Raptors’ offence missing in action
DALLAS — So good for so long, DeMar DeRozan wasn’t so good on Tuesday night.
He wasn’t the only reason why the Raptors lost to the host Mavs, but when your top offensive player is held to less than 10 points and makes only three shots, bad things tend to happen.
Kyle Lowry tried to compensate for his backcourt partner’s off night with a teamhigh 23 points, but the Raptors needed more players to step up on both ends of the floor.
Too many passengers on this night, too many opportunities gone awry, especially down the stretch blown, and the Raptors didn’t deserve to win, succumbing, 98-93.
It was a one-possession game with 1:38 remaining, the Raptors getting out in transition when stops were made.
Both teams went small following a Mavs timeout.
A game-tying three-ball by Serge Ibaka rimmed out for the Raptors, who kept Dallas to one shot on each possession.
Ibaka then missed from close range, allowing Dallas to score with 10.2 left.
Barely four minutes into the fourth quarter and the Raptors were staring at an 11-point deficit, the veteran combo of Dirk Nowitzki and J.J. Barea doing most of the offensive damage.
Even with their woes from the field, the Raptors hung around, trailing by five with 3:30 to go, playing solid defence that led to Dallas turning the ball over on a shot clock violation.
Tempers then flared when Salah Mejri and Lowry exchanged words and shoves, prompting coaches from both benches to go on the floor and settle matters down.
Officials reviewed the sequence and gave both Mejri and Lowry double technicals.
With Jonas Valanciunas struggling, the Raptors went with Ibaka at centre and Pascal Siakam at power forward. It wasn’t just the lack of offence from Valanciunas, but also his four fouls, despite his eight rebounds before he took a seat on the bench.
Following three quarters, the Raptors were trailing 85-77.
DeRozan was 2-of-14 after three periods, including going 1-of-8 in the third where he didn’t make a single trip to the line.
Credit Wes Matthews for his defence on DeRozan.
Toronto’s second unit took the floor to start the second quarter, the reserves playing with energy and defending as the Raptors went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 31-31.
Lowry was Toronto’s only starter capable of making shots. Take away his shooting and his fellow starters combined to make six of 23 attempts.
Dallas was a plus-six in points scored off turnovers.
Having recently played against Vince Carter, the one-time face of the Raptors, Toronto was matched up against Nowitzki, another member of the class of 1998.
Nowitzki is well past his prime, but in quick spurts, he’s can make an impact on games.
In five first-quarter minutes, Nowitzki made both of his two shots from the field and added two rebounds as Dallas forged an early lead.
Nowitzki has only played for one franchise, leading the Mavs to their one and only NBA title. He’s a certain hall of famer whose presence on the floor demands respect.
With Paul Pierce moving on to television, Carter and Nowitzki are the only members from the 1998 draft still competing in today’s NBA.
Having missed the past three games because of a dental procedure, C.J. Miles was back in the lineup, the Dallas native emerging as the first sub coming off Toronto’s bench. Miles buried a three-ball, one of two attempts he attempted, both from beyond the arc.