After a long summer of off-court activity and speculation the Raptors finally got back to work on Monday night, opening the preseason with a 97-89 win over the new-look Celtics. An impressive showing in some regard, the Raptors victory was filled with the rust you would expect after a long layoff and the addition of several new players to coach Dwane Caseys roster. Rudy Gay and newcomer Tyler Hansbrough led all scorers with 17 apiece for the Raptors, who turned the ball over 26 times leading to 26 Celtics points. Toronto overcame its miscues thanks in large part to efficient offensive production and a complete defensive effort, on par with what Casey has preached throughout the early portion of training camp. The Raptors shot 52 per cent from the field, holding Boston to 40 per cent and out-rebounding them 46-26. DeMar DeRozan chipped in with 13 points while sophomores Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas scored 12 and 10 respectively. The Celtics began a new era, debuting with seven new players and a new head coach following a franchise-altering offseason. Without future hall of famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett - who were traded to the Nets this summer - as well as the injured Rajon Rondo, coach Brad Stevens team looked a lot different than the perennial contending club Toronto is used to seeing at the TD Garden. Gerald Wallace, who was acquired in the deal with Brooklyn, paced the new-look Celtics with 16 points and second-year forward Jared Sullinger added 14 off the bench. Toronto-native Kelly Olynyk, the 13th pick in this summers draft, scored 4 points playing 19 minutes in his first NBA game. Starters picking up where they left off Although Casey will use the preseason to experiment with his rotation, he opted to start game one with the group that finished last season atop his depth chart. Made up of DeRozan, Gay, Valanciunas, Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson, the starting unit wasted no time reestablishing themselves on Monday, taking an early 14-2 lead and holding the Celtics to 2-of-11 shooting in the opening minutes. Apart from the expected preseason rust - resulting in 16 combined turnovers on the night and at least three from each starter - that group looked every bit as promising as they did at the tail end of last season. Anchored by the always-steady Johnson and a bigger, stronger Valanciunas, they set the tone defensively and forced the young Celtics to settle for long, contested jumpers. Offensively they were efficient, shooting a combined 22-for-37 (59 per cent) from the field. Although Gay and DeRozan shot just 1-for-6 from three-point range, an area of emphasis for them this season (its worth noting, two of DeRozans three attempts came at the end of the shot clock), the wing tandem was an effective 52 per cent from the floor. DeRozan continued to show improved awareness in the post while Gay recovered from some questionable shot selection in the first quarter to hit 4-of-5 shots in the second frame. Casey has stated that he would like to see a more consistent defensive effort from Gay this season. So far so good in that regard as the Raptors forward held Jeff Green to just six points on 2-of-7 shooting. Each starter played 13-16 minutes in the first half but ceded playing time to the second unit late in the game, as expected. Valanciunas plays big before fouling out In a concerted effort to establish Valanciunas in the low post, the sophomore centre was involved in each of the teams first four possessions, resulting in three quick field goals - two dunks and a nifty hook shot over Brandon Bass. That fourth possession was whistled dead after Valanciunas was called for the offensive foul, going over the back of former Raptor Kris Humphries. This was the first of six fouls for the 21-year-old, who fouled out with 3:41 left to play. Valanciunas was featured in the post throughout the evening and was impressive on both ends of the floor but continues to play out of control at times, culminating in his early exit. Casey and the coaching staff have been working with Valanciunas on his balance and his footwork to ensure he utilizes his added strength the right way. Valanciunas finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 5-for-7 in 27 minutes of action. Second unit, a work in progress Understandably, the second unit - consisting of many new faces - was less in sync than the more familiar starting group. Casey went 11 deep in the first 11 minutes, 12 deep on the night, experimenting with different combinations and getting a sense of where his new players fit in. With the starters on the bench, Torontos reserves coughed up leads in both the second quarter and early in the fourth as they struggled to initiate the offence and slow Boston down on the break. With back-up point guard D.J. Augustin struggling in his Raptors debut (four points, 0-for-5 shooting), the offence lacked cohesion. Newcomer Austin Daye (four points, 1-of-5) also looked lost at times. Again, getting the new players acclimated and filling out the rotation is what the exhibition season is about. Hansbrough, Ross lead reserves Hansbough did not disappoint in his Raptors debut, living up to his reputation as the teams newest work horse (or instigator, depending on your perspective). In 21 minutes off the bench, the former Pacer was all over the floor. He got to the free-throw line (knocking down seven of eight attempts), grabbed nine boards - six on the offensive glass - and even baited Sullinger into a