Mavericks 106, Raptors 102
Monta Ellis scored 24 of his 30 points in the second half, including 10 straight in the fourth quarter, as visiting Dallas stopped surging Toronto in a contest between the two highest-scoring teams in the league.
Chandler Parsons had 16 points and Tyson Chandler added 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for the Mavericks, who held the second-highest scoring team to 43 points in the first half and 41.8 percent shooting for the game. Dirk Nowitzki added 15 points and eight rebounds as Dallas started its four-game road trip with a win.
Kyle Lowry scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Amir Johnson scored a season-high 20 points and added nine rebounds for the Raptors, who had their six-game winning streak snapped. Lou Williams scored 16 points off the bench, but Toronto suffered a blow when DeMar DeRozan was lost to a groin injury in the third period.
The Raptors scored the first 10 points of the game, but Dallas then took charge, with Parsons sparking an 11-point run midway through the second quarter with a 3-pointer and a floater for a 46-32 lead before the Raptors closed on an 11-2 run. Ellis had nine points and four assists in the third quarter and sparked an 11-2 run with a 3-pointer and two assists as Dallas pushed a five-point halftime lead to 15, but the Raptors got four each from Jonas Valanciunas and Williams during a closing 10-2 run to get the Raptors within seven heading into the final stanza.
Dallas quickly restored an 11-point edge before Toronto pulled within four on Johnson's putback, but Ellis drove the lane for two, hit a pull-up jumper from the right elbow and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to restore a 97-83 lead with 2:21 left. A 3-pointer and a drive by Lowry got Toronto within three with 34 seconds left, but Ellis drained three free throws and added a layup against the press to seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: DeRozan, who scored a career-high 40 points in his last game against Dallas on Jan. 22, was scoreless on eight shots - the fourth scoreless game of his career - before departing with the injury. … Williams is averaging 20.8 points and 3.3 3-pointers in his last five games. ... In a battle among the top-two teams in the NBA in regards to turnover margin, Toronto committed 17 turnovers and Dallas just eight.