Dallas at Toronto (November 6) Toronto was lacking a number of players due to injury including stars Vince Carter and Antonio Davis (and they lost Jelani McCoy after the 1st quarter due to a sore back). As such, it was a game that Dallas should win - but there is always the wounded tiger theory (team being more focused and playing better short-term when its star is out). Dallas scored the first 6 points of the game before Toronto got on the scoreboard. Despite the quick start, Toronto, with a big help from Alvin Williams, kept the Mavs from pulling away and the Mavs held a single-digit lead the entire quarter. Avery Johnson drove to the basket for one of his patented layups to give Dallas a 24-16 lead after 1. Dirk Nowitzki had 10 points and AWilliams had 9 points. Dallas was also very sloppy in the 1st in committing 5 turnovers. Toronto scored the first basket of the 2nd quarter and then Dallas scored the next 7 points to go up 31-18 with 9:45 left. The teams traded jumpers and then Toronto scored the next 9 points to pull within 29-33 with 7 minutes to go. The Mavs were able to cling to their single-digit lead and led just 49-48 at the half. Dallas still had a single-digit lead through the first 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter, but Toronto tied the game at 62-62 with 4:45 left. Dirk Nowitzki answered with a 3-pointer and was fouled to convert the rare 4-point play (his 8th of his career - he has got to be near high all-time for 4-point plays). But Toronto scored the next 5 points to take their first lead at 67-66 with 3 minutes left. The teams traded leads a couple of times of the rest of the quarter. Eduardo Najera got the ball inside, made the basket, and was fouled with 3 seconds left. He missed the free throw and Toronto batted the ball instead of snagging it and Nick Van Exel was there to grab the ball and throw it back up for 2 with a second left. Dallas led 80-75 after 3. Dallas led 82-78 a minute into the 4th quarter and then went on a 18-4 run to go up 100-82 with 5:30 remaining. Toronto got no closer than 14 points the rest of the way. Dallas won 106-92. Dallas looked lack-luster for almost 3 quarters and turned it up a notch in the 4th. I've said this for 4 games now - if they continue to play like this against the good (and good and healthy) teams, they will get beat. They started the game sloppy with 5 turnovers in the 1st quarter, but did clean it up with only 8 turnovers the rest of the game (Toronto played a clean game with only 12 turnovers). Dallas did shot 51.9% FG while Toronto shot 43.2% FG. And Toronto only had 13 assists, with 6 of them coming from Lindsey Hunter. Shawn Bradley had a very nice game and looked very good in the 1st quarter with his defense and swatting. Bradley had a double-double with 14 points including 5-6 FG, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks and, amazingly, only 1 foul [it helped that Toronto did not have any big bangers]. Evan Eschmeyer was a last minute scratch with a strained right knee, so Bradley was really needed in this game. Eschmeyer is listed as day-to-day and it is not yet known whether or not he will play in Friday's Chicago game. Dirk Nowitzki was the high man with 28 points including 10-15 FG and 13 rebounds (all defensive). Michael Finley had 2 of his 3 3-pointers (made all 3 he attempted) during the Mavs' run in the 4th quarter to pull away. He had a balanced game with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Steve Nash really struggled during the game (and, surprisingly, the Mavs played well during the end of the 3rd and early into the 4th quarter while Nash sat - the team normally struggles when he is out). He only had 10 points including 4-13 FG and had 5 turnovers with his 6 assists. Adrian Griffin started and is still struggling. He played a little better defensively, but had no points (only attempted 2) and 2 rebounds in 14 minutes. He did have 2 steals. Walt Williams had a nice game in limited minutes (15) with 12 points including 5-7 FG. Eduardo Najera was the 6th Mav in double-digits with 10 points and only 1 rebounds. Nick Van Exel had 8 points. Avery Johnson's layup at the end of the 3rd was his only points and Raja Bell did not score. Alvin Williams started strong with 9 points in the 1st quarter, but only had 5 points the rest of the game. And he only had 1 assist as the starting point guard. But Hunter did play 33 minutes as point and had 6 assists along with his 17 points. Voshon Lenard was the high man with 20 points including 4-6 3-pointers. He also had 5 rebounds and 5 turnovers. Morris Peterson had 16 points and 5 rebounds and Jerome Williams had 16 points including a monster jam over Bradley and 9 rebounds. Quotes Don Nelson: It's a tremendous advantage to come in here when they have some guys out of the lineup, but it's only an advantage if you win the game. The pressure was on us to come through and we did. If it wasn't for the fatigue factor, we