Raptors learning to act like hunters
Toronto rallies over Dallas, tying franchise record with 11st straight NBA victory
TORONTO (CP) — Playing a seventh game in 11 nights, with all-star guard Kyle Lowry given the evening off, the Raptors were pushed to the limit Friday by the struggling Dallas Mavericks.
The end result was a 122-115 overtime victory and another lesson learned as Toronto tied a franchise record with its 11th straight win before a crowd of 19,800.
“I mean it’s cool,” Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan said. “But I think we’re all looking at it like we’ve got a bigger goal in (mind). As long as we’re playing well and we’re figuring out how to put away adversity.
“Every game’s not going to be pretty. But as long as we’re figuring out how to win and doing it the right way.”
Toronto coach Dwane Casey saw it more as his team doing the hard way as the Raptors (5217) needed a late fourth-quarter comeback and some overtime resilience to dispatch Dallas.
“We make it hard on ourselves,” said Casey. “Every team is coming in and giving us their best shot. We’re learning to be the hunted instead of the hunter. It’s a different mindset.”
Still, Casey liked the fight and grit that his team showed when it counted.
“It’s a habit and we’re building that habit, building those scars, from mistakes,” he said. “We’ve got to have supreme focus to be successful. And we didn’t have it in the first quarter ... But I liked the way the guys bounced back.”
While the Raptors are flying high this season, Casey is constantly reminding them that nothing comes easy.
“I say it all the time. We don’t have Michael (Jordan), Larry (Bird), Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar). They’re not walking through that door, so we’ve got to play hard. We’ve got to compete very possession. We’ve got to be the hardestworking team on the floor every night.”
They will need to work Sunday when Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder come to town. It did not come easy Friday with the Raptors, playing their second game in as many nights, looking short on energy and answers against a Dallas team playing better than its 22-47 record.
But late mistakes by the Mavericks and some timely DeRozan offence turned the tide in Toronto’s favour as the Raptors won for the 18th time in 19 games in a contest knotted at 106-106 after regulation time.
Three-pointers by DeRozan and Fred VanVleet, off a big Serge Ibaka rebound, gave Toronto a 115-112 lead with 1:13 left in OT. After Canadian Dwight Powell hit a three-pointer for the Mavs, DeRozan sank a shot with 53.1 seconds left to give Toronto a 117-115 lead.
Jonas Valanciunas added five free throws in the dying seconds.
Seven Toronto players scored in double figures, led by DeRozan’s 29. Eight of those came in the fourth quarter with another five in overtime. Without Lowry, the Raptors went 10 for 30 from three-point range.
Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks with 27 points.
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle saw plenty of positives despite the loss, saying his players “kept a competitive foot on the pedal the whole night and did some great things.”