Game 24: Mavericks vs. Raptors

The Raptors are 10-14 coming into this game... it is in Toronto... something to think about. The Mavericks have lost to the Spurs and Nuggets recently, both quality teams, so they still have that hurdle to overcome to prove to themselves and everyone else that they are playoff worthy.

Dallas Mavericks Player Stats 08-09

Name	Dirk Nowitzki	Josh Howard	Jason Terry	Jason Kidd
Points Per Game	26.4	19.0	20.7	9.4
Rebounds Per Game	9.2	7.6	2.7	6.6
Assists Per Game	2.5	1.6	3.7	8.4
Blocks Per Game	0.9	0.6	0.3	0.6

Howard is back, at least in uniform. I await his return to the boards and to the scoreboard. He will be a threat again, just how quickly will he return to that form is really the question.

Toronto Raptors Player Stats 08-09

Name	Chris Bosh	Jose Calderon	Jermaine O'Neal	Andrea Bargnani
Points Per Game	24.1	13.3	12.6	10.3
Rebounds Per Game	9.8	3.1	7.5	4.7
Assists Per Game	2.6	9.0	1.7	1.0
Blocks Per Game	0.9	0.1	1.7	1.6

The Raptors are good at distributing the points throughout the lineup. But right now it isn't adding up to the wins total they had hoped for...

Forecast: Well... first things first, the intangibles: Howard is back to be playing his second game... the game is in Toronto and the Mavs are 6-4 on the road and the Raptors are 5-7 at home. Toronto is also ranked 12th out of 15 in the Eastern Conference. The Mavs are ranked 9th in their conference. I like the Mavericks in this one. Score: 99-91, Mavericks.

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