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TORONTO - After taking full advantage of a friendly early-season schedule, the Raptors are set to embark on a daunting six-game road trip, their longest of the campaign and a stretch that should go a long way in determining what theyre really made of. Its been a historic start to the franchises 20th season. Sitting atop the Eastern Conference for a team-record 49 consecutive days, theyll enter the Christmas break with at least 22 wins for the first time in their existence. The caveat, if there is one, has been the degree of difficulty. Its important that we play good teams because its really going to test our character, said Greivis Vasquez following the Raptors 118-108 wire-to-wire win over the Knicks, their sixth straight victory. We havent really faced adversity and everything right now is great, but I think were ready for a couple of premium tests. A third of the way through the season, Toronto has played 17 home games - winning 14 of them - which tops any team in the NBA. Theyve seen the Western Conferences top seven teams just twice - defeating the undermanned Grizzlies and falling to Dallas. At times, the modest level of competition has allowed them to get away with some bad habits, primarily on defence, where their effort has been sporadic. Unexpectedly, Toronto features the leagues second-most efficient offensive attack but theyve fallen to 11th in that same category on the other end of the floor. While their defence tends to pick up in the second half, saving them from slow starts against inferior opponents, they know theyll need to put together more complete outings over the next couple weeks to come up victorious away from the comforts of the Air Canada Centre. Its going to be a challenge, Vasquez said. Were looking forward to this challenge. Anytime you go to the West, its not easy but I think were good enough to come out with a couple of wins and do our job. Weve got to remain humble and hungry and continue to work. Im ready for it, Dwane Casey insisted. We should be ready because weve been preaching it. Everyones all excited but reality is real and we have to be ready for adversity, whenever it hits. You go into it with positive vibes, ready to kick some behind but when adversity hits thats when you find out how close we are and how we have to stick together. The trip begins with a visit to Chicago - their only Eastern Conference stop - in the second game of a back-to-back Monday. Theyll have three days off for Christmas before heading out West, where theyll face the Clippers, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Suns as the ACC hosts the world junior hockey championship. Torontos opponents during their most recent six-game winning streak entered Sundays games with a combined record of 43-123 (.259). The six teams theyll face on this coming road trip are 106-55 (.658), while the Raptors have an all-time record of 42-80 (.344) in the buildings theyll be visiting. Tomorrow will be a game that lets us know where we are in the league, Casey said of Mondays match-up with the Bulls, a team that defeated Toronto 100-93 last month. Were one of the top teams, we are in that group but tomorrow night we have to show where we fit in that sphere. As a team, their first challenge came in the form of an injury to DeMar DeRozan. In 12 games without their leading point producer, the Raptors have held together, winning nine of those contests as their nightly scoring average - almost exactly the same as it was before the all-star guard sustained his injury - remains elite. Without a timetable for DeRozans return, the Raptors will hit the road and its unlikely theyll have him back in uniform before their return home in early January. This trip wont determine their fate. In the grand-scheme of things, the six-game stretch accounts for roughly seven per cent of their regular season schedule. Its not make or break, but it should be a healthy barometer for a team with high aspirations in the spring. Its always about ourselves, Vasquez said. We dont want to prove anything to anybody. This is a family right here in this locker room. Hopefully we do well. Ive got all the confidence in the world that we can do better and that were going to continue to get better. We cant be satisfied because weve got a 22-6 record. We want more. Good teams win the games they should - the Raptors are an impressive 15-2 against losing clubs this season. But great teams are the ones that can compete with the rest of the leagues elite. What are they made of? Well find out soon enough. FIELDS SITS OUT The Raptors were without newly-minted starter Landry Fields, who was sidelined as a precaution having sustaining a head injury in Fridays win over Detroit. Fields needed eight stitches to close up a gash on the back, right-side of his head after a scary fall knocked him out of the game. He remained sprawled out on the court, surrounded by his teammates, coaches and the medical staff for several minutes, as a pool of blood collected underneath his head, before being helped up and to the locker room. Although the forward passed initial concussion tests that night, he failed a secondary examination ahead of Sundays contest. Fields had said he blacked out for a moment after hitting his head on the court but seems to have dodged a bullet. He was lucid in the locker room post-game, walking around and conversing with teammates. Hes alert, looks good, looks as ugly as hes always looked, Casey joked. But those tests are intricate so its something that you have to go through, which is great. Its the right thing to do to make sure [hes okay]. The fifth-year vet had been a pleasant surprise, starting six straight games in the absence of DeRozan, logging over 20 minutes in each of the five before his injury - his longest streak as a Raptor. James Johnson replaced him in the starting lineup Sunday, matching up with Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Although Johnson picked up two quick fouls, limiting him in the first quarter, he did an admirable job on Anthony in 24 minutes of action. The Raptors - primarily Johnson and Terrence Ross - held Anthony to 28 points on 26 shots. Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan opened the Ford Womens World Curling Championship with a 7-5 win over Russia on Saturday. Demarcus Robinson Jersey . A quick first step to get to the hoop for a layup. A rousing dunk on the break off a high outlet pass saved by teammate Ramon Sessions. http://www.chiefsstoreauthentic.com/auth...-chiefs-jersey/. Rosbergs time of 1 minute, 33.185 seconds at the Bahrain International Circuit was a quarter of a second faster than Hamilton, who had to abandon his final flying lap after running wide at the first corner. Sammy Watkins Chiefs Jersey . Durant had 33 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, hit the tying 3-pointer late in regulation and made the go-ahead foul shots in overtime to lift the Thunder past the Wizards 106-105. John Wall missed a driving layup attempt at the buzzer for Washington, which was seeking its third straight win. Custom Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys .com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center.HOUSTON -- The Texans have a starting quarterback. Now they need star wide receiver Andre Johnson back in the fold. New coach Bill OBrien named Ryan Fitzpatrick the starter, an announcement overshadowed somewhat by Johnsons absence Tuesday on the first day of a mandatory three-day mini-camp. Johnson hasnt participated in any of the teams voluntary off-season workouts and said last month that he wouldnt attend these workouts, either. On Tuesday, he missed the opening day of workouts that are the last before training camp in late July. Fitzpatrick signed with the team in the off-season a day before Matt Schaub was traded to the Raiders and OBrien made him compete with the three other quarterbacks on the roster for the starting job. "He definitely earned it," OBrien said. "He earned it with his preparation. He earned it with his accuracy. He earned it with his command at the line of scrimmage." A former starter for the Buffalo Bills, the nine-year veteran started nine games last season for Tennessee after Jake Locker was injured. Fitzpatrick threw for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. "This is where I wanted to be," Fitzpatrick said. "I wanted another shot at it. I wanted another chance to be the guy." OBrien said this decision doesnt mean that things cant change as the year progresses. "Everybody on our team every single day has to go out there and earn their spot on the team, earn their starting spot," OBrien said. "So quarterback is no different. We have confidence in his ability to lead our football team. Hes done a really good job in the off-season of picking up our system and hes executed it well." Case Keenum, who took over as starter when Schaub was benched last season, T.J. Yates and rookie Tom Savage are vying to be the backupp to Fitzpatrick.dddddddddddd "With all three of those guys we need just a little bit more consistency," OBrien said. "It has nothing to do with effort or work ethic. Those guys have all worked extremely hard. Theyve all done what weve asked them to do." Johnson has said he has not asked for a trade but last month wondered if Houston was "still the place for me." The 32-year-old receiver is Houstons longest-tenured player after joining the franchise in its second season. OBrien said that he has spoken to and text messaged with Johnson, but wouldnt reveal any details. He said he isnt concerned that Johnson has missed the implementation of his new offence. "I believe based on the different systems that hes been in that hed be able to pick up on our system," OBrien said. "Hes a bright guy, a very bright guy and a guy thats done a lot in this league. So I think hed be able to figure it out." OBrien also doesnt think that Johnsons absence is taking away from the rest of the teams work. "Its really about the guys that are here and theyre working extremely hard," OBrien said. "They dont seem to be too distracted." With Johnson out, Houstons young group of receivers is led by last years first-round pick DeAndre Hopkins and includes third-year players DeVier Posey and Keshawn Martin. "Weve thrown a lot at them," OBrien said. "Its not easy to play receiver in this system and those guys seem to be getting better every day." Houston had preseason Super Bowl aspirations last year, but wound up with an NFL-worst 2-14 record. Rather than choosing a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, they chose defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney, who is recovering from surgery to repair a sports hernia and also not at the mini-camp. 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