TORONTO — The perfect scenario was a convincing Raptors win with some stardust sprinkled around the Scotiabank Arena floor by Cooper Flagg, the 19-year-old Dallas Mavericks star who has already proven himself to be one of the best teenagers in NBA history.
One of two isn’t bad, and the Raptors took care of the most important part: getting a much-needed win over Flagg and the tanking Mavericks as Toronto’s hold on a playoff spot gets more tenuous with just 19 games left in the regular season.
The Raptors led early and built on their lead steadily as the evening unfolded. Once they went up by 20 on a smooth turnaround jumper by Scottie Barnes late in the third quarter, they were sharp enough to keep the drama at…