MILWAUKEE -- If Monta Ellis was wondering what to expect in his first trip back to Milwaukee, he found out pretty quickly. Boos during introductions and, for a while at least, every single time he touched the ball against the team he played for last season. Ellis got the best of his former team and its fans, shaking off the boos to contribute 18 points and five assists to help the Dallas Mavericks hold off the Milwaukee Bucks 91-83 Saturday night. "I knew I was going to get something out there," Ellis said. "When they called my name and they booed, I knew what (kind of) night it was going to be. Like I said, Its part of it. Im not worried about it." Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points and Shawn Marion added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who blew a big lead with sloppy offensive play in the third quarter. O.J. Mayo had 28 points and Caron Butler added 19 for the Bucks, who were playing their second straight game without forward Larry Sanders. Like Ellis, Mayo also was getting his first shot at the team he played for last season. "Guys definitely do get jacked up for it," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "When youre going against your old team, you play to try to prove something. Sometimes it can work for you, sometimes it can work against you." For his part, Mayo insisted playing the Mavericks wasnt anything special to him. "Nothing," Mayo said. "Just another game on the schedule." Ellis signed with Dallas as a free agent in the off-season after playing for the Bucks last season and a portion of the 2011-12 season. So far, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle says the team is getting exactly what it expected -- a player who can challenge defenders and provide a strong scoring punch alongside Nowitzki. "He and Dirk are our two best players," Carlisle said. "We expect a lot out of those guys every night. Tonight, they both came up big." Ellis did have some big games in Milwaukee, but fans apparently recall inconsistency and his inability to meld with then-fellow Bucks guard Brandon Jennings. "When I laced up here, I did everything I could to help this team win," Ellis said. "The fans, theyre going to feel the way they feel anyway." Milwaukee struggled on defence from the outset, falling behind 55-40 at halftime as the Mavericks shot 50 per cent from the floor. But the Bucks began forcing turnovers and went on an extended 17-4 run to finish the third quarter, cutting the lead to 68-64 going into the fourth. After a hot first half, Ellis had only six points and no assists after halftime. "We kind of let him get away from us in the first half," Drew said. "And Montas a good player. Hes very explosive." The Bucks stayed in the game, trailing by four with 2:23 remaining. But Mayo lost the ball and Nowitzki hit a turnaround jumper with 1:46 left to give the Mavericks an 87-81 lead. Carlisle was pleased with his teams defence, something that has been an issue on the road early this season. "We talked about it this morning," Carlisle said. "We talked about how our chemistry on the road hasnt been good. The guys made a stand tonight." Drew, meanwhile, has had enough of watching his team dig big holes early and then try to climb out of them. "Im tired of playing comeback basketball," Drew said, citing earlier games against Boston and New York. "I really am. It just takes too much out of you." The Bucks were again without Sanders, who missed his second straight game with a right thumb sprain. It has been a difficult week for Sanders, who issued a public apology after he was involved in an altercation at a nightclub. No charges were filed, but it was a hit to the image of a player whose popularity and play both have been on the rise. The Bucks have said his thumb injury happened in a game, not during the altercation. NOTES: Drew said there is no specific timeline for guard Luke Ridnour to return from back spasms. Drew said Ridnour recently received a second cortisone shot. ... Carlisle said guard Devin Harris has been cleared to do some light workouts. He had surgery on his left foot Aug. 6. ... Knight returned from a right hamstring strain for Milwaukee. Joe Harris Nets Jersey . He was attracted by the punishing defence, the strong running game and a coaching staff he trusted. The 49ers announced Thursday that Manningham had signed a two-year deal to join the team he helped knock out in the NFC championship game two months ago in their latest offensive upgrade at wide receiver. Dzanan Musa Nets Jersey . - Young and old. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Spencer-...Edition-Jersey/. Salah, who scored against Chelsea in two Champions League group matches this season, is Jose Mourinhos third significant recruit in the January transfer window after Nemanja Matic and Bertrand Traore. Kyrie Irving Jersey . Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN Jets at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et. The game is also avialable on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg at 7pm ct. Spencer Dinwiddie Nets Jersey TORONTO - The NBA is evolving, as Dwane Casey would tell you, and few are better prepared to thrive in what has turned into a year-round game than Toronto Raptors self-made All-Star, DeMar DeRozan. Gone are the days when players are afforded the luxury of returning to training camp each fall fresh off of a five-month summer vacation. If youre not using that valuable free time to work and get ahead, youre almost certainly falling behind. Nowadays, guys take very few days off in the summer if youre serious about being an NBA player, Casey said. Because the NBA stands for Never Be Average and if you dont work, you will be average. Thats where DeRozan has separated himself, working feverishly and adding something new to his arsenal in between each of his five NBA seasons. Entering his sixth year, hes coming off what he calls his busiest summer ever and is already starting to reap the benefits, just two weeks into camp. Hes in mid-season form right now, Raptors assistant coach Tom Sterner said of DeRozan, who has picked up right where he left off, scoring 68 points in 79 minutes through four exhibition games. After the Raptors were eliminated in seven games during the first round of the playoffs, his post-season debut, DeRozan took very little time off over the summer months. In addition to keeping - and helping Terrence Ross adopt - a strict training regiment, he traveled to