Herausforderung » A stretch of nine straight

BATA, Equatorial Guinea - Complaints about referees are common in football, but frustrated host Equatorial Guinea is claiming an actual conspiracy at the African Cup of Nations.Equatorial Guineas football federation said it sent a letter of protest to tournament organizers this week following a disallowed goal by captain Emilio Nsue in the opening game of the African Cup, a 1-1 draw with Republic of Congo in Bata on Saturday. Nsue was ruled offside though TV replays suggested he wasnt.The federation thinks the incident may have been more than just a mistake by match officials.The federation considers ... that the annulment (of the goal) is part of a planned action to complicate the passing of the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea to the quarterfinals, the federation said in a statement released through the governments press and information office.The statement said federation staff viewed the video of Nsues disallowed goal and asked sports analysts for their opinion before concluding that this is an injustice and possibly a predetermined action of the referees.In the protest letter sent to the Confederation of African Football, new federation president Andres Jorge Mbomio invites the CAF to correct these referees, to stop this behaviour which, in his opinion, is not the first time that (it) affects the national team of Equatorial Guinea, the statement said.The federation didnt clarify what it meant by not the first time.CAF hasnt responded publicly to the apparent protest.In fact, the Central African country is fortunate to be playing at the 2015 African Cup at all after it was disqualified from the tournament last year for fielding an ineligible player in qualifying. The country was reinstated after it took over as host from Morocco.Equatorial Guineas federation also overlooked a goal by Nsue in the first half against Republic of Congo, which was allowed to stand when replays suggested he was offside that time.Equatorial Guinea has drawn both its games and now must beat neighbour Gabon in the final round of games in Group A to qualify for the quarters — the very least the raucous home fans expect. Cheap Shoes China Wholesale . The Mavericks avoided a season sweep by the Nuggets, who ran away with a win in Denver two weeks ago to hand Dallas its longest losing streak at three games. Dallas (42-28) got a boost in the playoff race when Miami rallied from seven down in the last 3 1/2 minutes to beat Memphis 91-86 Friday night. Cheap Shoes China Free Shipping .6 seconds left to give the Toronto Raptors a 92-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game Wednesday night. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/.m. on Friday. Granger was acquired from the Indiana Pacers last Thursday for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen, but never played a minute for Philadelphia. The 76ers also received a 2015 second-round draft pick in the deal. Wholesale Shoes 2020 . However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand. Cheap Replica Shoes China . JOHNS, N. TORONTO -- For the second straight night, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry stated his case as an NBA all-star. But even after pouring in a game-high 33 points in a convincing win over the Orlando Magic, Lowry was managing expectations ahead of Thursdays announcement of the reserves for next months game. "I would be very honoured. It would be a great individual accomplishment," Lowry said when asked if the NBA coaches decision mattered to him. "But at the end of the day, its just another day for me." Even though many would argue Lowry deserves a spot in New Orleans, hes widely expected to be snubbed, a victim of a perceived abrasive personality rather than anything to do with his play. His play spoke volumes again Wednesday. Lowry had 11 assists to go with his 33 points in the Raptors 98-83 win before 17,694 fans at Air Canada Centre. It was Lowrys second consecutive 30-plus point performance -- a career first. The feat is even more impressive because its come in the absence of injured DeMar DeRozan, another potential all-star. "Hes stepped it up," Toronto head coach Dwane Casey said of Lowry, who hit all five of his three-point attempts in the first quarter as the Raptors built a 33-20 lead and led all the way. "I keep my fingers crossed that the coaches voted him in because he deserves it," Casey said. "I feel like both guys (Lowry and DeRozan) deserve it, because right now hes one of the best point guards in the league." Lowry, who had 31 points in a win over the Nets in Brooklyn on Monday, set the tone for the night by opening the scoring with a 26-foot jump shot 58 seconds into the game to make it 3-0. The Raptors led from there, winning their second straight game and fourth in five. "Were just getting better and were grinding it out eveery day," Lowry said.dddddddddddd Amir Johnson added 22 points and 11 rebounds while Jonas Valanciunas, the second-year centre picked earlier Wednesday to suit up in the Rising Stars Challenge at the all-star weekend in New Orleans next month, added 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Raptors. The win moved Toronto (24-21) three games above .500 for the first time this season. The Raptors, who lead the NBAs Atlantic Division by three games over Brooklyn, were 16-29 after 45 games last season on their way to missing the playoffs for a fifth straight year. "We are hungry and we want to win every game we play," said Johnson, who sat in front of his locker after the game with each foot in a bucket of ice nursing an ankle he rolled. "Nobody has an agenda on this team, everybody is sharing the ball." Johnson said it would be "awesome" for Lowry to get his first career all-star nod. "Hes become our all-star and one of the main reasons why we have been so successful winning these games," Johnson said. Facing the NBAs worst road team, the Raptors jumped on Orlando from the start. Led by Lowry, Toronto matched a club record from November 2009 with eight three-pointers in a quarter in the first, and hit 11 of their first 12 shots of the night from beyond the arc. A stretch of nine straight was the first time the team made that many consecutively since February 2005 against the Los Angeles Lakers. "We made shots. We spaced the floor well," Lowry said. The Raptors led by as many as 19 points. Orlando (12-35) cut the lead to eight points with 7:20 to go in the third quarter but thats as close as they got on the way to losing their 10th consecutive road game. The Raptors now head out West on a tough, five-game road trip starting Friday in Denver. ' ' '