ATLANTA - No one takes losing harder than Rudy Gay, no one on the Raptors anyway. He wore it on his face Friday after the Raptors (1-1) suffered their first loss of the young season, a loss he took personally and accepted responsibility for. "It wasnt that easy for me tonight," Gay said after scoring 14 points on 6-of-23 shooting in Torontos 102-95 road loss to the Hawks. "I have to go back to the drawing board and think about different ways I can attack, get better and help this team win." Gay stood motionless in the visitors locker room, a blank expression on his face as he reflected on a game that slipped away from his team late in the first half. A group of Toronto reserves and a red hot DeMar DeRozan led a comeback bid late in the game but Atlanta had an answer for every Raptors run and the hole was too big to dig out of. "They made tough shots, they got to the line, they played great defence," Gay said, crediting the Hawks (1-1), who shot a blistering 10-of-23 from three-point range in their home opener. "They ran us in transition [and] we didnt get back. Personally, I dont think I helped a lot." The Raptors forward was suffocated by Hawks defenders throughout the game, forcing some tough shots and misfiring on ones he normally knocks down. Amazingly, nine of his 17 missed shots came in the paint, many of them on dribble drives into double coverage. He scored 17 fewer points than DeRozan on the same number of field goal attempts. "They did, they did but that doesnt matter," a frustrated Gay said, acknowledging the pressure Atlanta put on him. "Every team in the league is going to do that. It doesnt matter." Gay knows he has to be better. He certainly has to be more efficient as long as the offence runs through him and he continues to launch the bulk of Torontos shots. He has a believer in his head coach. "He missed some shots, its going to happen," head coach Dwane Casey said after the game. "I believe in Rudy, hes going to make those shots. Thats going to happen, teams are loading up on him." While many of Gays quick shots equated to missed opportunities on offence, he was far from the lone cause of the defeat, as Casey pointed out. Prior to DeRozan catching fire - he scored 23 of his 31 points in the second half - the Raptors offence was ineffective, shooting 35 per cent in the opening half and hitting on two of their first 13 attempts from long distance. For the second straight game ball movement and transition defence were problematic and the Raptors failed to rotate and close out on Atlantas shooters. Jeff Teague (17 points, 12 assists) and Al Horford (22 points, 16 rebounds) resembled the Spurs all-star duo of Tony Parker and Tim Duncan in new coach, and former San Antonio assistant, Mike Budenholzers system. Teague routinely carved the Raptors defence apart in the lane, often finding the open man in the corner or making the pass that would lead to the open shooter. "It was a tough game," said Kyle Lowry, who added 16 points and four assists in the loss. "Weve just got to get back to what we know how to do and thats defending." The game was Torontos first on the road, where theyll play five of their next seven, after an opening night victory at home. Given the nature of the teams newly appointed front office and the roster makeup, this group will feel the pressure to get off to a better start than the one that derailed them a year ago. "We will get off to a better start," Gay promised. "Weve only played two games, you cant compare us to last year. Were going to play a lot better than today I can guarantee that." "Nobody said we were going to go undefeated," Casey echoed. "Nobody said we were going to be perfect. Were still a team that - like Ive said many times - is growing, learning and you can take a lot out of tonight and see where we need to grow." The turning point With neither offence clicking early, the first half was mostly a back and forth affair - with 21 lead changes and three ties - before Atlanta broke the game open with just over two minutes remaining in the second frame. Toronto led 37-36 with 2:15 left in the second quarter before the Hawks went on a 13-2 run, including three triples, to close out the half. "They hit some threes," Casey said of that stretch. "We knew they were a great three-point shooting team and thats what opened it up." "That two minute stretch at the end of the half killed us," Lowry agreed. The Raptors second unit chipped away at the deficit and DeRozan - a one-man wrecking crew on Friday - helped his team hang around down the stretch. "We [expended] so much energy to get back," Casey said, "and I applaud our guys for fighting back, scratching and clawing. But again, its attention to detail right before halftime [and] not letting frustration set in because we miss a couple of shots." DeMars redemption For most of the game - certainly in the second half when he was dominant at times - DeRozan was Torontos lone bright spot offensively. The Raptors guard bounced back after a tough opener against Boston on Wednesday when he shot 6-for-19 and looked a lot like the player that was a standout for this team in the preseason. "He did a heck of a job of fighting through it," Casey said of the pressure Atlanta put on DeRozan defensively. "He had a rough first half. They were sending bodies at him but instead of getting his head down, he got going in the second half, looked to attack and got to the rim, which opened up his jump shot." Stagnant offence For the second straight game the Raptors registered just 15 assists, including six in the first half and one in the opening quarter. "Thats been an issue all through pre-season, its nothing new," Casey said of the ball movement concerns. "We continue to work on moving the ball. We have to continue to work on that and get better." "That team, they really load up really strong," Lowry added. "We have two players who are very individually gifted in Rudy and DeMar so we have to find ways to get those guys the ball but get movement after." Mutual respect between coaches Friday marked Budenholzers first home game as a head coach after spending 19 seasons in San Antonio where he served as an assistant under Gregg Popovich. He and Casey go way back to their battles, both as assistant coaches, in the Western Conference - Budenholzer with the Spurs and Casey in Dallas and Seattle. The two shared high praise for each other. "Hes a really special coach," Budenholzer said of his counterpart on Friday. "Hes really special working with players and developing players, what hes done with some guys over their careers when he was an assistant and now as a head coach. I have a ton of respect for him. I enjoy being