the Philippines for an NBA showcase in July and spent most of August and September with USA Basketball, competing in the FIBA World Cup, where he helped his country win gold. I had a lot going [on], DeRozan told TSN.ca. Its definitely been a busier summer, but in a good way. Me personally, I never like playing catch-up, he continued. Id rather do that on my own time, when I first start working out after the season. Me and [Kyle Lowry] understand we carry a big load and weve got to lead by example. So if we come into training camp out of shape or whatever, its going to look bad and might carry over for the rest of our team. Weve got to push them and show them were working extremely hard. Weve got to be the toughest dudes out there when it comes to working hard. Thats our mindset and its been going well. Indeed, his team has followed suit. For the second straight year, Lowry has come back to the Raptors in excellent shape, also getting off to a quick start in camp and exhibition. Casey has praised the rest of his soldiers for their conditioning, as well. Very little time has been wasted on reconstructing bodies, instead theyve been able to focus on basketball and building on what they were able to accomplish together a year ago, a luxury for any coaching staff. I dont know if we had anyone on our entire team that came in out of shape, said Casey. Maybe a few pounds overweight for a couple guys, but they were in pretty good condition. So we didnt have to waste any time running wind sprints - we did a few days, just to make sure we knew it was training camp - but basketball-wise, they were in pretty good condition. DeRozan joked that he could play 40 minutes right now if needed, to which Casey smiled and rolled his eyes. The coach would never permit it, not with a long and demanding season ahead (only Kevin Durant and Monta Ellis logged more court time than DeRozan last year), but the 25-year-old guard was only half-kidding - he could and he would. This seems to be the case at this time every year, but DeRozan looks like a different, more confident player. Once again, he has added to his game, refining his handle and passing acumen during the off-season. DeRozan goes above and beyond, even taking his work home with him. In an attempt to become an ambidextrous player, he would perform menial tasks with his left hand - eating, brushing his teeth and even writing out the alphabet with his young daughter. It hasnt gone unnoticed. Early in the first quarter of Mondays pre-season win over the Knicks, DeRozan, using an Amir Johnson screeen, bobbled his dribble at the top of the three-point arc.ddddddddddddRecovering from what would have been a likely turnover a year ago, he kept his dribble alive and maneuvered around four Knicks players before hitting a lefty scoop shot in the lane. The development of DeMar DeRozan, Sterner said, his commitment to being the best player that he can, hes now benefiting from all the hard work. DeMar is smooth right now. Hes making plays now. Beyond that his confidence continues to grow, the result of an All-Star selection, the first winning season of his young career, a playoff berth and, most recently, the opportunity to play for his country and learn from some of the best in the world. I think just being around 11 top players in our league for a month and a half and learning from them, day in and day out, really played a big part in mental focus and really changing my approach to the game more, he said of his experience with Team USA, training in Las Vegas and then competing in Spain. He had been involved with the national teams program in the past, participating with the select squad, but this summer was different. Actually winning a gold medal and being on the actual team, instead of just being one of the guys trying to make the team, I feel like I just took that next step, said the Raptors guard. Thats what it was all about. The darkest moment of the experience for him, and everyone else on that team, occurred during a scrimmage in a Vegas gym when DeRozan watched Paul George, a friend and teammate, suffer a gruesome leg injury. It was a freak accident, as George collided with the stanchion below the basket. It was just a dead moment, DeRozan recalls. A real dead, sad moment. Most would acknowledge, and George would be the first to say, an injury like that can happen anywhere, at anytime, but some have used it to further an ongoing dispute, claiming the risk of lending NBA players to international competition is simply not worth the reward. Understandably, DeRozan does not take kindly to those who seek to rob others of the experience he values so highly. You can slip down the stairs and hurt yourself, he pointed out. It dont mean nothing. Thats all bullcrap, honestly, when people say that, because when you have the opportunity to do something that you might never have in your life again, why not do it? I couldnt even explain it in words, honestly. It was so much. It was just life, you know what I mean? Overall, when it comes to life and basketball, your personal life, everything. You go through so much and you see something new that basketball takes you to. It took me winning a gold medal and everything else speaks for itself. DeRozan believes he has come out of it a different, more mature player, a new and improved man. Its hard to argue with him based on the early returns. At 25 years old, still developing and yet to reach his prime, the Raptors guard is about to embark on his most challenging season yet. New expectations - both individually and as a team - greater pressure and more responsibility await him. Physically, Casey has already begun preparing him for it. DeRozan sat out the second half in New York on Monday and the Raptors coaching staff will continue to monitor his minutes closely during exhibition, keeping his busy off-season in mind. We have to work smart for DeMar because hes had a long summer, said Casey. You can work hard, but weve got to be smart in making sure we are efficient with his minutes on the floor. Mentally, DeRozan knows whats ahead of him and is more than ready to get started. I learned something new last year, he said. To be prepared for the playoffs, you have to really take care of your body, really be in shape, playing an extended, longer season than Im usually playing. So this summer, I really stepped up my conditioning, weight training, understanding Ive got to get a lot stronger come March, April, going into the playoffs. ' ' '