ROME -- Roma was both classy and fortunate to beat Napoli 2-0 Friday and match the best start in Serie A history with its eighth consecutive win. Miralem Pjanic scored twice for the Giallorossi in the 1 vs. 2 clash. First, the Bosnia midfielder found the net four minutes into first-half added time with a sublime free kick that went over Napolis wall before dipping down into the top corner. Then he added a penalty in the 71st after Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro was shown a red card for taking down Marco Borriello inside the area, leaving the visitors with 10 men. Napoli wasted three close chances. Goran Pandev failed to finish with only the goalkeeper to beat and Lorenzo Insigne and Gokhan Inler each hit the post. Former Napoli great Diego Maradona was in attendance but he had little to cheer for. Roma matched Juventus, which also won eight consecutive matches to start the 1985-86 and 1930-31 seasons. The Bianconeri went on to win the Serie A title on both occasions. Juventus also won nine straight in 2005-06 but its title that season was stripped in the "calciopoli" match-fixing scandal. Roma moved five points ahead of Napoli and Juventus, which visits Fiorentina on Sunday. Perhaps even more impressive than its record is Romas goal differential, with 22 scored and one allowed. Roma hasnt won the title since 2001. The only negative moments for Roma came when captain Francesco Totti exited with an apparent right thigh muscle problem after a half hour and Gervinho went off with a similar injury in the second half. While the Stadio Olimpico was not completely full, the atmosphere was electric. When Maradona entered the stadium early in the first half, fans -- both Napoli and Roma supporters -- rushed past security to take his picture as he waved to the crowd. Napoli started with its standout forward Gonzalo Higuain on the bench with a minor injury and Roma controlled the opening 20 minutes. Daniele De Rossi and Pjanic threatened for Roma early on and just as Napoli began to assert itself, Totti went to the sideline. Totti had his thigh massaged for a few minutes but then decided he couldnt come back on and walked down into the changing room as Borriello replaced him. In the 35th, a through ball from Insigne set up Pandev with only Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis to beat but the Macedonia striker couldnt get his shot around De Sanctis, who played for Napoli the past four seasons. Despite De Sanctis deflection, the ball still trickled toward the net but De Rossi cleared the danger just in time. Ten minutes later, Napoli threatened again when Insigne wasted a great chance by hitting the outside of the post from five meters (yards). Down at the other end, Gervinho earned the foul that set up the free kick for Pjanics goal. Napoli was again dangerous at the start of the second half with Inler hitting the outside of the post with a long shot in the 49th. De Rossi nearly doubled the lead when his bouncing a header missed in the 58th and Higuain replaced Pandev in the 68th. Two minutes after Higuain came on, Pjanic pounded his penalty into the back of the net and Napoli didnt have the will -- or time -- to recover from a two-goal deficit. Ersan Ilyasova Bucks Jersey . The Oilers jumped into the free agent market early by signing defencemen Keith Aulie (six-foot-six, 228 pounds) and Mark Fayne (6-3, 210 pounds) and left-winger Benoit Pouliot (6-3, 197-pounds). Two days earlier MacTavish traded lightweight forward Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay for 6-3, 203-pound right winger Ted Purcell. Donte DiVincenzo Jersey . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. https://www.bucksrookiesshop.com/Ersan-Ilyasova-City-Edition-Jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Giannis Antetokounmpo Jersey . 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"I sang them a lullaby," he joked. "I gave them some milk and cookies and said, lets go." You didnt have to be a fly on the wall to gauge the tone of Caseys halftime sermon. "Oh, man, he came in here yelling," said DeMar DeRozan after Torontos 96-86 comeback victory over Atlanta. "Once Casey yells, you either have to do your job or youre going to hear him yelling after the game. We understood." Having dropped their first four Sunday afternoon games this season - allowing at least 112 points in each of them - the Raptors hit the snooze again on this day. Toronto shot 28 per cent in the opening quarter, scoring 16 points and committing seven turnovers. "I told Tim Leiweke on the way in [the locker room], it was like pulling teeth," Casey said. "It was like going to the dentist office in that first half." "We were playing terrible [in] that first