The Dallas Mavericks continue to gain ground in the west. In the 102:98 win against the Toronto Raptors, Luka Doncic made what was probably his best game of the season and scored at least 40 points for the first time this season.
Dallas Mavericks (26-19) – Toronto Raptors (21-21) 102:98 (BOXSCORE)
Next win for the Mavs, who were good defensively again and this time were able to offer a little more offensively, at least in the first three quarters. This was also due to Luka Doncic, who finally found his touch again and acted very efficiently with 41 points (13/24 FG, 4/10 three, 11/12 FT), 14 rebounds and 7 assists. The 41 points was a season record for the Slovenian, who seemed to enjoy the Raptors’ aggressive defense.
Especially in the final phase, Doncic was there again, a threesome made it 100:96, but nothing was decided. Toronto still had two chances to win, but neither Fred VanVleet nor Chris Boucher could convert open triples and Kristaps Porzingis (18, 7 rebounds) made everything clear on the other side with two free throws.
The Latvian made a good impression, although he again struggled from downtown. His jumpers sat from the middle distance and the unicorn showed no nerves from the free-throw line (8/8 FT). Otherwise, only Tim Hardaway Jr. (16, 7/10) scored in double figures, while Maxi Kleber remained without points (0/3 FG) in 25 minutes.
At Toronto, Pascal Siakam (20, 7/18 FG) was the best scorer, but he too had his difficulties. The Raptors hit just 38.5 percent of their throws and just 25 percent from distance. VanVleet in particular (18, 3/15 threes, 12 assists) had little shot luck, but otherwise acted cautiously. OG Anunoby (19) and rookie Scottie Barnes (11) threw everything they could at Doncic, but it wasn’t enough that night.
Can’t stop Doncic – and with the dagger
The Raptors, who won seven of their last ten games, kept the game open for a long time. There were tons of lead changes, Dallas was only able to gain some breathing room in the third quarter with a 16:5 run. Doncic had a small mini-run in this phase, but Jalen Brunson also kept the offense going with some good moves. The good third quarter was rounded off by a corner three from Josh Green, and the hosts went into the final period with an 83.76 lead.
However, things got chaotic there. Toronto fouled a lot but also forced a lot of mistakes from the Mavs. Dallas threw some bricks but created second chances. Threes from Doncic and Reggie Bullock raised to +6, but things weren’t easy after that. VanVleet took the lead with a deep three two minutes from time, but Doncic responded with a clever lay. It was just his game, a little later he rang the bell for the fourth time from a distance, and with a bit of luck the Mavs could not let this lead be taken away.
Dallas is now 11-2 since losing the Christmas Games in Utah, only the Memphis Grizzlies have had more wins over that period (12-2). The gap to fourth place, which the Utah Jazz hold, is only 3.5 games. Next night, Head Coach Jason Kidd’s team will be back, with the Phoenix Suns, the best team in the NBA, as guests. The Raptors remain tied in tenth place in the east.
