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PHILADELPHIA - For the first time since April of 2007 - the year they won the division - the Raptors sit atop the Atlantic. Of course, this speaks more to the current state of the division - not unlike the only year they won it - than it does to the 5-7 Raptors. Tim Leiweke doesnt need to map out his parade route just yet and Drake, his global ambassador, can hold off on designing the banner. "Its a great position to be in right now, its a feel-good position but at the end of the day it doesnt really matter until its the end of the season," said Kyle Lowry, putting things into perspective after an uplifting 108-98 road victory over Philadelphia. "Its a great position to build off of [but] we still have 70-something games to go and we have to take it day-by-day, game-by-game." Despite a mediocre start to the season and the inconsistencies that have plagued them on both ends, the Raptors find themselves in unfamiliar territory, at the top of the mountain looking down. What they can see from there isnt pretty. For at least three games - their undefeated start to their campaign, including wins over Miami and Chicago - the 76ers were the darlings of the division. Since then they have come back down to earth and are starting to resemble the team many believed would be the worst in the association. They have now dropped four of their last five, showing their age as the youngest team in the NBA in Wednesdays loss to Toronto. Sitting at the bottom of the division are two 3-8 teams from New York expected to reign supreme in the Atlantic this season while a rebuilding Celtics club is sandwiched in the middle. For now, the title means very little but being a division leader at this juncture in the season serves as a reminder; there are other teams, several of them, that are as lost, if not more lost than the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan used the word "opportunity" a couple of times after the game. Thats exactly what this represents. There is an opportunity in the Atlantic, in the East for them assuming theyre interested in it. Assuming they continue to play like they did in Philadelphia on Wednesday, instead of reverting back to the team that dropped consecutive games to Chicago and Portland. "It means a lot," exclaimed Rudy Gay. "Its a step for us. Its an early step but its a step. We have to take these baby steps to get to where we want to get and thats ultimately the playoffs. So weve got to take everything we can get right now." "Its 12 games into the season," cautioned a less enthusiastic Dwane Casey. "Theres a lot of work to do. Its a long season, its going to be a marathon. Were nowhere near where we need to be." For at least one night they looked a lot closer to that team they need to be. For only the third time all season the ball moved consistently for 48 minutes - or something close to it - and the results, like in the blowout wins over Utah and Memphis, were as you would expect. With a renewed commitment to moving the ball, emphasized all week by Casey, the Raptors benefited from a more balanced scoring attack and easier looks at the rim. "We need to make sure we put that in a bottle and bring it back every night," Casey said of the teams ball movement. For the Raptors, 24 assists was a season-best and Gay, three nights after being held without a helper in the loss to Portland, recorded a career-high of eight dimes. "Weve got to do it on a consistent basis and not let the ball stick," said DeRozan, who led all scorers with 33 points on an efficient 10-of-19 shooting. "Weve got a lot of talented players on this team that can do various things. Rudy showed it tonight that he can do it with his passing ability." "Were putting each other in a position to be successful and its working for us," added Lowry, who pitched in with 10 assists of his own. Burned by three-point shooting on Sunday, Toronto was able to get more efficient looks from long distance as a result of improved movement. The Raptors connected on a season-high 14 three-pointers (on 29 attempts) with three players - DeRozan, Lowry and Terrence Ross - knocking down three triples apiece and a couple - Gay and Steve Novak - chipping in with two. For at least 48 hours the Raptors can enjoy the division lead, after all theyve waited seven seasons to reclaim it, but after that its back to business. "Well take it but its early," Casey said. "Weve got to continue to work." DeRozan excels from the corners Coming into camp, DeRozan raved about the work he had put in on his three-point shot during the offseason. 12 games into the season, the fruit of his labour is starting to show. After hitting three of four attempts from beyond the arch Wednesday, DeRozan is now shooting a more than respectable 38 per cent from long distance, which would be a career-high, besting his 28 percent clip from last year. Most impressive is his production from the corners; the most efficient three-point shot available. DeRozan was three of four from the corners against Philadelphia and is now shooting 10-of-16 from that region on the season. "Like they say, its the easiest shot from the three point line," DeRozan said of the corner three. "Analytical, you know, whatever. Its the easiest shot and I just try to get there and knock it down every time I catch it." Overall, the Raptors guard is averaging 29.3 points, shooting 51 per cent from the floor over his last four games. Gays all-around game After hoisting 27 shots and being held without an assist in Sundays loss, Gay made a concerted effort to get his teammates involved early against the 76ers. Gay struggled with his shot - and missed several easy looks around the basket - in the first half, hitting just one of seven field goal attempts but had six rebounds and six assists. In the third quarter Gay awoke from his offensive slumber, scoring 15 of his 18 points and shooting 5-of-7. He finished with eight rebounds and eight assists. Breakout from Ross Ross had one of his better games as a pro on Wednesday, utilizing both his athleticism and outside jumper, even registering a pair of assists. The sophomore was consistently engaged on both ends of the floor in a season-high 17-point, seven-rebound performance off the bench. "I thought he struggled a little bit in the last game and [I] got his attention a little bit when he didnt play in the second half against Portland," Casey said. "He did his job tonight, came out and played, stayed focused on both ends of the floor." Up next The Raptors return to Toronto, where theyll play their next four games, and host the Washington Wizards at the Air Canada Centre Friday. Catch it on TSN2 and listen live on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 7:00pm