Sam Cassell doesn't laugh anymore when he hears the term "turf toe."

"I never knew your big toe meant so much to you," said the Milwaukee Bucks guard, who yesterday scored 20 points in his team's 91-86 win versus the Raptors despite a sore big toe on his left foot.

"When I used to see that on the injury report, turf toe, I'd say, 'That can't be that bad.' But Isaac Bruce, a wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams, is a good friend of mine. I called him after I suffered the injury and asked him: `What can I do for it?' And he told me: `Boy, get ready for some pain.'

"This is probably the worst I've felt since I've been in pro basketball. It's painful every step you take."

Just about every step Cassell took was painful for the Raptors, too, especially down the stretch. In the fourth quarter he nailed two clutch three-pointers -- one to tie the game 75-75 with 6:53 to play, and the other to give the Bucks their first lead since early in the second quarter, 80-78, with 3:33 to go.