Raptors 95, Mavericks 74
TORONTO -- Linas Kleiza came off the bench to score 20 points as the Toronto Raptors snapped a six-game losing streak on Friday with a 95-74 victory over the Dallas Mavericks before an announced crowd of 19,132 at Air Canada Centre.
Terrence Ross scored 18 points, also coming off the bench, as the Raptors won for the second time in their past 14 games. The Mavericks have lost two in a row.
Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan each scored 14 points for Toronto,
Chris Kaman led Dallas with 15 points while Brandan Wright scored 13 after coming off the bench. Shawn Marion added 12 and O.J. Mayo had 10.
The Raptors took a 14-point lead out of the third quarter and after Kleiza opened the fourth with a pair of 3-pointers they led 75-55.
A driving layup by John Lucas off a Dallas turnover had the Raptors in front by 22 points before the teams exchanged 3-pointers by Marion and Kleiza.
The Raptors bumped the lead to 26 points with 6:09 to play when Ross made a 3-pointer. Another 3-pointer by Kleiza and a slam dunk by Ross put Toronto into a 92-63 lead with 4:10 left in the game.
The Raptors (5-19) were up by 13 points going into the second half on the strength of a 30-16 second quarter. Consecutive 3-pointers by DeRozan and Mikael Pietrus had the Raptors lead at 20 points with eight minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Raptors led 66-45 before the Mavs (11-12) began to chip away at the lead and scored the next eight points, six on free throws.
After a series of misses and stops by both teams, Calderon hit a 3-pointer with 1:47 to play in the third quarter to put the Raptors up 69-53.
The Mavericks led 25-24 after the first quarter. The Raptors dominated the second quarter and led 54-41 at the half.
NOTES: The Raptors, who went with nine players and used eight in Wednesday's loss to Brooklyn, had Amir Johnson back from a one-game suspension Friday. ... Also returning were Alan Anderson (foot), who missed 17 games, and Kleiza (knee), who missed two games. ... Andrea Bargnani is out indefinitely with a torn right elbow tendon and Kyle Lowry is out 10 days with a partially torn right triceps. ... Bargnani was quoted in an Italian newspaper as saying the Raptors are the worst team in the NBA. Raptors coach Dwane Casey dismissed it by saying he wondered how much of what the forward-center said was lost in the translation to English. ... The Mavs' Jae Crowder (illness) is listed as day to day. ... Dirk Nowitzki has been out all season after knee surgery and there is no timetable for his return. ... Former Raptors star Vince Carter made his 12th appearance at ACC with his fourth different team since leaving Toronto in 2005. He was loudly booed as usual. ... Dallas will play at Minnesota on Saturday. The Raptors are home to Houston on Sunday.