would have had our hands full." Nelson on Toronto: "I thought in the 1st half they were sensational. They found holes in whatever we were doing and made shots and played extremely well. If it wasn't for the fatigue factor, we would have had our hands full." Nelson on LaFrentz, Eschmeyer, and Popeye being injured: "So that leaves me with 1 center, 1 power forward, a bunch of guards and Najera. We're still trying to figure out what the heck he is." Nelson, jokingly: "They lost Vince Carter and we lost Eschmeyer. So it was an even trade." Dirk Nowitzki on Bradley: "He clogged the middle and blocked shots and rebounded the ball well. He was huge for us. For us to get to the next level, we need Shawn Bradley to play like that. He knows it, and we know it." Steve Nash: "I almost consider us slumping right now at 4-0. We're going to play a lot of teams that are going to cause us a lot more problems than the teams we've faced thus far. The Raptors had a lot of injuries." Nash on Bradley: "We have to give him time to create good habits and get to the point where they are second nature for him. When he starts doing this over time, then we'll be able to start expecting him to do it. He's still a work in progress. But give him credit. He's worked hard to get to this point." Nash on playing in his home country of Canada: "With all the distractions here, it makes for a long day. I was a little bit flat, more mentally than anything else." Shawn Bradley: "We're a step slow on defensive rotations, and we're not as fluent on offense. It's a different thing each night, but we have veterans that are able to fight through it." Bradley: "The coaches told me not to get any cheap early fouls, but I tried not to change the way I played. I just stayed down and tried to play smart." Bradley on having only 1 foul: "Say Hallelujah. Where's Avery Johnson? I need a preacher." Bradley: "I feel good, and if nothing else, my confidence is a lot higher now than it was. And I've always been somebody who has played better when they've played with confidence." Eschmeyer on his sore knee: "It's nothing serious. But there's a little swelling and some soreness. At some point, you have to gauge whether you're making it worse by playing and are you hurting the team. It may be better to give it some time to rest." Lenny Wilkens: "I was pleased with our effort, no question about it. We never quit; we ran out of gas. But we worked real hard and guys extended themselves and we made a game out of it. They didn't just walk over us. We held our own with the group we had out there." Wilkens: "And that's what happens when you're really shorthanded." Wilkens: "There are no moral victories. I'm not into that, but I was proud of our effort. They're a good team and you know they've got a lot of guys who are offensive minded and they can score." Alvin Williams: "It's disappointing when you play for 3 quarters and then just let it go in the 4th. It is a good team over there and they just out played us." Lindsey Hunter: "We just wanted to stay close until the 4th quarter and try to squeak one out. But they just did a good job." Hunter: "We were right there. I think they had probably one or two more guns than we had." Dallas Mavericks 106, Toronto Raptors 92 at Toronto (November 6) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 24 25 31 26 - 106 .500 .615 .519 .762 Toronto 16 32 27 17 - 92 .443 .389 .432 .692 Halftime: Dallas 49-48 3rd Q: Dallas 80-75 Technicals: None Refs: Derek Collins, Mark Wunderlich, Scott Foster Attendance: 19,800 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Raef LaFrentz (sprained right ankle), Evan Eschmeyer (strained right knee), Vince Carter (left quad injury), Antonio Davis (sprained left rib muscle), Nate Huffman (right knee surgery) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Adrian Griffin 14 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1-2 1 1 1 2 0 Dirk Nowitzki 41 10-15 2-3 6-7 28 0-13 1 1 3 0 2 Shawn Bradley 32 5-6 0-0 4-4 14 4-13 1 0 1 0 4 Michael Finley 42 9-17 3-3 1-1 22 2-6 5 3 0 1 0 Steve Nash 31 4-13 0-0 2-2 10 0-1 6 5 3 1 0 Eduardo Najera 25 4-6 0-0 2-4 10 1-1 1 0 4 2 0 Nick Van_Exel 22 3-9 2-4 0-0 8 1-2 3 1 1 1 0 Avery Johnson 9 1-4 0-0 0-0 2 0-2 3 1 0 0 0 Walt Williams 15 5-7 1-3 1-1 12 0-2 1 0 0 0 1 Raja Bell 9 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 48 41-79 8-13 16-21 106 9-42 22 13 14 7 7 Toronto Raptors REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Morris Peterson 40 7-17 2-7 0-0 16 1-5 3 0 2 2 0 Jerome Williams 38 6-10 0-0 4-4 16 3-9 0 0 5 0 0 Jelani McCoy 8 0-4 0-0 0-0 0 1-3 1 1 0 1 1 Voshon Lenard 36 8-16 4-6 0-0 20 0-5 1 5 3 1 0 Alvin Williams 33 6-11 1-1 1-2 14 1-2 1 1 0 1 0 Mamadou N'Diaye 27 2-6 0-0 1-2 5 2-6 0 2 3 1 1 Lindsey Hunter 33 7-19 0-3 3-5 17 1-4 6 1 6 2 0 Michael Bradley 19 2-4 0-1 0-0 4 2-7 1 1 4 0 0 Chris Jefferies 6 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 48 38-88 7-18 9-13 92 11-41 13 12 23 8 2 patricia