The AltRaps Blog

Nowitzki’s outburst overshadows Bosh
T.J. Ford was not available to play in that fourth quarter, as he left the game late in the third with a stinger. Jose Calderon played the rest of the way at the point.

Nowitzki’s tear put a damper on Bosh’s performance. The Raptors star, who had been struggling with his offence, had 31 points and 12 rebounds in 45 minutes, all season highs.

While Bosh still could not get a jump shot to fall consistently, he was more aggressive than he was on Sunday against Golden State, scoring 12 first-half points.

The Raptors, who were 4-1 when leading after the first quarter, had an impressive start. Toronto held a 55-41 lead at halftime, a lead that would have been larger if not for a 12-0 run that Dallas put on late in the second quarter, spearheaded by point guard Devin Harris.

Bargnani, who came off the bench for the last five games after the starting the season’s first five games, was more fluid last night back in a starting role. While still operating from the perimeter, Bargnani scored 11 points in the first quarter, including three threepointers. Bargnani slowed down as the game went on, and finished with 20 points.