The Toronto Raptors fell to the visiting Dallas Mavericks by a score of 106-102, but unfortunately it wasn’t the only loss for the Raptors on the night. The loss marked only the Raptors’ 3rd of the season, and just their 2nd loss at home. Toronto is now 13-3 on the season, and Dallas has improved to 12-5 with the win.
The Raptors came out flying to start the first quarter, getting of to a 10-0 start, but the veteran Mavericks stayed calm, and eventually put together a run of their own. Dallas came from behind to go ahead, leading 26-21 after the first. By half time Dallas still had a 4 point lead, as the teams each scored 22 points in the second quarter. The story wasn’t much different after 3 quarters, as Dallas only increased the lead 2 more points up 71-64 heading into the 4th quarter. That’s when the pace in this game picked up.Both teams put on a furious rally in the 4th quarter, with the Raptors outscoring the Mavericks 38-35, but in the end it wasn’t enough as the Mavericks held on for a 4 point victory.
The Dallas Mavericks were powered by Monta Ellis’ 30 point night, while adding 6 assists and 3 steals. Dirk Nowitzki didn’t have his usual sharpshooting accuracy in this game, making just 6 of his 19 shots (including going 1 of 7 from 3 point range). Nowitzki ended up with 15 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. Tyson Chandler continued his defensive presence, earning a double-double for the Mavs, with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Al-Farouq Aminu was a key contributor off the bench for Dallas, as he added 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting.
Kyle Lowry picked up his offensive output in this game, scoring 25 points, while adding 7 rebounds, and dishing out 4 assists. Amir Johnson broke out for a season high 20 points, more than doubling his season average of 9.5 points. Amir was also relentless on the glass, grabbing 9 rebounds, including 6 on the offensive end. Jonas Valanciunas and Patrick Patterson were also VERY strong on the boards this game, collecting 13 and 12 rebounds respectively.
DeMar DeRozan was forced to leave the game in the 3rd quarter as he slipped and fell to the floor, driving baseline. It was a tough shooting night for DeMar up until that point, as he was 0-8 from the field. It was announced on the telecast that he suffered a left groin strain. At this point DeMar is probably doubtful to play in Sunday’s game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, which is a shame because Los Angeles is DeMar’s hometown (he grew up in Compton, and attended USC) and Kobe Bryant was and is one of his favourite players, mentors, and has become one of DeMar’s favourite on court challenges.
On a celebratory note, this game marked the second of seven 20th Anniversary celebration nights this season. On this night the Raptors recognized the contributions of Jalen Rose in his time with the team as a player from 2003 – 2006.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLiPbXjazTQ?list=UUYBFE432C2AmNRDGEXE4uVg]By The Numbers:
- There was only ONE lead change in the game. In the 1st quarter the Raptors led 15-11, and then the Mavericks grabbed the lead at 17-15 and didn’t relinquish it the rest of the game.
- Toronto turned the ball over 17 times, compared to only 8 turnovers by Dallas. Those 17 turnovers lead to 22 Dallas points, whereas Dallas’ 8 turnovers only resulted in 4 points for Toronto.
- Toronto was dominant on the glass out-rebounding Dallas, 55-37. 15 offensive & 40 defensive rebounds for the Raptors.
- This was only the 4th game of DeMar DeRozan’s career where he did not score, albeit this time he left early due to injury.
Postgame Reactions:
Kyle Lowry
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaTQdDPweo4?list=UUYBFE432C2AmNRDGEXE4uVg]Amir Johnson
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSsNVpuOwHw?list=UUYBFE432C2AmNRDGEXE4uVg]Dwane Casey
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iMJKr9uxgg?list=UUYBFE432C2AmNRDGEXE4uVg]Photo Credit: Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images
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