The Toronto Raptors rallied to defeat the Dallas Mavericks, 102-91, behind the play of Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola, who combined to score 46 points. Jonas Valanciunas also put up very promising numbers, and is now becoming a more consistent option on offense.
JV is starting to earn the trust of Coach Dwane Casey, and he even got a lot of fourth quarter minutes tonight. He finished the game with 16 points and eight rebounds while playing some fantastic defense and owning the paint.
Seven-year veteran and one time All-Star, DeMar DeRozan got into early foul trouble, picking up three fouls in six minutes, giving the Mavericks their best opportunity to strike and build a lead. However, the Raptors held their own behind Lowry's 14-point half and went into the intermission all tied up.
Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews were both playing their second consecutive game under a 28-minute restriction. Though, Chandler Parsons did not touch the court in the second half (precautionary reasons). For players coming off surgeries, you'd think they'd be rusty, though they put up surprisingly good numbers and were active on the court.
Coming off a 25-point performance on 10 of 15 shooting, the savvy veteran Dirk Nowitzki proved to still be on fire. Nowitzki torched the Raptors, hitting his first six shots. The Raptors had no answer for the future hall of famer, and we're forced to double team him.
The Raptors second unit was very subpar tonight, combining to score only 17 points, while getting torched by the Mavericks bench.
The Raptors entered the fourth quarter only up two and had already allowed 73 points going into the fourth. The Raptors were extremely hot in the fourth quarter, scoring efficiently and effectively. The only problem is their defense wasn't preventing the Mavs from doing the same thing.
With the Raptors down three and worry started to kick in, Dwane Casey called a timeout around the five-minute mark. The Raptors then went on a 20-3 run, playing great defense, and forcing turnovers. The ball was swinging on offense and effort was shown on defense. It was a magical win, as the Raptors remained to be the only undefeated team in the East and sit atop the conference. Let's see how long this will last, and if they can sustain this longevity of consistent basketball.
Up next, the Mavericks will take on the Charlotte Hornets, while the Raptors will have a tough game in Oklahoma City, as they face the Thunder.
MVP: This award would have to go out to Kyle Lowry, who scored 27 points while dishing out 10 assists. He also finished the game a +25.
LVP (least valuable player): This award goes to Patrick Patterson, who couldn't buy a bucket and couldn't stop Dirk from scoring.