Bosh, Bargnani lead Raptors to easy win over Mavs

By Holly MacKenzie, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday January 17, 2010 5:15PM

TORONTO (NBA.com exclusive) -- Chris Bosh couldn't help but be distracted in his postgame interview.

His Dallas Cowboys were already losing and teammate Patrick O'Bryant jumped in to heckle him as they gave up another touchdown to the Minnesota Vikings.

As his hometown football team struggled in the NFL playoffs, it was Bosh himself who made it a dark day in Dallas for Mavericks fans, collecting his league-leading 29th double-double of the season in a 110-88 blowout victory against the Mavs.

Chris Bosh had 23 points and 13 rebounds in the Raptors' blowout win.

Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images

Prior to the 12:30 p.m tip, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged the challenge the early start provided for his team and said they needed to embrace it.

Unfortunately, his message didn't seem to sink in with his squad.

While Dallas was able to come out with energy initially, it quickly fizzled and the Raptors got a rare "easy" victory at home.

After starting out dreadfully slow on the offensive end, Toronto broke free from its struggles in the second quarter and shot 65 percent, holding a 54-41 advantage at the break.

"The second quarter was our undoing," Carlisle said. "When they scored 34, we scored 18. Turnovers led to uncontested shots. We went though a drought. When you go through a drought, you have to stop them. We didn't do it. The end result is a loss."

In the second half it was more of the same, as the Raptors continued to build their lead, led by Bosh's 23-point, 13-rebound afternoon and 22 points from Andrea Bargnani. Jose Calderon chipped in with 15 points and seven assists off the bench.

Ahead by 10, the Raptors closed the third quarter on a 6-0 run to go into the fourth leading by 16. It was during that spurt that the wheels really fell off for the Mavericks.

Jarrett Jack drove the lane, took the foul and somehow still managed to hit a circus shot while falling into the Mavericks bench. As the Mavs bench scowled, the next trip down turned into an offensive foul on Nowitzki and he was assessed a technical foul for arguing.

The mix of Nowitzki heading to the bench and an Amir Johnson slam had the Air Canada Centre crowd roaring. The final quarter was more of a formality than a necessity as Toronto continued to roll to its 21st victory of the season.

Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jason Terry (18 points) was not at all happy with how the second unit came out to start the second quarter.

"We got off to a good start, our starters did an outstanding job, but for our second unit to come in and play the way we did is embarrassing," Terry said. "I've challenged them, I've challenged myself. I am a part of that group, so we have to come out and do a much better job in our next game and that will be tomorrow night."

The Mavericks will face the Celtics in Boston on Monday evening.

Unable to find his rhythm, Dirk Nowitzki finished with 19 points but wasn't a factor in the second half. When asked about the similarities between himself and Bargnani, Nowitzki said that Bargnani is far more athletic than he ever was and that he has improved his game year by year.

"He's shooting quicker, he's got a quick first step, he's going to be alright," Nowitzki said. "He's a tough matchup. He's so quick now off of the dribble and he's shooting the ball really, really well this year. They're fun to watch."

In his assessment of whether Bargnani can become an All-Star in the league, Nowitzki said the key is to keep improving.

"He's very, very skilled. When he came into the league he was basically just a jump shooter," Nowitzki said. "Now he really worked on his game, posting up when they switch he's taking the smaller guys down there. He's also got the quick drives right and left, finishing around the rim. The sky is the limit."

Told of Nowitzki's praise, Bargnani couldn't contain his smile and acknowledged that he understands why the comparison is made.

Able to watch from the bench for most of the final quarter, Bosh was pleased with the way his team won against a team it has struggled against in the past.

"We're playing pretty good basketball right now and we're just trying to keep it going," Bosh said. "We want to win games and we know that we have the chance to make some ground up in the East."

Asked about the midway point of the season, Bosh shrugged off the question and said he's a veteran who is just thinking about keeping things going and peaking at the right time.

"To get to where we want to go we have to win big games and today was a big game," Bosh said.

While he may not have enjoyed seeing his beloved Cowboys go down, his own team still gave him reason to smile.

"We came out prepared [today] and I'm really proud of my guys for the way they played."

• Mavericks: Najera, Thomas
• Raptors: Belinelli, Evans

• Mavericks: Nowitzki, Terry
• Raptors: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, OT
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #77 Kane Fitzgerald, #38 Michael Smith
• Attendance: 19004
• Duration: 2:8