Behind Barea, Dallas Mavericks Beat Raptors At Home

Christmas came a day late for the Dallas Mavericks, but they aren’t complaining as they knocked of the best of the Eastern Conference.

A determined J.J Barea scored 20 points to lead the Mavs to a desperately needed 98-93 win over the Toronto Raptors.

This win gives the Mavericks double-digit wins on the season. It also ended a lengthy Raptors win streak.

Coming into the game, the Raptors had a six-game win streak. They were also 10-1 in games in December coming into the game per ESPN Staff Writer, Tim MacMahon.

The Mavs’ defense suffocated the Raptors. The Raptors were held to a new season low in shooting percentage. Raptors’ star DeMar DeRozan was particularly impacted by the Mavs’ stingy defensive effort as he finished with eight points (3 of 16); which equated to an abysmal 19 percent from the floor.

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As effective as the Mavs were on defense, They were equally effective on offense. Barea connected on fifty percent of his shots from the field (9 of 18) to lead the Mavs with 20 points. But Barea was not the only Mavs player with the hot hand on Tuesday evening though.

The Mavs shot 42.6 percent from the field (40 of 94) as a team. Also, the ever-efficient Dirk Nowitzki shot 62 percent from the field (8 of 13) and scored 18 points.

Some other Mavs’ players who were productive on offense were Max Kleber and Harrison Barnes. Kleber scored 15 and Barnes scored 16 to round out the four Mavs’ players who scored in double figures.

Lastly, the Mavs won the rebounding battle against the Raptors. The Mavs outrebounded the Raptors 56 to 53. Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with 10 rebounds. Also, Nowitzki and Powell both added seven rebounds.

Next: Nerlens Noel Back With Mavericks After Surgery

The Mavs look to build on this impressive victory when they travel to Indianapolis on Wednesday. Tip-off will be at 7 P.M EST.

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