Curse of the Raptor

Toronto Raptors' mascot gets tossed from courtside for doing his thing

Phoenix's Devin Booker gets angry at Raptors mascot, asks officials to move the red dinosaur during a free throw

On Tuesday night late in the Phoenix-Toronto NBA game, star Suns player Devin Booker found himself in a quarrel with the last opponent he'd expect -- a mascot reptile.

The incident took place with 6.5 seconds left in the game.  Booker was fouled and went up to the free-throw line. Scotiabank Arena in Toronto does not have any fans in attendance, but that does not mean Booker was without distractions as he headed to the line.

The routine shot ended with a little drama this time, when Booker, clearly angry, asked the officials to move "The Raptor," Toronto's mascot. The bright red dinosaur was moved from behind the basket, where he usually stands, to the corner.

Here is a closer look at what distracted Booker:

Moving the mascot seemed to help Booker concentrate on the task at hand and he hit both free throws to help seal the win for Phoenix.

If you are worried there will be a long-standing rivalry between Booker and the Jurassic creature, fear not, the two settled their differences and now appear to be friends.

After the game, Booker cleared the air on the situation, saying, "We hashed it out. We homies now. We're cool now, though."

The Suns defeated the Raptors 99-95.

(Note:  Some info above taken from CBS Sports)