Raptors vs Mavericks Game Recap 11/07/09 Video

DALLAS (NBA.com exclusive) -- Even if his batteries aren't fully charged after a long layoff, Josh Howard supplied enough juice to jump-start a struggling Dallas offense in his season debut Saturday against Toronto.

Dirk Nowitzki's sizzling shooting from the outside and the energetic, aggressive play of Howard and Shawn Marion inside helped the Mavericks pull away, and a fourth-quarter surge by Jason Terry pulled the plug on the Raptors in a 129-101 victory.

"It felt pretty good getting back in the swing of things," Howard said. "Trying to be out there for my team today, that was it. I had a good time out there."

With Howard back in the starting lineup, Dallas enjoyed its best offensive effort of the season by far. The Mavericks shot 62.4 percent overall, including 18-for-22 in the fourth quarter, and 50 percent (10-for-20) from 3-point distance. They set a season high in fastbreak points (24) and had a 56-38 scoring advantage in the paint. They also committed a season-low nine turnovers. In its first five games, Dallas had averaged 96.2 points and shot 41.7 percent.

It was Howard's first game since undergoing operations on his left ankle and wrist on May 22. The former All-Star didn't participate in contact drills until mid-October. He scored 13 in the first half and finished with 16 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists in 24 minutes.

J-Ho looked like his old self late in the first half, hitting a 10-foot turnaround over Hedo Turkoglu, making a baseline drive around Jose Calderon for a finger roll, and then driving coast-to-coast for a layup in traffic after a steal as part of a 14-7 run by the Mavs.

"Josh was aggressive, which he is -- it's his nature," said Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle. "Josh is definitely one of our high-energy guys. When the group on the court sets that tone, it becomes a little bit contagious."

Nowitzki was 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the third quarter, scoring 13 of his game-high 29 in the period to go along with nine boards and four assists. Marion, acquired from Toronto in a four-team trade in July, was 9-for-11 (5-for-5 in the third) and had 18 points and eight rebounds against his old team. Terry scored 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter on 5-for-5 shooting. J.J. Barea set a career high with 12 assists.

"We were a step slow tonight and it showed. They went past us when they wanted to and they scored over the top of us when they wanted to," said Toronto head coach Jay Triano. "They had more energy, they had more movement, they had better confidence shooting the basketball and that's why you get a result like this."

It was the Mavericks' 10th straight home victory against Toronto. Dallas native Chris Bosh had his fourth double-double of the season with 26 points and 12 boards and Andrea Bargnani added 22 points. Calderon had 13 points and seven assists. After setting a team record with eight 3-pointers in the third quarter of Friday's win at New Orleans, the Raptors were held to eight treys (in 22 attempts) for the entire game.

Toronto did move closer to a team record with its sixth straight 100-point game. The record is seven, set from March 5-17, 2008.

Mavericks fans and the rest of the league got their first look at a revamped starting lineup featuring Howard at shooting guard and Marion taking over at small forward, although Howard said his new role won't change his game.

"I'm not going to fall into the shooting guard thing, as far as shooting the ball all the time," said Howard, who was 5-for-12. "I'm going to continue to play my game and get to the basket, drawing fouls and going to the line. I'm not going to change my game because I think that will mess up the chemistry of the team."

Howard was able to rest the entire fourth quarter with Dallas building a comfortable lead, a break he admitted was welcome.

"Of course I'm fatigued and I have to work through the process of getting back to 100 percent, which I am not," he said. "But, I'm just glad to get out there and play with my team and give them some kind of effort."

Even with Howard's debut, the Mavericks were still not at full strength. Drew Gooden missed his fourth straight game with a ribcage strain and Tim Thomas hasn't played following knee surgery. Quinton Ross, who started the first three games before suffering a bruised lower back Tuesday against Utah, returned after sitting out Wednesday's loss to the Hornets and scored six points.

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maveholic: welcome back Josh

jmanluthy: marion got away with a huge travel

FrYLocK41: 2 steps is not travel.

hermawan33: That is 2 steps, if the 2 steps before were made on air.

jmanluthy: the first one not the second. he caught the ball right before the 3 point theres no way you can go that far with 2 steps. he took about 4