Raptors-Mavericks Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Dec 30 2011 1:37AM

The Dallas Mavericks aren't the NBA's only winless team, but they are the only franchise without a victory and a 2011 championship banner hanging above their home court.

Off to the worst start by a defending champion in 40 years, the Mavericks again try to pick up their first win and bounce back from a heartbreaking defeat Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Dallas (0-3) won the franchise's first title with 105-95 win over Miami on June 12, and that could end up being the Mavericks' last win of the 2011 calendar year if they don't defeat the Raptors (1-1).

While Dallas looked sluggish in its first two games, trailing by as many as 35 points against the Heat and by as much as 33 against Denver, a win was well within reach Thursday against Oklahoma City.

The Mavericks led by 12 early and a 3-pointer by Vince Carter with 1.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter put Dallas up by one. The Thunder responded with a deep 3-pointer by Kevin Durant at the buzzer, sending the Mavericks to a 104-102 loss.

With the defeat, Dallas became the first defending champion to start 0-3 since the Boston Celtics lost four straight in 1969-70. While their disappointing start is making headlines, the Mavericks are trying not to pay attention.

"I think the more we go out and just play the game itself more, good things happen on the court," Shawn Marion said.

"We've got to just go out there and stop worrying about other things and just go out there and just play the game and just play hard."

The Mavericks are off to their worst start since opening 0-4 in 2006-07. They went on to win an NBA-best and franchise-record 67 games that season, but rebounding from a slow start could be more difficult this year because of the lockout and significant roster turnover. Dallas is replacing two key contributors from last season's team in Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea.

The Mavericks' offense obviously still revolves around Dirk Nowitzki, and he is coming off his best performance of the season, finishing with 29 points and 10 rebounds.

Nowitzki had 31 points and 13 rebounds in a 114-96 victory in Toronto on Feb. 27, but a sprained right knee kept him out of the first meeting, an 84-76 loss, snapping the Mavericks' 10-game home winning streak in the series.

The Raptors arrive in Dallas to open a three-game trip after losing to Indiana 90-85 on Wednesday.

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto trim a 14-point, fourth-period deficit to two, but it wasn't enough. DeRozan also played well down the stretch in Monday's 104-96 win over Cleveland, scoring nine of his 15 points in the final period.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey, an assistant with the Mavericks the last three seasons, is thrilled with DeRozan's late-game exploits, but would also like to see him be more assertive early.

"Start off aggressive, that's one thing I need to do," DeRozan said. "Just got to get off to a better start, but I love the fourth quarter. It's fun to me."

Toronto has been strong defensively in its first two games, although it hasn't faced the stiffest competition. It held the Pacers to 39.5 percent shooting after limiting the Cavaliers to 41.2 percent.

"We got the concept of the defense and we know what we got to do and when we have to do it," Andrea Bargnani said. "The effort is there."

Dallas' defense has been a big reason for its early struggles. It is allowing an average of 108.0 points on 51.8 percent shooting.

Mavs beat Raptors 99-86 for first win

Posted Dec 31 2011 12:54AM

DALLAS (AP) The Dallas Mavericks expect offense from top scorer Dirk Nowitzki. Reserve center Ian Mahinmi provided a surprising bonus.

Mahinmi scored a career-high 19 points, Nowitzki contributed 18, and the reigning NBA champion Mavericks rallied for their first victory of the season, 99-86 over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

Jason Terry added 10 of his 17 points in the final quarter for the Mavericks (1-3), who hadn't started 0-4 since the 2006-07 season.

The last defending NBA champs to open a season at 0-4 were the 1969-70 Boston Celtics.

The Mavs didn't have long to dwell on the disappointment of Thursday night's 104-102 loss at Oklahoma City on Kevin Durant's 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"We knew it would happen, it was just a matter of time," Terry said. "We thought it would happen last night, but unfortunately we had to take a bump along the way. But the way we played last night gave us some confidence. Now that we know how we have to play, we're a confident team."

Dallas has five new faces on the roster after losing five key players from a team that won its first title last season.

Mahinmi hit all six field goal attempts, went 7 for 11 from the free throw line, and added five rebounds and two blocked shots.

"I know this was a career high in points for him, but the last two nights he's given us a really high level of energy," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's given us a physical presence, he's a combative guy, and he was really big for us tonight."

Andrea Bargnani scored 30 points and Leandro Barbosa had 20 for the Raptors, 1-2 under first-year coach Dwane Casey, Dallas' top assistant and defensive architect last season.

Toronto used a 17-2 run in the third quarter, completed by Amir Johnson's follow dunk, for a 68-61 lead.

