The Dallas Mavericks have a chance to sweep a three-game homestand and reach a new high-water mark for the season when they host the Toronto Raptors on Friday. Dirk Nowitzki returned after missing one game with a stomach bug and led Dallas to a 105-91 win over short-handed Memphis on Wednesday, moving the Mavericks a season-high five games above .500. The Mavericks are 11-2 at home, where they've won 14 of 17 all-time meetings with Toronto.
Even though it's only December, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle places great importance on every game as it pertains to his team's playoff hopes this spring. "We're in a situation where we're one of six or seven teams fighting for two or three playoff spots," Carlisle told reporters. "That's what it's going to come down to. Concentration and focus and attention to detail are going to carry the day as to who gets in and who has a chance to advance." The Raptors could find themselves in the same situation - despite being five games below .500, they're in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with six teams within 3 1/2 games of them.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (9-14): Toronto, which is 5-6 away from home, plays five of its next six on the road. The Raptors, who are 3-2 since trading Rudy Gay, lost 104-102 in overtime on a buzzer-beater by Charlotte's Kemba Walker's on Wednesday. With Gay gone, guard DeMar DeRozan (21.8 points) has to take on more of the scoring burden, and forward Amir Johnson has stepped up his production, averaging 18.4 points and 10 rebounds in five games since returning to the starting lineup.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (15-10): Dallas has as potent of a one-two punch as anyone in the league with Nowitzki (21.1 points, six rebounds) and Monta Ellis (20.7 points, 5.6 assists), who lead six players averaging double digits in scoring. The bench recently got a boost from the return of Brandan Wright, who missed the first 23 games because of a fractured left shoulder. Wright made a big splash in his first game back with 19 points in a win over Milwaukee but was limited to four points in 13 minutes against Memphis.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nowitzki (25,557) is 14th on the NBA's all-time scoring list, 56 points behind No. 13 Alex English.
2. The Raptors have recorded 20 or more assists in four consecutive games, their longest streak of the season.
3. The Mavericks are 12-2 when leading after three quarters, including 9-0 at home.