et. Custom Edmonton Oilers Jerseys . Barnard, 28, was 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, with San Angel o this season. He struck out 19 batters and walked just one in 17 innings pitched. He has previous American Association experience with the Lincoln Saltdogs, El Paso Diablos and Amarillo Sox. Bill Ranford Jersey .9 million deal Thursday. The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/. LUCIE, Fla. Mark Messier Jersey . The Wizards announced Friday that Webster had surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back. The operation was performed Thursday in Los Angeles. Grant Fuhr Jersey . In question is whether 26-year-old Matt Frattin will be on it. A a€?mediocrea€? training camp, as Carlyle put it earlier this week, has Frattin lingering nervously on the bubble at the end of the exhibition season, pushed out of a likely job by Brandon Kozun, the small, but feisty winger determined to make the NHL for the first time.TORONTO - Torontos Kyle Lowry had spent big chunks of Sundays game on the bench, part of the coaching and medical staffs plan to manage the minutes of their battered and bruised team leader. Unleashed in the fourth quarter, Lowry scored seven of his 25 points in the games final minute to lift the Raptors to a 96-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. After three horrible quarters, the Raptors outscored the Hawks 36-15 in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. "Weve got a group of guys who are resilient, we want to win games, weve got a goal in mind," Lowry said. "Its fun to win games and when youve found the recipe to win in the fourth, you have to stick with it." Lowry also had four assists and four steals in just 27 minutes. With the Raptors poised to make their first playoff appearance in six years, the team is being careful with his playing time. "Hes had a lot of minutes," said coach Dwane Casey. "Its hard believe me, as a coach and for him as a competitor, it looks like were going at each other but we both understand the situation. If its close I may close my eyes and forget time, but we have to watch his minutes." DeMar DeRozan added 21 points Sunday, while Jonas Valanciunas finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Greivis Vasquez chipped in with 12 points for the Raptors (39-30). Lowry, who has struggled with a groin injury in the past, wouldnt say if anything specific is sore. "My full body has aches and pains right now," he said. "I dont think any player in the NBA right now feels 100 per cent. Its that time of year where everybody has knicks and knacks and bruises." DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap scored 17 points apiece to top the Hawks (31-37), while Jeff Teague added 16. Coming off a an energetic 119-118 loss in double overtime two nights earlier to Oklahoma City, the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors looked like a different team Sunday through three quarters of sloppy passes, horrible shooting and lackadaisical defence. One highlight on an afternoon that had almost none: the return of The Raptor mascot, who missed over five months after rupturing an Achilles tendon during training camp. Casey passed Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment boss Tim Leiweke in the hallway after the game, and told him it was like "pulling teeth, it was like going to the dentists office that first half." "Weve got to be pros like I told our players, whether its five oclock in the morning, midnight, two oclock, weve got to get ourselves going," Casey said. "With season ticket-holders paying big money to watch us play, we came out and gave them a bad performance in the first half." Casey gave his players an earful at halftime. "Aw man, he came in here yelling," DeRozan said. "Once Casey yells, youve got to do your job or youll hear him yelling after the game. We understood ... wwe were still in the game and we were playing terrible that first half.ddddddddddddquot; The Hawks, who are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, led by as many as 14 points in the first half and were up by 71-60 heading into the fourth quarter. Finally showing some life, the Raptors chipped away at the difference and when Johnson tipped in his own miss with 5:18 left to play, it tied the game 79-79. Lowry scored on a hook shot with 44 seconds left to give the Raptors a five-point lead and some precious breathing room, then he stole the ball off an inbounds pass and scored again to help put the game away. There was a scary moment late in the game when workhorse Amir Johnson went down in a heap clutching his left knee after Shelvin Mack had fallen awkwardly on it. "You dont know if its a soccer move (embellishment) or what," Casey said. "He had my heart in my throat there for a little bit." Lowry called Johnson the teams "heart and soul." "So when that happened it kind of scared us a little bit," Lowry said. "Oh yeah, Im still scared when he falls. But hes a great player, he gives it all, and it makes everybody else give it their all too." Added DeRozan: "Ive seen Amir get hit by a Mack truck and get back up. One thing about Amir, hell play through anything and everything, but he kind of scared me tonight. When he grabbed at the knee, I kind of cussed at him a little to make sure he was alright." Johnson, who was limping in the locker-room after the game, said the initial pain was bad, but he was able to walk it off. The Raptors had lost to the Hawks earlier in the week, dropping a 118-113 decision in overtime in Atlanta on Tuesday. "We just lost focus," Millsap said on the Hawks inability to close out Sundays game. "Lost focus and they hit a few shots. We dropped our heads a little bit but we have to be more mentally tough." Toronto got off to a poor start Sunday, turning over the ball seven times in the opening quarter. The Raptors shot just 28 per cent while allowing the Hawks to shoot 56 per cent. Atlanta went up by 11 before leading 25-16 to end the quarter. A three-pointer by Millsap gave the Hawks a 14-point lead midway through the second. But the Raptors closed the quarter with a 16-9 run that included a monstrous dunk by Terrence Ross and went into the locker-room at halftime trailing 49-42. The Raptors carried that momentum into the third, cutting the Hawks lead to two points on a hook shot by Valanciunas, but abruptly went cold again. Atlanta took an 11-point advantage into the final 12 minutes. Notes: The Raptors are in Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Tuesday, then meet the Celtics in Boston on Wednesday before returning home to host Boston on Friday. ... New Toronto FC goalkeeper Julio Cesar and Hockey Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler were at the game. ' ' '