around him and I enjoy working with him." "Im so happy he got his opportunity to be a head coach," Casey said of Budenholzer. "He did so much for San Antonio. [Popovich] kind of turned things over to him so a lot of stuff that San Antonio did is to his credit. Hes been doing it for a long time [but] his name wasnt listed as a head coach. Hes a special guy. Hes finally getting a shot." The system Budenholzer has installed in Atlanta shares similarities to the one he and Popovich have run for a couple decades in San Antonio, Casey pointed out. A lot of the pick-and-roll sets the Spurs run for Tony Parker and Tim Duncan fit skill set of Teague and Horford. Casey can identify with Atlantas new coach having gone through a similar situation a couple years back, coming in and preaching new principles with an overhauled roster (the Hawks have eight new players). "Its tough," Casey admitted. "Hes going through that now and it takes time [and] patience. Believe me, theyre closer than we were when [I] first came in. Hes putting in an excellent system." For the second straight game Casey and his team went up against a first-year head coach, having faced the Celtics Brad Stevens on Wednesday. "The coaching professions very cyclical," he recognizes, in the final year of his deal. "Its a tough profession and the new guys coming in brings a freshness to the table. [Budenholzer] brings a freshness even though hes been at it for a long time, being a first-time head coach is different. Talking to [Stevens] the other night, its a different game than the college game. So its a newness but its a players league. Were the keeper of the gate. We kind of organize, manage but its a players league." Miikka Kiprusoff Jersey . Jones, from Winnipeg, built a 3-0 advantage after three ends by scoring two in the second and one in the third. Chinas skip Bingyu Wang cut that lead to 3-1 in the fourth before Canada added another three in the fifth for a 6-1 lead. Calgary Flames Jerseys . So it was understandable if he was a little shaky early in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation. He spent most of the outing searching for his best stuff, but still managed to shut down the struggling Minnesota Twins offence. http://www.flamessale.com/authentic-mike...-flames-jersey/. If Vettel wins at Suzuka on Sunday, and his nearest rival Fernando Alonso finishes worse than eighth, the German driver will join his compatriot Michael Schumacher and Argentine Juan-Manuel Fangio as the only men to win four consecutive titles. Gary Roberts Jersey . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start. Al MacInnis Jersey . While plenty of statistics illustrate Torontos turnaround in the second year of manager Ryan Nelsens tenure, stopping goals is not one of them.England assistant coach Gary Neville believes Roy Hodgson should remain as boss of the national team beyond Euro 2016. Neville reckons England are going through a transformation period and that the former Blackburn, Liverpool and Fulham boss should be allowed to continue the changes.Hodgsons contract expires in the summer and his hopes of remaining in the job may be shaped by how England perform at the finals in France. But Neville believes the modifications in the squad, which began at the end of a disappointing World Cup campaign in 2014, have gone under the radar.Having lost to Italy and Uruguay, Hodgson played teenagers Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling, against Costa Rica, while Phil Jones, Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley were all 22-years-old or younger.Of the experienced players in the squad only 36-year-old Frank Lampard played in the last game before the squad returned from Brazil, with the travelling England supporters showing their appreciation after the scoreless draw. Dele Alli (R) battles for the ball in a recent friendly The changes had started in Miami before the World Cup with Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling, Jon Flanagan and John Stones involved, while Dele Alli and Eric Dier have been involved in the European Qualifiers.We owe those fans something, said Neville.The way in which they treated us at the end of that game against Costa Rica, when we walked over to them, Ive never seen that before. Andy Burton reports from Englands hotel after Roy Hodgson holds his first press conference since naming his final 23-man squad I hope people recognise there was an 18-year-old on the pitch against Costa Rica in Luke Shaw, there was Ross Barkley, Phil Jones, all youngish lads apart from Frank.Jack Wilshere was 22, and the 19-year-old Raheem Sterling came on.Yes, people would argue that the 2014 tournament in Brazil was a major disappointment. Id agree with that, but this summer is a big moment in terms of how the four years will be viewed in terms of the four-year contract we were all given. Raheem Sterling in action against Costa Rica in 20114 People will judge it based upon tournaments.dddddddddddd I think Roy can be proud of an excellent piece of work.It needs a good finish in the summer. My view would be that he would go on beyond the summer because at this moment in time hes doing the right things and making the right decisions, not just for himself, but for the team long-term.I think of 2010 in South Africa and old players called back out of retirement and panic calls on the last day to players to come and play.Roy went the other way. He went with Barkley, Sterling, Welbeck, Jones and Smalling. Flanagan and Stones were brought in pre-tournament. Ross Barkley (L) celebrates with Wayne Rooney and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain Post-tournament, Alli and Dier were brought in among others. Hes made a series of really good decisions for the English team but also for future tournaments for the next two to four years and hopefully he, we, can see that through.Roys brought calmness. Players respect him. They say: Yes, I like him. Theres nobody looking at Roy and thinking: Hes a bad man, hes arrogant. Actually they say: Ive got a lot of time for him. England manager Roy Hodgson says omitting three players from his squad was yesterday was very difficult Hodgsons squad for Euro 2016 is the youngest England have ever taken to the competition with an average age of a little over 25.And in an interview for the book, Fifty Years Of Hurt: The Story of England Football And Why We Should Never Stop Believing, Neville insists the perception of Hodgson as a conservative manager is misleading.What Roys been over the last four years is bold. Hes taken the average age down from 28/29 to 23/24 from Euro 2012 to Euro 2016. 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