HALIFAX -- Canadas top mens tennis player says hes physically ready for this weekends crucial Davis Cup playoff against Colombia following a taxing run at the U.S. Open. Milos Raonic, who is currently the No. 7-ranked singles player in the world, is expected to lead Canadas push to remain part of the elite World Group beginning Friday in Halifax. Raonic will take to the court after his fourth-round exit last week in New York, losing a four hour 19 minute match in oppressive heat to tournament finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan. "The bodys good Im just hungry to get back into competing," Raonic said at a news conference on Tuesday. Injuries to Raonic and teammate Vasek Pospisil contributed to Canadas 4-1 loss in Februarys first-round tie with Japan but Raonic said a lot has changed since the last time he wore the countrys colours in competition. "Ive been able to keep getting better . . . and I just look forward to using this and ending the year on as strong a note as possible," he said. In addition to Raonic and Pospisil, the eighth-ranked Canadian team includes veterans Daniel Nestor and Frank Dancevic. Team captain Martin Laurendeau said he expects the favoured Canadians to encounter stiff opposition from the "hungry" Colombians who are ranked 26th in the world. He said Colombia has depth in singles and features a good doubles team coming off a recent tournament win in Winston-Salem N.C. "Theyre going to come after us and try to make their own history," said Laurendeau. "Its going to be a very tough weekend of tennis." The Colombians feature Santiago Giraldo and Alejandro Falla and top 20 doubles pair Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. Farah said there are few secrets between the teams because of the familiarity the players have developed as part of the pro tour. "We already know the strengths and where the holes are," said Farah. "Whoever plays better tactically has a better chance to win." The two sides havent played since a second round Americas Zone Group encounter won by Colombia in 2010, although Canada has a 5-4 overall advantage in head-to-head competition. Laurendeau said the Canadians are healthy and will be confident playing indoors at home after two consecutive Davis Cup ties on the road. "Were playing under the conditions that suited us really well last year with the balls and court speed, so we feel good about our chances as a team this weekend," he said. Canada is looking to replicate last years successful Davis Cup campaign which saw the team reach the semifinals. Steph Curry Shoes Free Shipping . "I never commented to anyone that I wanted out," he explained. "My heart is with this group and making the playoffs." Kesler added that the rumours are "completely false" that he asked to be traded - recently or ever. Clearance Steph Curry Shoes .Boston beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Tuesday night and celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month. https://www.stephencurryshoescheap.com/ . made a diving catch in left field for the final out in a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins in a regular-season finale Sunday. Zimmermann (14-5) allowed only two baserunners, finishing with 10 strikeouts and one walk in the fifth no-hitter in the majors this year. Steph Curry Shoes For Sale . "I only want to go through this one more time," Crosby said Friday. The 24-year-old captain hasnt played since the symptoms resurfaced following a loss to Boston on Dec. 5. Doctors allowed him to return to full practice on Tuesday and while Crosby is pleased with the way his body is responding he refuses to put on his return. Steph Curry Shoes Outlet .C. -- Eric Staal kept his focus after his apparent breakaway goal was waived off early in the third period.SACRAMENTO, Calif. - While a fast-paced offence has become more of a fixture in recent years, the San Antonio Spurs can still grind out games when needed. Marco Belinelli scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, Kawhi Leonard had 15 points and seven rebounds and the NBA-leading Spurs turned in a vintage performance to beat the Sacramento Kings 99-79 on Friday night for their 12th straight win. "It was an ugly game, wasnt it?" Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, proudly. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker added 14 points apiece, and Tiago Splitter had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs (52-16), who remain 1 1/2 games ahead of Oklahoma City and Indiana for the leagues best record. The winning streak also is San Antonios longest since rolling off 12 in a row in November 2010. Sacramento outshot the Spurs 40 per cent to 38.7 per cent but was outrebounded 52 to 48. San Antonio forced 15 turnovers and committed only nine, pulling away in the fourth quarter behind its shut-down defence. "It was one of those games where we couldnt make a shot," Ginobili said. "The good thing is that they couldnt, either." Isaiah Thomas scored 18 points and DeMarcus Cousins had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Kings, who were held to a season low in points against a franchise that has dominated them — like a lot of other teams — for a decade. The Spurs finished 3-0 against Sacramento this season. Theyve also won 30 of the past 33 meetings, including nine straight overall and 11 in a row in Californias capital city. "If you had told me going into tonights game that we hold the Spurs to 99 points, 38 per cent from the field, and 20 per cent from three-point, I wouldve said we were going to win the game," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "They just keep at it for 48 minutes, and thats why I think that they are the favourite to win the NBA championship." The Spurs shook off a slow start and started rolling late in the second quarter, speeding up the pace and looking foor those "great, not good" shots the way Popovich always preaches.dddddddddddd San Antonio led 47-37 at intermission despite shooting 1 for 13 from 3-point range. The Spurs finished 5 for 25 from beyond the arc, while the Kings were 4 for 14. Tim Duncan also missed his first seven shots for San Antonio before banking in a jumper in the third quarter. He finished with 10 points on 3-for-12 shooting and added nine rebounds and six assists. "Its a great reminder that we can win with defence," said Parker, who also had five rebounds and four assists. "It was not pretty. We were not shooting well. But sometimes you need to win those kind of games. We know in the playoffs, sometimes the ball doesnt go in." The Kings kept the Spurs within striking distance, and appeared to move even closer when Thomas made a 3-pointer as the third quarter ended. Instead, officials ruled Thomas shot came after the buzzer — and upheld the call after a video review. Belinelli swished a jumper at the start of his big fourth quarter to lift the Spurs ahead 73-57. And Duncan quieted Sacramento for good with a jumper that gave San Antonio an 86-69 lead with 5:35 to play. "I dont think we moved the ball enough," Cousins said. "We came down and got quick shots. That kind of hurt us. If we moved the ball a lot better we wouldve had a chance at this game." NOTES: Kings F Royce White, the 16th overall pick in the 2012 draft by Houston, made his NBA debut. He entered with 56.1 seconds remaining and never touched the ball. ... Former Kings centre Vlade Divac sat courtside next to team owner Vivek Ranadive and received a standing ovation when he was introduced on the video board during a timeout in the first quarter. ... San Antonio closes a three-game California trip at Golden State on Saturday night in a rematch of last seasons second-round playoff series won by the Spurs in six games. ... The Kings host Milwaukee on Sunday. ___ Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP ' ' '