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MEMPHIS - Rookie Dwight Buycks sat in the corner of the visitors locker room, headphones on one ear. D.J. Augustin occupied the locker to his right, Julyan Stone directly to his left as the three point guards shared a laugh 60 minutes prior to tip-off in Memphis. Off the court theyre good friends. On it theyve been competing for the same job since the start of training camp. Its been the Raptors most problematic position early in the season but, at least for now, they have filled the vacancy behind starter Kyle Lowry at the point. Buycks, seemingly an unlikely choice, has emerged from that trio of under-performing guards to earn a spot in Dwane Caseys rotation. Now, its his job to lose. "Hes gained some ground," Casey told TSN.ca before his teams surprising victory over the Grizzlies Wednesday. "I thought he played with a lot of confidence against Houston the other night, he played with a lot of confidence against Utah. Hes kind of stepped forward in that situation and [emerged]." For the third straight game, Buycks was the first Raptors point guard off the bench in Memphis. He missed his only field goal attempt but converted all four of his free throws in just under 12 minutes of action. Augustin checked in with a minute left and the victory all but sealed while Stone was a healthy scratch for Caseys club. "Theres definitely [an] opportunity, for sure," Buycks recognized. "[Casey has] been saying that for a while now. Weve been competing and making it tough for him." "Youve just got to stay ready and make the most of it. Most of all just go out there and have fun but at the same time its a job, its a business so youve got to take it serious." He hasnt been spectacular - far from it, averaging just 3.4 points and 0.4 assists on 36 per cent shooting in five games - but hes been solid, precisely what Casey has been looking for from the leader of his second unit. When hes come into the game hes been aggressive and has made good decisions more often than not. Most importantly there hasnt been a noticeable drop off when Lowry goes to the bench, an ongoing concern when the incumbent Augustin would check in. Five games into his NBA career, Buycks has earned Caseys trust. An undrafted rookie, Buycks was once considered the dark horse of this trio. Stone - who was kept on after a strong showing in camp - endeared himself to Casey with his versatility and defensive wherewithal while Augustin was given first crack at the job on account of his experience as a starter in the league. Their skill sets differ and the sample size with Buycks is small, which suggests the rookie may be tied to short leash. As long as Caseys options at the position remain modest, at best, the competition will be ongoing even if Buycks continues to front the platoon. "Its tough but at the end of the day were teammates," said the 24-year-old. "Were all going to give it our all; were pros, so youve definitely got to bring it. Thats what makes it tough but thats what makes us love our job more." Buycks is an unconventional NBA rookie, having spent last season playing professionally in France where he was awarded league MVP. Still, hes a first-year player and his teammates wont let him forget it. "Its a rookie duty, a little gift from [Lowry]," Buycks said of the small bumblebee backpack thats been accompanying him on road trips this season. "Its not too bad. At the end of the day its all fun and games." "It wasnt a problem for me. I was laughing and smiling right with them when I found out I had it. So [Im] just going along with the flow." It could be worse, he pointed out. The teams three sophomores - Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross and Quincy Acy - all had to carry around pink bags along with a doll, Dora the Explorer or Bart Simpson. The bumblebee is slightly less conspicuous. The advice he received from those three; "Just dont forget youre book bag. 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After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks.LONDON -- Andy Murray won his first match since adding Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach, beating Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Queens Club grass-court tournament on Wednesday. "I was looking forward to getting back on the court," Murray said. "I enjoy playing here. I love being back on the grass. "I thought I was quite disciplined with my movement today. I moved pretty well. I wasnt sliding about too much. Yeah, it was a good start." Top seed and Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka also advanced into the third round when Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus retired with a right shoulder injury as the Swiss led 3-2. There was victory too for 2011 finalist and fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, who weathered a close first set before overwhelming Belgiums David Goffin 7-6 (5), 6-2. Since his loss to Roger Federer in the 2012 Wimbledon final, Murray has won 19 consecutive matches on grass and captured three titles, including the 2012 London Olympic gold at the All England Club, and Wimbledon and Queens last year. Murray hired former top-ranked player and two-time major winner Mauresmo as his coach on Sunday, initially for the grass-court season. He has been without a coach since he parted ways with Ivan Lendl in March. Hiring a female coach has generated a great deal of attention, and although he previously worked with his mother, Judy, for a long period, he admits that such a move at his level of the game was unusual. "At first when I thought about it, it was obviously a consideration, because for a few years I havent worked with a woman," he said. "Now the decision has been made, its not something that Im thinking about. Its more about the qualities that she can bring that will help me and my tennis and my team as well. I hope it works out long term because I like her. Shes a good person. I hope it works out well." Murray was impressed with Mauresmo when they met, and saw the qualities she could bring. "t;After I spoke to her the first time I just really liked her.dddddddddddd She was calm. She asked a lot of questions. She listened. She listened a lot. I liked chatting to her, so then I decided to sit down and speak to her and had a good chat with her about tennis. "This week, theres not going to be any big changes in my game. I also wouldnt expect any before Wimbledon. But well definitely work on some things after the tournament is finished here." Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver lost 6-4, 6-4 to Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine while Torontos Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia defeated Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6 (4), 7-5. Pospisil also lost in mens doubles. Ernests Gulbis, who reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open last week, fell to Kenny De Schepper of France 7-6 (3), 7-5. "I like the grass," Gulbis, the sixth seed from Latvia said. "But I never played well the first tournament. I always played decent in Wimbledon if I practiced well. So now Im going to stay here, practice two weeks on grass. Im going to be fully fine for Wimbledon." Lleyton Hewitt remains one victory short of Roger Federers record of 122 match wins on grass after being beaten 6-3, 6-4 by Feliciano Lopez. Hewitt, a four-time champion at Queens, was broken once in each set and failed to earn a single break point against the Spaniard. Its the first time the Australian has lost to Lopez in five meetings. Hewitt had been bidding to become the first player to win Queens five times. He shares the record of four titles with Andy Roddick. "I played a bit of a loose game the second game of the match," he said. "Then, yeah, he served really well the whole match. He had a lot better rhythm today than he did yesterday in his first-round match. He hit his spots really well." Dmitry Tursunov of Russia and Nicolas Mahut of France were beaten, but there were wins for eighth seed Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine and Radek Stepanek. ' ' '