Dallas Mavericks lose at home to Toronto Raptors
The absence of Dirk Nowitzki provided the Toronto Raptors with an excellent opportunity to take down the sizzling Dallas Mavericks 84-76 at American Airlines Center. The
Raptors victory halted a five-game winning streak by the Mavericks.
Mavericks Centre Tyson Chandler said after the game, "We've got to get used to playing without the big fella for a while. We had a tough time adjusting. Our defense held
them to 84, but offensively we had nothing."
Five Raptors players scored in double figures. Rookie Ed Davis rocked the court and contributed a team-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. Linas Kleiza and DeMar DeRozan added
16 points apiece, as Toronto snapped their three-game losing streak.
Jason Terry scored a team-high 18 points in the season’s sixth defeat for Dallas. While Caron Butler scored
15 and Shawn Marion posted 12 points in the defeat.
First Quarter
The Raptors managed to make it to the free throw line early in the first quarter, to help build an early lead. Meanwhile
the Mavericks committed seven turnovers in the opening quarter, and Toronto took advantage of the situation to lead 23-13 after one quarter. Dallas' Shawn Marion was the top scorer in the quarter with eight points.
Second Quarter
The Mavericks fought hard to bring some respectability to the score, and stepped up in both attack and defence. Jason Terry's three-pointer with 17 seconds
to go reduced the deficit to just six point at half time at 46-40.
Third Quarter
Both teams started the third quarter sluggishly, but Dallas brought the crowd back into the game with Chandler's three-point play off an alley-oop dunk. However
the Raptors managed every aspect of this one, limiting turnovers, making shots, and playing some tenacious defence. The Toronto Raptors were able to carry a 64-59 lead into the final stanza.
Fourth Quarter
Trailing by five points, the Mavericks had multiple chances to tie the game but Jason Terry and DeShawn Stevenson both missed three-point attempts. Then Toronto pulled away
with an 8-0 run in down the stretch to seal the victory.
Raptors Coach Jay Triano told reporters after the game, "I just kept encouraging these guys and trying to come up with something we could score on and something we could
get stops with. All our guys stayed real positive and I thought that was a key part in tonight's win,”
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