TORONTO — Chris Bosh scored 17 points to lead the Toronto
Raptors to their third successive win with a 92-76 victory over the Dallas
Mavericks in the NBA on Wednesday.
Kris Humphries had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors
(13-10), who were without injured guard T.J. Ford, who was kept overnight in an
Atlanta hospital on Tuesday after hitting his head on the floor following a
foul by the Hawks’ Al Horford.
Ford, who has a history of back and neck injuries that kept
him out of the entire 2004-05 season, was cleared of any serious injury and
returned to Toronto on Wednesday.
"We just hope we can get him past this and when he feels up
to it, he’ll let me know," said Toronto coach Sam Mitchell. "We are relieved
he’s feeling better."
Ford, who sat on the Toronto bench in the second quarter and
received a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd of 19,800, said there was
no timetable for his return.
"I don’t know how long I’ll be out, it all depends on how
quickly my body recovers," said Ford.
The Raptors turned in a strong defensive performance against
the Mavericks (14-9), who scored a season-low in points.
"You have to play great defense to win in the playoffs and
we did that," said Bosh. "I’m really proud of my teammates."
Jason Terry had 21 points and Josh Howard added 19 for the
Mavericks, although Howard left the game after being poked in the eye in the
fourth quarter and did not return.
The Indiana Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 117-102 in a game
that featured five technical fouls and the ejection of Chicago’s Tyrus Thomas
and Indiana’s Troy Murphy following a shoving match.
The Boston Celtics improved to 18-2 with a 90-78 win over the Sacramento
Kings.