But Dallas finished the quarter with a 16-2 spurt, capped by Vince Carter's three free throws, for a 77-70 edge heading into the fourth quarter.

"We've got to understand how to win to beat a championship team," Casey said. "We worked hard to get a 68-61 lead, and then we've got to learn how to close it out. And that's the mark of a young team versus a veteran team."

Toronto never got closer than five points the rest of the way.

"The key part of the game was that 16-2 run," Carlisle said. "That gave us a huge lift."

The Mavericks carried a 29-23 lead into the second quarter, riding a 17-6 rebounding advantage in the opening 12 minutes.

Dallas got off to a better defensive start, a point of emphasis by Carlisle. The Mavs had allowed 32, 32 and 28 points in the first quarter of their three games.

The Mavericks went on to lead by as many as 12 in the second quarter.

But Bargnani scored 13 of his 18 first-half points in the period, and Toronto's late 12-0 run narrowed the halftime gap to 50-46.

After opening the season with blowout home losses to Miami and Denver, the Mavs seem back on track.

"We're playing better basketball," Carlisle said. "The first couple of games were horrible. The last couple of games are games we can build on."

NOTES: Mahinmi's previous career high was 17 points at Memphis on Jan. 15, 2011. ... Trade pickup Lamar Odom continues to struggle for the Mavs, finishing with three points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. ... The teams met for the only time this season. ...Dallas has won 11 of 12 at home against Toronto. ...Nowitzki had converted 22 straight free throws before a miss in the opening quarter. ... G Jerryd Bayless twisted his left ankle with 9:14 left in the second quarter. Bayless attempted to run, but was playing on one leg and limped to the locker room 6 seconds later, done for the night. X-rays were negative and he left the arena in a walking boot. ... Players from Penn State and Houston were in the crowd. The teams meet Jan. 2 in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas.

Notebook: Mavericks 99, Raptors 86

By Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Friday December 30, 2011 11:43PM

THE FACTS: The defending NBA champion Mavericks finally broke into the win column Friday, at the expense of one of the men who helped them capture the title. Ian Mahinmi scored 19 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 18 for Dallas in a 99-86 victory against Toronto and first-year head coach Dwane Casey, an assistant for the Mavericks for the past three seasons. Andrea Bargnani scored 30 points and Leandro Barbosa had 20 for the visiting Raptors.

QUOTABLE: "If I'm open, I'm going to shoot it. That's what coach has been telling me throughout the preseason. When I got an open shot, I got to take it, which is something I've really worked on in the offseason."
-- Ian Mahinmi

THE STAT: The Mavericks' bench outscored the Raptors by a whopping 56-26 margin. In addition to Mahinmi's effort, reserves Jason Terry (17) and Vince Carter (10) also scored in double figures.

TURNING POINT: After the Raptors had used a 14-0 run to take a 68-61 lead with 3:56 left in the third quarter, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle called a 20-second timeout. He subbed Carter in for Shawn Marion and Carter immediately ended the drought with a 3-pointer, followed by a step-back 14-foot jumper. That sparked a 16-2 spurt by the Mavericks to finish the period.

HOT: During the first half, Bargnani led all scorers with 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting. It was his 13th career 30-point game and first this season.

NOT: Mavericks forward Lamar Odom is still struggling with his shot. He was 0-for-3 against Toronto and is shooting 13.3 percent (4-for-30) through four games. Odom is 1-for-12 from 3-point range.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Mahinmi's previous career high was 17 points in a loss at Memphis on Jan. 15, 2011. The Mavericks' backup center was 6-for-6 from the field and 7-for-11 at the line with five boards, two blocks and one steal in nearly 29 minutes of action.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Members of the Penn State and University of Houston football teams, in town for Monday's TicketCity Bowl at the Cotton Bowl, attended the game.

NOTABLE: Raptors guard Jerryd Bayless suffered a sprained left ankle early in the second quarter and did not return. He finished with two points and two turnovers in 6:59. ... Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd played in his 1,271st career game, moving past John Havlicek into sole possession of 17th place on the NBA's all-time list. ... Dallas improved to 13-3 all-time at home against Toronto. ... In the third quarter, the Mavs were 10-for-15 at the foul line and the Raptors did not attempt a free throw.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Sunday @ Minnesota, Monday vs. Oklahoma City, Wednesday vs. Phoenix. For the Raptors, Sunday @ Orlando, Monday @ New York, Wednesday vs. Cleveland.

• Raptors: Gray, Kleiza
• Mavericks: Wright

• Raptors: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #7 Kevin Fehr, #41 Ken Mauer, #56 Mark Ayotte
• Attendance: 20307
• Duration: 2:14