Sonstiges » rsey/. During the furious first few hours of free

MIAMI -- For the first time all season, the Miami Heat are alone atop the Eastern Conference. And thats quite a turnaround from how things seemed less than a week ago. LeBron James fought through a sore back to score 32 points, Chris Bosh added 18 and the Heat used another strong defensive effort to beat the Toronto Raptors 93-83 on Monday night. The win pushed the two-time defending NBA champions percentage points ahead of the struggling Indiana Pacers in the race for the No. 1 seed in the East. "It doesnt feel like anything," James said. "The standings are what they are. We want to play the best we can and the fact that we are in first place, I think thats pretty cool but weve got so much work to do. Weve got too much work to do. Weve got guys that need to get healthy. We havent even talked about it. We probably wont talk about it. Weve got to play the season out." Chris Andersen scored 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting and Mario Chalmers added 12 for Miami (51-22), which was again without Dwyane Wade (hamstring), Greg Oden (back) and Ray Allen (flu). Indiana (52-23) lost at home earlier Monday night to San Antonio, 103-77. "The No. 1 seed is the last thing on our minds right now," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said after his teams loss. The Heat -- who were three games out in the East after losing at Indiana on Wednesday -- are basically saying the same thing. Sure, its a neat perk -- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called it an "ancillary" effect of hard work -- and Bosh acknowledged the outcomes Monday merited a very subtle fist-pump from him. But theres still plenty of time for things to change, and Miami is thinking more about getting those who are hurt and sick back into rhythm with the playoffs coming up in less than three weeks. "Were aware of it," Spoelstra said of the standings. "Its not that were naive to it. I didnt talk about it. ... These were pros that were getting ready for battle and its that type of focus, thats the type of thing were trying to stress right now, the process of building those habits. The results will follow. They tend to take care of themselves." Greivis Vasquez scored 17 points, DeMar DeRozan scored 16 and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors. Steve Novak added 13 for Toronto, which lost Kyle Lowry to a sore left knee late in the third quarter after he collided with James. "It was a hard-fought game -- basketball at a high level," Vasquez said. "We lost it in the third period. We came out too relaxed. We didnt attack the basket. Everything worked for them." Lowrys knee swelled, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, and that hardly sounds like good news for a team fighting for the No. 3 spot in the East. "He bumped knees," Casey said. "It puffed up a little bit. X-rays were negative. We just have to wait and see how he is tomorrow." The Heat were down 10 midway through the second quarter, and then closed the half on a 22-9 run to take the lead and never trailed again. Bosh had consecutive baskets in the fourth quarter, the last of them an easy breakaway, to put Miami up by nine. A possession later, after a 3-pointer from Vasquez, James split a pair of defenders on the dribble and found Toney Douglas for a right-wing 3. And after a stop on the ensuing Miami trip, James got a wild layup to fall while getting fouled. Moments later, the Heat could look at the standings and finally see themselves on top. "We could still lose it," Bosh said. "That reality is there. We just have to keep concentrating on what weve been doing." NOTES: Miami has now won 15 straight against the Raptors, the last 14 of those meetings coming since Bosh left Toronto and joined the Heat during the summer of 2010. ... Monday was the start of a five-game homestand for the Heat, who face Milwaukee, Minnesota, New York and Brooklyn. Custom Milwaukee Bucks Jerseys . -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. Donte DiVincenzo Bucks Jersey . Rodgers was ruled out on Friday by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Matt Flynn will make his second consecutive start for the Packers. http://www.nbabucksproshop.com/Authentic...r-Bucks-Jersey/. During the furious first few hours of free agency Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with strong safety Donte Whitner, a Cleveland native who cant wait to play in his hometown. George Hill Bucks Jersey . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . Milwaukee Bucks Jerseys . "I love the game, its the best job you can have," he explained Tuesday as the players left Joe Louis Arena for the summer. "Ill sit down with my wife and well go from there.MONACO -- Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso posted the fastest time in the rain-disrupted second practice session at the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday. Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton was second. Alonso, third overall in the championship, clocked 1 minute, 18.482 seconds. Hamilton was .419 seconds behind, and Sebastian Vettel .535 behind for Red Bull. Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne was fourth best for Toro Rosso. Spectators waited for nearly 40 minutes as drivers stayed in their garages until the track dried after some showers. Hamilton was fastest in the morning session ahead of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, and Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo. There is a final practice session on Saturday morning before qualifying in the afternoon. Hamilton, who has won 26 races, has never started from the pole in Monaco despite securing 35 career poles elsewhere. "It felt really good out there today. I had a good first session and was then really pleased to get those last few laps in the dry this afternoon," Hamilton said. "Im feeling pretty set for Saturday. There is still some work to do, but we have tomorrow to look into that." The British driver is confident he can end his barren run in Monaco, where he has not won since 2008, the year he won the F1 title. "This track is one of the coolest ever," Hamilton said. "Its such a classic race, and Ive been trying to win here again since 2008, so Im hoping this is the year as we have such a great car." Hamilton has four poles this season, with Rosberg clinching the other, meaning Mercedes have swept all five races and all five poles. Hamilton has won the previous four and Rosberg took the opening GP in Australia, where Hamilton retired with engine failure.dddddddddddd Rosberg, who secured his maiden Monaco GP win last year, trails Hamilton by three points overall. "It seems that we are looking very quick here again, although our main competitors seem to be a little closer to us than in Barcelona," the German said. "The conditions werent great this afternoon so I didnt take any risks as there was nothing to learn on the wet parts of the track." Monacos tight, sinewy circuit makes overtaking almost impossible and puts whoever gets pole into a prime position. But given that engine power is less important than at other races, Red Bull could end Mercedes winning streak if Vettel or Ricciardo can upstage Hamilton and Rosberg in qualifying. "The nature of the circuit doesnt put such a premium on straight-line performance, which has obviously been our weakness this year. Were hoping to give these guys (Mercedes) a run for their money," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "Its been an encouraging start to the weekend. When you consider where we were preseason, weve come a long way in a couple of months." Vettel was fifth fastest in the first practice behind Alonso. The Spaniard is 51 points behind Hamilton but four ahead of Vettel, his main rival from previous seasons, who is fourth. In the mornings run in overcast, chilly conditions, British driver Max Chilton spun off in his Marussia car, while struggling German driver Adrian Sutil stalled his Sauber. Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson slammed his Caterham into the barriers with a minute remaining in the afternoon run. ' ' '