing to the Grey Cup where they ultimately fell to the home field advantage wielding Saskatchewan Roughriders. Cheap Yeezy China . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory.TORONTO - For three incoming Raptors the last 72-hour period has felt like an eternity. "Im pretty beat right now," admitted John Salmons, one of four players coming to the Raptors from Sacramento in the deal, finalized Monday, that shipped Rudy Gay out of town. "Im tired right now. When we were up there watching film, I was nodding off in the film, especially with the three-hour difference, losing three hours." "If I had to play today, man, Id look so bad," Chuck Hayes joked. "Theyd probably ship me back." Salmons, Hayes and teammate Patrick Patterson arrived in Toronto Tuesday evening. After passing their physicals Wednesday morning, the trio met with Raptors coach Dwane Casey, sat through a brief film session and were introduced to the local media in the teams practice facility at the Air Canada Centre. The fourth newcomer, guard Greivis Vasquez, is a full day behind the others. Vasquez had to stop over in New York to get his visa before landing at Pearson Wednesday evening. Fresh off a weekend back-to-back, the Kings - back in Sacramento at the time - were given Sunday off. Each player found out they had been traded to Toronto as reports of the deal began to surface at around 4:00pm local time, each in a different way. "I was sitting on my couch watching TV," Salmons recounted. "I wasnt doing too much. I started getting these texts, people telling me what happened." "I got a phone call from my agent while I was watching football, and checking my fantasy football," said Hayes, he like Salmons was caught off guard. Patterson wasnt going to let the life-changing news spoil his Sunday out. "I had my family in town for a couple of days, spending quality time with my mother and decided to take her to the movies," he narrated. "We were going to see The Hunger Games, so literally as Im going into the movie, my phone was blowing up left and right friends, people on the team, my agent is calling me." Finally he answered the phone, receiving the news from his agent. The third-year forward was being traded for the second time in two seasons. "Im like, Yo, Ill call you back in about 2.5 hours, Im taking my mom into a movie, so I literally found out like five minutes before the movie." What would you have done? Call your friends and family? Gone home to pack? No way. Patterson withheld the news from his mom until the film let out so they could both enjoy the show, start to finish. "It didnt ruin the movie," he said. "It was a good movie. I couldnt let it ruin the movie." Midseason trades, even early-season ones are not easy on anyone. Both teams have to integrate new players. The players have to move their lives, in some cases their families, in this case getting accustomed to a new country, a new time zone and a new climate. "My son doesnt have [a passport], so I was busy working on him, getting his paperwork together," Hayes said. "Its a business," Patterson pointed out, not the first to do so this week, its become something of a slogan around the ACC. "Thankfully, this isnt my first [trade]." Patterson, 24, is the youngest of the quartet, while Salmons - who turns 34 Thursday - and Hayes (two days older than Steve Novak) instantly become the eldest on their new team. On Thursday the on-court addjustment begins.dddddddddddd. All four players, Vasquez included, will join their new teammates in a full practice and their experience in the league should help Coach Casey. "They understand," Casey said. "Theyve been around the block a few times so thatll help to mix them in with our guys. The hard part is getting the chemistry, the timing, guys understanding where guys like the ball, those types of things so that will take some time but the veteran play will help." Of the four, only Hayes has a fully guaranteed contract for next season, meaning the other three - namely Vasquez and Patterson - will be auditioning for their futures in Toronto or elsewhere in the NBA. Vasquez figures to get consistent playing time right off the bat, backing up Kyle Lowry at the point and occasionally joining him in the backcourt. Salmons will be used off the bench, giving Casey another option at a suddenly weak small forward position for the Raptors. Patterson and Hayes should both get a shot in Caseys frontcourt rotation, the latter seems to have already endeared himself to his new coach with his positive approach and high basketball IQ. What could have been For Salmons, theres some irony in being traded to Toronto after declining to become a Raptor seven years ago. In 2006, then a 26-year-old coming off a career year in Philadelphia, Salmons had agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that would have sent him to Toronto before eventually backing out and signing in Sacramento instead. "Upon reviewing the basketball situation in Toronto, John decided its not the best fit for him," Salmons agent, Joel Bell had commented. Salmons had a strange explanation at the time. "Originally, I felt like I had to make a decision but I didnt really feel [Toronto] was where God was leading me." The swingman elaborated on Wednesday when asked about nixing that deal. "It was a difficult decision for me," he told TSN.ca. "I had a couple options on the table. I just felt like it was a thing where I relied on my faith. I felt it wasnt the place for me to be at the time. I hope the fans dont hold it against me. I felt like it was something I had to do because of my faith." Salmons clarified, when asked, that hes happy to be in Toronto now. "Its a great opportunity, its a great situation," he insisted. Patterson very nearly became a Raptor as well, after an impressive pre-draft workout put him on then-general manager Bryan Colangelos radar in the summer of 2010. Instead, the Raptors selected Ed Davis with the 13th overall pick and Patterson fell to the Rockets at 14. "I remember that like it was yesterday," he said. "I had a good time, had a good feel, my agent was telling me that they were giving me praise and they were interested in me. When they called Ed Davis instead of me, I was like, "Okay, maybe they didnt really want me as much," but I definitely remember the work out. It was a good time." Injury update Originally scheduled as an off day, the Raptors watched tape and held individual workouts on Wednesday. Tyler Hansbrough is still resting his sprained left shoulder after sitting out the last two games. Landry Fields was hit in the neck during Tuesdays loss to the Spurs and was taken to the hospital after the game to get checked out. He was still sore the next day. ' ' '