Monta Ellis scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth, as the Dallas Mavericks trounced the Toronto Raptors, 106-102, Friday night at the Air Canada Centre.
It was a big night for Rick Carlisle, as he achieved his 300th win as a coach of the Dallas Mavericks. Chandler Parsons added 16, while Dirk Nowitzki racked up 15 for the Mavericks, who won the battle of the boards 55-37. Dallas showed their lock down defense, as they force the Raptors to commit 17 turnovers.
In addition, Dallas held Toronto to a single blocked shot. Tyson Chandler, coming off an impressive game on Wednesday, recorded yet another double-double, chalking up 11 points and 10 rebounds. Al-Farouq Aminu added 14 markers off the bench for Dallas, who shot 46 percent from the field against the Raptors' 41 percent.
Kyle Lowry paced the Raptors with 25 points, added seven rebounds, and four assists. Amir Johnson added a season-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds for Toronto, who outscored Dallas on the fast break 20-11. Lou Williams pitched in with 16, while Greivis Vasquez added 14 off the bench.
DeMar DeRozan was held scoreless by a tough Mavericks defense, as he went 0-for-8 from the field in 20 minutes and left the game in the third quarter with an apparent groin injury. Patrick Patterson tallied 10 points and 12 rebounds for Toronto, who made of 14 of their 33 attempts from downtown.
The Mavericks led for the most part of the contest, but the Raptors ignited a fourth quarter comeback behind Greivis Vasquez, who made two straight three-point baskets to trim the deficit to six with 1:01 to play in the game. Toronto inched closer and cut the lead to three, 101-98, with 25 ticks remaining, but the Mavericks sealed the deal from the charity stripe to edge out the Raptors in Canada.
Despite the loss, the Raptors remain atop of the Eastern Conference with a 13-3 record, while the Mavericks improve to 12-5.
The Dallas Mavericks will look to continue their winning ways, as they head to the City of Brotherly Love to battle the winless Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, the Raptors will travel to California to play the Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently struggling, as they are riding a four-game losing streak.