half," echoed DeRozan. It took nearly 17 minutes of game-time before he registered his first field goal. It took nearly 20 minutes before Kyle Lowry made his first bucket. "We knew what we had to do." Trailing by nine points to begin the fourth quarter, the Raptors finally got to business. Led by its two best players, Toronto scored 36 points in the final 12 minutes - more than they tallied in the first and third combined - while holding the Hawks to 15. On the season, Toronto has scored 209 points more than its allowed in the fourth quarter, the best mark in the NBA, and its not close. The two-time defending champion Miami Heat, second best, have outscored opponents by 141 in the final frame. Conference leaders San Antonio and Indiana are third and fourth best. The Raptors have won 10 games in which theyve trailed after three quarters this season, something they accomplished just three times a year ago. "Were just resilient, to be honest, man," said DeRozan. He and Lowry combined for 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the fourth after scoring 23 on 9-of-24 in the first three quarters. "We understand how important the game is coming out in the fourth quarter," continued, DeRozan, who finished with 21 points. "Everything matters. Our attention to detail on both ends definitely steps up. We understand weve got to pull out a win somehow, someway." Lowrys minutes down in win Less than five minutes into the game, Lowry was sent to the bench, replaced by Greivis Vasquez. It was an unprecedented early-game benching for the Raptors point guard who has been logging heavy minutes, playing the bulk of, if not the dduration of the first quarter.dddddddddddd He did not seem hurt, nor did it appear to be for disciplinary reasons. Later, less than six minutes into the third, he was replaced again. Limiting Lowrys minutes was the plan going in, Casey explained after the game. "Hes had a lot of minutes," said the Raptors coach. "I was talking to our medical people, and as an organization, were going to try to keep his minutes down as much as possible. Thats hard, believe me, as a coach and for him. Hes such a competitor." Theres nothing specific thats ailing Lowry, Casey said and he confirmed. Its the wear and tear of a long season that has the team concerned about Lowry, who is averaging nearly 37 minutes per night, a career-most. "I dont think [any] player in the NBA right now feels 100 per cent," said Lowry, after scoring 25 points Sunday. "Its that time of the year where everyone has nicks and nacks and bruises and all that stuff." Lowry logged 27 minutes, his fewest since Feb. 3 in Utah, a game he left with a knee injury. Amir goes down, and gets back up Battling for a rebound late in the fourth, Amir Johnson collided with Hawks guard Shelvin Mack and went down hard, holding his left knee. You may not be surprised when Johnson hits the deck, although its usually after tweaking one of his rickety ankles, but you shouldnt be surprised when he hops back up, which was the case again Sunday, waving off the trainers and remaining in the game. "It wasnt a scare, it was just initial pain," said Johnson, who had six points to go along with eight boards against the Hawks. "Once I walked it off, I was fine." His teammates have come to expect the occasional injury scare from him but that doesnt make it easier to cope with. "To be honest, hes probably our heart and soul so when that happened, it kind of scared us a little bit," Lowry said. "Ive seen Amir get hit by a Mack Truck and get up," joked DeRozan. "I always hate to see him go down. One thing about Amir, Amir plays through any and everything. He kind of scared me tonight. When he grabbed his knee, I kind of cussed at him a little to make sure he was alright." Going deep With Patrick Patterson out, still nursing an elbow injury, and Casey searching for bursts of energy in a lacklustre first half, the Raptors used 12 of their available players in Sundays game. Vasquez logged 28 minutes and led the bench in scoring for the fourth consecutive game with 12. No other Raptors reserve played more than Tyler Hansbroughs 12 minutes. Chuck Hayes played well, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in 11 minutes and Nando De Colo logged 10, hitting his first field goal in eight games with the Raptors. The stat Lowry extended his career-best streak of 19 or more points to nine games. Hes averaging 22.6 over that stretch, scoring 20 or more in each of his last six contests. The quote "Im only 24, Ill play the whole game," said DeRozan, on the possibility of having his minutes cut down, like Lowrys. "Kyles old. Hes damn near 30. I understand, youve got to do what youve got to do. Im ready for whatever." ' ' '