ner last year at Bellerive in St. Louis, birdied the last two

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. Fake Raptors Jerseys . -- Hours before John Loyer made his debut as Detroits interim coach, Chauncey Billups offered a preview. "Hes always very energetic at all times," Billups said. "I dont know what were going to do in second halves because he wont have a voice. He always loses his voice in the first half." Billups assessment was spot on, at least through one game. Loyer coached the Pistons to a 109-100 win over San Antonio on Monday, yelling out instructions in a raspy voice from the sideline on a night his team led comfortably for the entire second half. It was an immediate contrast to the mild-mannered Maurice Cheeks, the coach the Pistons fired a day earlier. Of course, sideline demeanours can be deceiving -- and Loyer was careful not to take too much credit for the teams sharp performance against the Spurs. "Its not about me," he said. "Im just glad our guys played hard." Loyer was in his third season as an assistant for the Pistons when he was abruptly promoted after Cheeks dismissal. He was a holdover from Lawrence Franks staff, remaining in the fold after Cheeks was hired last off-season. Loyer has also been an assistant for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers. The Pistons scored 26 points off turnovers against San Antonio and led by as many as 23. "Certain events happened that are beyond our control, but we were able to come out and focus on playing basketball," forward Josh Smith said. "We came out with a big win against a great team." Loyer takes over the Pistons at a time when patience is growing thin. Detroit signed Smith and traded for Brandon Jennings in the off-season, but the results have been mixed at best. Even after beating San Antonio, the Pistons are 22-29. They were tied for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday night. Detroit had won four of six when Cheeks was let go, so its hard to tell if the win Monday could be attributed at all to the coaching change. Jennings played well for Loyer -- just as he did in the last couple games under Cheeks. "The last four out of six, weve still been playing the same way," Jennings said after the win over San Antonio. "Were just trying to keep it going." Cheeks, a former point guard, was given the task of mentoring Jennings, but Jennings says he can still look to Billups for veteran guidance. Jennings performance down the stretch may make or break Detroits playoff chances. Jennings made a point of saying that Cheeks was like a father figure to him, but he hopes to stay in the offensive groove hes found over the past few games. "Im back to having fun, instead of just taking everything so personally and thinking about too much," Jennings said. "Im just hooping." Detroit hosts Cleveland on Wednesday, then plays a home-and-home with Charlotte -- another team in the mix for the post-season in the East. So the Pistons will have a chance to build on their recent success and create some positive vibes right away for their new coach. "Change for changes sake doesnt do much," Loyer said. "Anybody can change. We need positive change, and I thought our guys came out and had great effort (Monday night), great determination. You try to set a little bit of a tone every day. Thankfully, our guys, they set the tone." Stitched Raptors Jerseys .C. -- The Carolina Panthers announced Thursday theyve signed free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a two-year contract, helping rebuild a depleted wide receiving corps. Toronto Raptors Gear . -- Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf has been suspended two games for his hit from behind on Kevan Miller of the Bruins. https://www.cheapraptors.com/ .com) - Jimmy Butler made four key free throws down the stretch to lift the Chicago Bulls over the Boston Celtics, 109-102, on Friday.BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- Colin Montgomerie knows two of the players to watch in a senior major are Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson, so playing alongside them in the first two rounds of the Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores worked out well. Watson shot a 3-under 68 on Friday for a share of the lead with fellow Hall of Famers Langer and Montgomerie and three other players. "Tom had a great finish last week in the Regions Tradition major and Langer is always there, so I felt that if I was equal or around them after two days, I would be quite happy," Montgomerie said. "I was and I am and it gives me an opportunity to go forward at the weekend." The 64-year-old Watson had five birdies and a double bogey -- on the par-4 12th -- to reach 4-under 138 after two rounds at Harbor Shores. "When I dont do well I get angry with myself still," he said. "Like (Lee) Trevino said, When I stop getting angry with myself, then I know its time to quit. And I havent reached that point yet. I get frustrated at times, but I still have some fire." Langer also had a 68, and Montgomerie shot 69 to join Watson, Bart Bryant, Steen Tinning and Kiyoshi Murota atop the leaderboard. Bryant shot 67, Tinning 66, and Murota 65. The six-way tie for the lead is the most on the Champions Tour after 36 holes since an eight-way tie in the 2006 Senior Players Championship in Dearborn, Michigan. Montgomerie talked more about Watson than himself afterward. "Hes hitting the ball great," Montgomerie said. "Sixty-four years old. Its amazing how he still is very competitive and extremely competitive. Seeing him at very close quarters, believe me he is extremely competitive and its great to see." Murota, from Japan, had the best round of the day, chipping in for eagles on the par-5 fifth and ninth. Bryant bogeyed the 18th hole to drop into the tie for the lead. Tinning, from Denmark, birdied No. 17 in his bogey-free round. Steve Pate (67) was a sttroke back along with Stephen Ames (68), Russ Cochran (69), Mark Brooks (71) and Dan Forsman (73). Toronto Raptors Pro Shop. The group at 2 under included first-round leader Joe Durant (75), Jay Haas (71), Scott Simpson (69) and Duffy Waldorf (70). Watson, Langer and Montgomerie created buzz early in the day with their names atop the leaderboard. Watson had a 3-under 33 on the front nine, but double-bogeyed the 12th with a stubbed chip and three putts. Trying to win for the first time since the 2011 Senior PGA, hes coming off a sixth-place tie last week in the Regions Tradition in Alabama. "I hit the ball pretty well last week and finished with a good round on Sunday, and its kind of carrying on right now," he said. "So well see what happens the next two days." Langer, a two-time winner this season and the leading money winner on the Champions Tour five of the last six years, birdied the first two holes. "On this golf course you never know whats going to happen," Langer said. "There are some low scores out there, but there are also some high numbers. So it was good to get in the red numbers right away and I felt good about my game starting off." Montgomerie, playing in his first Senior PGA and seeking his first Champions Tour victory, took advantage of a friendly forward tee position and made an eagle on the par-5 15th. He hit his 8-iron approach from 173 yards to 10 feet. "Amazing, fantastic," Montgomerie said. "I havent putted well, to be honest, over the first two days. I missed a number of makeable putts that havent started on line, which has been disappointing." Roger Chapman, the runaway winner in 2012 at Harbor Shores, was 1 over after rounds of 71 and 72. Kenny Perry, the Regions Tradition winner last week, followed his opening 70 with a 75. Kohki Idoki, the winner last year at Bellerive in St. Louis, birdied the last two holes for a 70 to make the 36-hole cut on the number. ' ' '