TORONTO - Sitting atop the Atlantic for the first time since

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TORONTO - Sitting atop the Atlantic for the first time since 2007, the Raptors (5-7) hope to build on their lead in the division when they host the Washington Wizards (4-7) at the Air Canada Centre on Friday. Catch the game on TSN2 and listen live on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 7pm et. The Raptors dethroned Philadelphia in the weak Atlantic Division with their most recent victory, a 108-98 road win Wednesday. After emphasizing ball movement in practice this week, Dwane Caseys team responded with a season-high 24 assists, leading to 14-for-29 shooting from three-point range. Still, Casey believes the offence has a ways to go. "We have been [where we need to be] in one game but we have to get that consistently," Casey said of his teams offence. "Im watching the NBA and a lot of teams are in the same boat, trying to find that identity offensively and were doing the same thing." "I like where we started against Philadelphia, we got to continue that especially against an athletic and defensive-minded team like Washington." After losing four straight, the Wizards have won two in a row but are tied for last place in the loaded Southeast Division with a similar record to Toronto. Washington got off to a quick start against the Cavaliers on Wednesday - a 98-91 win in Cleveland - leading by 18 at halftime and by as many as 27 in the game. Sophomore Bradley Beal paced the Wizards in scoring with 26 points, knocking down six three-pointers. "Theyre a very lethal team with great athletes, a team that can defend and cover a lot of ground," Casey said Friday morning after shootaround. "They can make mistakes and get back in the play defensively." Beal is averaging 26.3 points, shooting 12-for-19 from long distance over Washingtons last three games. He is scoring a team-best 21.2 per game on the season. Trends and Tidbits Kyle Lowry ranks third in the NBA with a 3.95 assists-to-turnover ratio. The Raptors point guard has totalled 34 assists compared to just five turnovers over the last four games. The Raptors have scored 100 or more points in five of the last six games, averaging 103.3, after failing to reach the century mark in each of their first six contests, scoring just 92.3 per. Toronto is 3-2 when scoring over 100 and are 5-3 when holding their opponent below 100 points. Toronto begins a four-game homestand, its longest of the season. The Raptors are 2-3 at the ACC. The Wizards are last in the league in bench scoring, getting just 22.0 points per game from their reserves. The Raptors subs are averaging 24.2 points, the fourth-lowest mark in the NBA. Washington has lost six of the last seven games in Toronto. What to Watch For Slowing down the Wizards Led by the speedy John Wall, the Wizards are one of the quickest and most lethal teams in transition, averaging 19.3 fast-break points per game, good for second in the league. "Our focus has to be [to get] back," Casey said. "Not only the guy guarding [Wall], but we have to have four of his teammates back building a wall." Defending the three Winning the battle behind the arc is important for the Raptors after they were burned by the three-ball in Sundays loss to Portland. Toronto connected on a season-best 14 three-pointers in Philadelphia Wednesday after allowing the Trail Blazers to shoot 15-of-32 from deep three days prior. Beal is third in the NBA, having hit 33 treys to begin the season while the Wizards rank eighth in both three-point shots made and three-point percentage. "Offensively, theyre one of the best corner three-point shooting teams in the league," Casey acknowledged. "So thats something we have to have a focus on going into the game." Washington has shot more corner threes (97) than any team in the league, making the second most (43) from that territory. The Raptors rank 15th, shooting 41 per cent from the corners, where DeMar DeRozan has connected on 10 of his 16 attempts. Who to Watch For DeMar DeRozan DeRozan scored 33 points in Wednesdays win, his third game with 30 or more points this season. The Raptors guard is one of 11 players in the NBA with three or more 30-point games to begin the campaign. The fifth-year guard led the Raptors averaging 22.3 points in four games against the Wizards last year. John Wall Although Wall is shooting just 36 per cent from the field this season, hes recoded 37 assists over the last three games and is averaging a career-best 9.7. "Its humanly impossible to stop Wall in a one-on-one situation coast-to-coast," Casey said, praising the Wizards point guard. "I timed it against Cleveland the other night, against Kyrie Irving, he went from one end to the other in three seconds or a little bit less. Its unbelievable how fast he can go with the ball from coast-to-coast." Injury Report Raptors forward Quincy Acy participated in shootaround Friday morning after missing Wednesdays game with a sprained right ankle. Hell be a game-time decision. Back-up point guard Dwight Buycks has been excused from the team as he attends to a personal/family matter. Casey didnt indicate who, between D.J. Augustin and Julyan Stone, would back-up Lowry with Buycks unavailable Friday. TreQuan Smith Saints Jersey . The 30-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Duke spent six years in Pittsburgh and also had stints with Arizona, Washington and Cincinnati. Jermon Bushrod Jersey . The 34-year-old averaged 10.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in 82 games played in 2013-14 with the Utah Jazz. Jefferson has averaged 14.5 points, 4. http://www.authenticfootballshopsaints.com/Youth-TreQuan-Smith-Elite-Jersey/. -- Two out of three aint bad. Cameron Meredith Jersey . - In about six minutes, the Memphis Grizzlies had allowed their 23-point lead to be cut to seven. Custom New Orleans Saints Jerseys .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic.CLEVELAND - In a switch, Greg Little was dropped by the Browns. The inconsistent wide receiver, whose flashes of excellence were often overshadowed by crucial drops and off-the-field drama, was released on Friday. The 24-year-old Little became expendable after Cleveland added veteran wide receivers Miles Austin and Earl Bennett to its roster on Thursday. Those moves were made for insurance in case Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon is suspended by the league for failing another drug test for marijuana. Gordon was suspended for the first two games last season, but led the league with 1,646 yards receiving. Last week, Browns general manager Ray Farmer said he believed Little could improve. "The young mans talented," Farmer said during the NFL draft. "The question mark would then fall onto can he be consistent and do the things that he has physically demonstrated he can do at times. If he continues to do those things and add a level of consistency, the difference between being good and great is consistency. "When a guy shows you he can do anything, he shows you he can jump up and make the one-handed catch, he shows you he can break a tackle, the question then is can he repeatedly do that over and over again. Thats the difference between being average or marginal and good or great." Littles departure ends a sometimes turbulent three-year run for him in Cleveland. The Browns drafted Little, a former running back at North Carolina, in the second round in 2011. And while he produced — he led the team in receptions in 2011 and 2012 — the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Little let too many passes slip from his hands and he had his share of other non-football issues.dddddddddddd Last season, Little vowed to act more responsibly after it was revealed that he crashed his car driving 127 mph — more than 70 mph over the legal speed limit. He called his actions "mindless." Little was cited for drag racing and he expressed remorse for putting his life, and the life of a passenger in his expensive car, in danger. Little was reprimanded by then-coach Rob Chudzinski, who did not reveal his punishment. Little joined the Browns with a history of questionable decision-making. He was issued 93 parking tickets on multiple vehicles with nine different license plates while he was at North Carolina. In November, the school sent a letter of "permanent disassociation" to Little and other former Tar Heels football players for his role in the program receiving NCAA violations that led to criminal charges against five people for violating the states sports agent law. Little and others were suspended in 2010 for accepting improper benefits, including cash and travel accommodations. Little acknowledged his actions distressed others. "Theres a lot of people that Ive hurt," he said, "and I think a lot of the blame should be put on me much less than attacking other people." Little was typically candid when speaking to the media and he seemed to be maturing as a person and player. In 41 starts over three seasons with the Browns, Little caught 155 passes for 1,821 yards and eight touchdowns. 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