Dallas Mavericks PG Rajon Rondo and head coach Rick Carlisle got into a heated exchange of words in the opening minutes of the 3rd quarter. No one knows what was said yet, but whatever it was, it caused Rondo to be benched for the remainder of the game.

That didn’t stop the Mavericks from buckling down and taking control of this game and getting out of the first night of a back to back with a 99-92 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Some might argue that benching Rondo helped. The Raptors were shooting lights out in the first half, only for their field goal percentage to drop to a mediocre 45%. The Mavericks turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 20 times to the Raptors 19. It was a sloppy game in terms of ball control.

I salute Al-Farouq Aminu for his play Tuesday night. He nearly had his 3rd double-double of the season with 9 points and 12 rebounds.   He also had 2 blocked shots in the winning effort but what stood out the most was his hustle and energy displayed on the floor. He is flying to the ball and is always actively trying play a part in every play on the defensive

Whether the whole Rondo-Carlisle ordeal will be a future issue is yet to be seen. Could it have just been the typical coach-player dispute that happens in all sports on every level? Or is there a deeper meaning to it? Will it play a role in Rajon Rondo’s future in Dallas? Since he left the game in the 3rd, the team proceeded to take over the game. Is Dallas better off without Rondo?

*stats/photo via NBA.com