TORONTO - Raptors forward Steve Novak doesnt exactly blend into the crowd these days. In support of prostate cancer and the Movember campaign, Novak has been wearing his contribution to the cause on his face. "Everyone who sees me, theyre not sure [whether] to take me seriously," Novak joked prior to Fridays win over Washington, his moustache 22-days-old. A few weeks into his eighth NBA season, Novak is still getting comfortable with a new team but his presence is hard to ignore, on the court and off of it. Acquired from the Knicks in the Andrea Bargnani trade this summer, Novak is one of the most dangerous offensive specialists in the game, something the Raptors are finding out more and more as the 30-year-old works his way back from a series of early-season injuries. Since the start of the 2011-12 campaign, Novak has hit 286 threes - 16th most in the NBA over that span - and his 44 per cent clip from long range is ranked fourth. After sitting out most of training camp nursing a sore thumb and missing six of the first nine games with a bad back, Novaks playing time has increased steadily in each of the last four contests. So too has his impact. Without even touching the ball, the mere presence of Novak on the floor changes the complexion of Torontos offence. Uncharacteristically, the veteran sharpshooter has knocked down just four of his 17 three-point attempts but his true impact - playing 34 minutes in the last two games, both wins - cannot be measured using a box score. "He creates instant spacing," Dwane Casey said on Thursday. "He really made a big impact, opened up the floor," the Raptors coach continued. "Teams in the league respect his ability to shoot the ball. Whether he makes the shot or not he is a threat." As the Raptors offence continues to evolve, Novak will become more valuable to the teams second unit. In back-to-back victories this week, the Raptors have benefited from better spacing, improved ball movement and timely outside shooting. At least some of that is an indirect result of having Novak on the court, where he is a plus-19 - the third best plus/minus on the team - in 61 minutes. The Novak-Terrence Ross pairing has been especially intriguing with their ability to stretch the floor. The two have shared the court for 30 minutes over the last couple games and Ross, a beneficiary of the attention Novak receives, has thrived. The sophomore has averaged 14.0 points in those games, shooting 11-of-18 from the field including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Three-point shooting has long been an area of weakness for Toronto. Through 13 games, the Raptors rank 19th in the NBA shooting 34 per cent from long distance. They havent finished in the top half of the league in three-point percentage since the 2009-10 season, the last year Chris Bosh was in Toronto preoccupying opposing defences. "Hes one of the best three-point shooters in the league," Casey said of Novak. "Now that hes healthy we want to make sure we utilize that." Casey and the Raptors are still learning how to utilize Novak as a weapon off the bench, maximizing his strengths offensively while masking his defensive shortcomings. Novaks return to the lineup has forced Caseys hand defensively, where theyve had to be more creative. Although they used their zone defence sparingly Wednesday in Philadelphia, as the Raptors coach pointed out the following day, they leaned on it heavily with Novak on the floor Friday. It helped them regain the lead in the fourth quarter after being outscored by 17 in the third. "We have to do some special things for Steve and the whole league knows that," Casey admitted after the win over Washington. "We had to mix it up, our man [defence] wasnt working. We had to go to something else and it had to be our zone." The Raptors are prepared for opposing teams to go at Novak, looking to exploit the veteran one-on-one. "Teams look to attack him," Casey knows, "which sometimes we invite." For Novak, this is nothing new. Hes made a career out of it, or at least in spite of it. "I think that statistically Ive proven that Ive never been a liability [on defence]," said Novak. "If theres going to be a one-on-one defence contest Ill probably lose and Ill be the first to admit that but as long as I have my teammates out there I know Ill be fine." For his career, Novak has a defensive rating (an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions) of 110, inferior to the league average but not the worst mark on the team. DeMar DeRozan has a rating of 111 through four NBA seasons. "Honestly, defensively basketballs a team game," Novak emphasized. "I think the good teams know that when you get out of your offence and go individual and [start] going at guys it usually hurts them more than it helps them." "So to be honest I think its a good thing for us if they start picking who theyre going to throw the ball to and not running offence. I think it probably works to our advantage." Utilizing Novak to his fullest may take time to master. Its a give and take, as the Knicks learned during his mostly productive two-year tenure in New York. If hes deployed in situations that allow his unique and specific skill set to flourish he can become a lethal weapon off the Raptors bench. "Its my eighth year so I must be doing something right," he said with a smile. Cheap MLB Jerseys Nike 2020 . Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at goal from 15 metres. He then kicked nine goals in succession -- two conversions and seven penalties -- before being replaced in the 62nd minute, three points short of the Highlanders record for most points in a match. Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/. Vonn "reopened" the idea of competing in the season-opening World Cup event on Oct. 26-27 in Soelden, Austria after returning to the slopes last month in Portillo, Chile. Cheap MLB Jerseys From China .C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C. MLB Jerseys Outlet .And although FIFAs investigators are preparing to release the findings of a World Cup corruption probe, Hassan Al Thawadi dismissed any chance of Qatar losing the showpiece event.DALY CITY, Calif. - After a whirlwind week featuring a multitude of celebrations that included her first LPGA Tour victory as a pro, Lydia Ko planned to sleep late Monday before catching a San Francisco cable car for a little bit of sightseeing. What a successful, memorable trip she had to the Bay Area. Ko turned 17 and had "Happy Birthday" sung to her at the first tee box to kick off the inaugural Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, earned a spot as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine, and captured her first LPGA Tour title as a professional — all while playing with a fill-in caddie from the local club. "Normally they would say sweet 16, but I would say its sweet 17," Ko said. "I dont think I could have any better birthday week." Poised and unflappable, Ko made the perfect pitch up to the green from the rough to birdie the final hole Sunday, holding off Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin for her third LPGA win in all. It went down to the final shots, and the teen made a 6-foot birdie putt moments before Lewis knocked in a 4-footer of her own to finish one stroke back. After beginning the day a stroke behind Lewis, Ko birdied three of her final four holes on the front nine on the way to a 3-under 69 and 12-under 276 total at Lake Merced. Ko earned $270,000, celebrating on the 18th green three days after celebrating her birthday at the first tee box with the gallery singing "Happy Birthday." Ko, born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, will move up two spots to No. 2 in the next world ranking. Her father, G.H., got to see her win Sunday. "Tears nearly ran down my face. You may lose friends, but youre always going to have your parents," Ko said. "I try to make myself not cry of happiness, but it was coming to that point." She won the Canadian Womens Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Taiwan in her second start as a professional. She has six victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand. All three of Kos LPGA wins have come on courses most of the other golfers also played for the first time. The third-ranked Lewis finished with a 71 for her sixth runner-up finish since winning the Womens British Open in August. She will head to her home state of Texas next week loooking to build on a disappointing near miss in which she struggled all day with her short game.dddddddddddd "I knew she wasnt going away. Lydia played great," Lewis said. "Every time I hit a shot in there, she answered." Shin, still looking for her first tour win after her best finish this year, had a 68 to finish two shots behind. "They were fearless," Shin said about her playing partners, "They just went for it." Playing together for the fourth straight day, neither Ko nor Lewis hit any dazzling shots early. Kos second of three bogeys came on the 417-yard, par-4 seventh in which her tee shot hit a tree and dropped in the rough. Lewis 10-foot birdie putt on No. 9 lipped out. Ko pulled into a first-place tie at 10 under as they made the turn on a picture-perfect spring day, then took the lead with a birdie on No. 13. Lewis went in the bunker, missed the green and two-putted for bogey to fall two back. "The front nine, I did everything I wanted to do, the putts just didnt go in," Lewis said. "I expected her to do exactly what she did today. ... She hit every shot she needed to make from 13 on in." There were two holes-in-one Sunday: Jimin Kang on the 164-yard third and Dewi Claire Schreefel with a 7-iron on the 157-yard 12th hole that earned her a $100,000 prize from China Trust Bank. The weather held for the final day after fog and rain delays earlier in the tournament. This event was the LPGAs first in the Bay Area since the 2010 CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk in Danville. Organizers and club officials are optimistic about keeping the tournament at Lake Merced. Donna Lowe, Lake Merced general manager, hopes an announcement would come within a month to begin planning for 2015. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has spoken with Swinging Skirts Chairman Johnson Wang, while Lowe has received positive feedback from LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan, players and their caddies. "So far, its just been amazing and very positive and uplifting," Lowe said of the feedback. DIVOTS: Michelle Wie, who won last week in her home state of Hawaii, tied for ninth at 2 under. Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen shot a 70 to finish at 3 over in her first event since last month after missing three tournaments with a back injury. Top-ranked Inbee Park tied for fourth at 6 under. ' ' '