Recap: Raptors stop skid at Mavs' expense, end 3-point streak
Earl K. Sneed reports from Toronto, where the Dallas Mavericks' NBA record for consecutive outings with a made 3-pointer came to an end while falling to 0-2 on their three-game road trip.
Recap: Mavericks 74 at Raptors 95
Raptors stop skid at Mavs' expense, end 3-point streak
Continuing their three-game road trip with a stop north of the border, the Mavericks attempted to build that consistency despite just a 4-8 mark away from home entering the night. And with Nowitzki (right knee surgery) still rehabbing his way back onto the court, the Mavericks tried to put aside the disappointment of Wednesday’s 117-115 double-overtime defeat while attempting to send the lowly Toronto Raptors to a seventh straight loss overall.
But while playing with tired legs following Wednesday’s marathon the Mavericks (11-12) would lack a consistent offensive vibe all night long. And after a season-low scoring output in a 95-74 loss, the Mavs fell to 0-2 on their current road trip.
“It is what it is. [The Raptors] have been playing hard. They’ve been losing games right at the last minute or so of the game, so they were bound to win one. Tonight, I guess it was meant for them to win it against us,” four-time All-Star Shawn Marion said after the lopsided loss.
Sticking with the starting lineup of veteran point guard Derek Fisher, leading scorer O.J. Mayo, small forward Dahntay Jones, Marion and center Chris Kaman for the second straight game, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle hoped to get off to a quick start after the heart-breaking loss two nights prior. But despite a hot start for Kaman, the Mavs would head into the second stanza with just a 25-24 edge, committing five turnovers in the opening period after 28 total giveaways in Boston.
The Mavs’ inability to take care of the ball continued to play into the Raptors’ hands as the second quarter got underway, leading to an alley-oop connection from DeMar DeRozan to Terrence Ross to put the home team up three, 32-29, while forcing a timeout by Carlisle with 7:56 left in the half.
Ross would then boost the Raptors (5-19) to a double-digit advantage, lifting his team to a lead as large as 14 while Mavs sixth man Vince Carter struggled to 1-of-7 from the field in the first two quarters against his former team. And despite 15 first-half points for Kaman to lead all scorers at the midway mark on 7-of-12 shooting, the Mavs entered the intermission down by 13, 54-41.
Outshot through 24 minutes of action, 45.5 percent to 43.2 percent, the Mavs took advantage of a 20-10 advantage in points in the paint but struggled to remain in the game after 11 turnovers for 18 Toronto points. The Mavs also missed on their first five attempts from 3-point range in the half, a theme that would prove to be historic for the team later in the night.
“They wanted it a little bit more than we did and I think they created the pace they wanted and got us all out of whack,” Carter simply said of the first half.
“I thought their overall game plan was great,” Carlisle added. “You know, our energy just wasn’t where it needed to be early and they had great energy, so it was a multiplying effect against us and we didn’t respond well. I thought at halftime we had a chance to claw our way back into it, but they jumped us and it was uphill the whole way.”
Things would get worse for the Mavs as the second half got going, falling behind by 20 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Ross and Mickael Pietrus. The margin would eventually hit 21, before Marion’s end-to-end play helped the Mavericks close to within 14, 69-55, heading to the fourth.
Switching to a three-guard lineup of Fisher, Darren Collison and Dominique Jones alongside Carter and big man Elton Brand, Carlisle again looked for a spark to ignite his team to start the fourth quarter. It was then believed that Fisher had extended the Mavericks’ NBA record streak of 1,108 straight games with a made 3-pointer, before the shot was reviewed and determined to be a two after the team missed on the previous 13 attempts from behind the arc.
Meanwhile, the Raptors ballooned their advantage to as much as 29 after Carlisle pulled his main contributors with 6:07 remaining, finishing the night with his reserves in preparation for Saturday night in Minnesota for the second game of a back-to-back.
Outrebounded on the night, 47-38, the Mavs also ended the game surrendering 26 points off their 17 turnovers. The visiting team also shot just 39.1 percent to the Raptors’ 40.5 percent, as Dallas’ long-time streak came to an end after a 0-for-13 night from behind the arc.
“We played poorly and they played great. I don’t know how else to sum it up. It’s as simple as that,” Carlisle admitted.
He added: “I thought they played a great game all around. Everything they did, I thought it was an extremely well-coached game by them and we didn’t match what they put on the floor. Simple as that.”
Scoring 20 points off the bench on 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-11 from 3, Linas Kleiza led four Raptors in double figures as they overcame Dallas’ 34-20 margin in second-chance points and 14-11 edge in fast-break points.
Kaman led the Mavs with 15 points on 7-of-18 shooting in a losing cause. Meanwhile, Brandan Wright added 13 points off the bench on 6-for-6 shooting and Marion collected a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds after he reached the career 9,000-rebound plateau.
Mayo was the only other Mav in double figures with 10 points on just 2-of-8 shooting and 0-of-4 from behind the arc, finishing with six turnovers one game after a career-worst nine giveaways in Boston. Likewise, Carter also struggled against his former team, going 1-of-8 on the night for just four points.
“We’ve got to look at what they took away from us and make sure we have some counters next time,” Mayo said. “We’ve got to be better. That’s how we win ballgames — energy and effort. That’s our identity. That’s how we play — scrappy with energy and effort offensively and defensively. Not having that, you’ll get a 20 or 30-point blowout like tonight.”
The Mavericks will now conclude their road trip by traveling to Minnesota for a second meeting against the Timberwolves. The Mavs fell at home to the Minnesota squad, 90-82, on Nov. 12. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7 p.m. CT.
“Tonight’s over and we’ve got to get out of here, get through customs somehow, make sure that everybody is legal getting out of the country and we’ve got to get ready for a game tomorrow,” Carlisle concluded.