double technical. A Casey player through and through, Hansbrough should be the first big off the bench this season and its not hard to see him logging a career high in minutes played, assuming good health. Meanwhile, in 25 minutes Ross was also a standout off Torontos bench. The sophomore guard played with the confidence, consistent effort and efficiency that was seldom seen in his rookie year. Ross was active and attentive defensively - grabbing four steals - and made an effort to put the ball on the floor and get into the lane. Ross, like Hansbrough, should be a big part of the second unit this season and could be the top offensive option for that group assuming he takes the next step in his second year. Up Next The Raptors return to Toronto where theyll continue their training camp and host the Minnesota Timberwolves for a preseason tilt at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. TSN Radio 1050 Toronto has the game at 7pm ET. Calvin Ridley Youth Jersey . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted Monday morning that Callahan - who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is now open to a six-year contract at less than $7 million per season. John Cominsky Jersey . Fellow Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain also had a brace for Napoli. And Samuel Etoo scored for his fourth different team. On a night of standout individual performances Wednesday, Schalke goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand had a game hell want to forget. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcon...owski-Jersey/.C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. Qadree Ollison Falcons Jersey . His brother — Red Lake chiropractor Richard Radford — is en route to Sochi to cheer on his younger brother. "Ive been getting texts from Eric and he just says the atmosphere is amazing, its special,” he said. Kaleb McGary Youth Jersey . The 26-year-old slider from Calgary posted a time of 50.464 seconds, 0.573 seconds back of leader Natalie Geisenberger. The German led the overall World Cup womens standings this season and continued her dominance by putting down a track record time of 49. NASHVILLE -- Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith were too much for the Nashville Predators. Keith scored a goal and added an assist to lead the Blackhawks to a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. Kane and Nick Leddy also scored for Chicago, which has won five of six. Shea Weber scored for the Predators. Keith scored the games first goal at 1:29 of the opening period on a slap shot from the left side that beat Nashville goaltender Carter Hutton on the stick side. "I try to have a good gap and be good defensively," Keith said. "As a defenceman, thats your first and foremost job is how you defend. Its something I take a lot of pride in. The offence kind of just takes care of itself." Making his fourth consecutive start, Hutton had his three-game winning streak snapped. On Monday, he was selected the NHLs third star of the week. Hutton spent the past two seasons in the Blackhawks organization before signing with Nashville in the off-season. Weber tied it at 3:03 of the first with a power-play goal. On the right side, Roman Josi faked a shot and then sent a pass to Weber at the top of the right circle where the Nashville captain beat Chicago goaltender Antti Raanta with a one-timer. That was the only goal Raanta allowed in the first, despite 17 Nashville shots on goal in the period. Chicago only allowed 11 Nashville shots over the final two periods combined. "I just thought we just mismanaged a few situations tonight that gave them enough momentum," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We should have got points out of this game. We played well enough to do that, but the second period and the third period, they did a good job. We coulddnt get any forecheck going.dddddddddddd We couldnt get any sustained pressure." The Blackhawks answered back at 16:14 of the first with a highlight reel power-play goal by Kane. Skating down the right side, the left-handed shooting Kane lifted a tough angle backhand just underneath the crossbar for his team-leading 20th goal of the season. "Its a play that we have been trying off the breakout on the power play with the entry," Kane said. "I just tried to hit that spot, lucky enough, it went in." It was the 10th straight game in which Kane has recorded at least one point, two shy of his career best. "Hes got a lot of tools," Hutton said. "He can do a lot of things with the puck. Hes a pretty special player. We gave him time and space like that he kind of made us pay." Leddy scored on the power play at 11:33 of the second to cap the scoring. Standing on the left side, he put home the rebound of Brandon Saads shot from the right side. The puck entered and exited the net so quickly, it was initially ruled no goal on the ice, but a quick video review credited Leddy with his fourth of the season. "I liked our game," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "I liked our attention to detail, very businesslike and came out to a good start. The power play was big again for us." Notes: The Blackhawks have scored at least one power-play goal in their past 10 games. Chicago LW Bryan Bickell returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with a lower-body injury. Predators G Marek Mazanec missed the game with an illness. Magnus Hellberg was recalled under emergency conditions from Milwaukee of the AHL to serve as Huttons backup. ' ' '