Toronto Raptors were coming off a tough game in Indiana the previous night. The Raptors had to grind out that win against a tough Indiana Pacers team. The Dallas Mavericks are one of the teams who are looking forward to the NBA offseason where they will be vying for the number one pick. The Raptors looking to tie their franchise high winning streak with 11 with today’s game.
OG Anunoby was starting in this game and the team is finally becoming 100% healthy. Kyle Lowry was given the day off for rest and Delon Wright was moved to the starting lineup. The Raptors and Mavericks were trading baskets throughout the first quarter. Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes are two young stars for the Dallas Mavericks who were doing damage early in this game. Jonas Valanciunas was active and aggressive early with 10 points in the 1st quarter. Toronto led after the first quarter up 29-27.
Jonas Valanciunas was one of the bright spots with 10 points in the first quarter.
This was a high scoring game as the Raptors were a step slow on all their closeouts and breakdowns on defense. This was expected as the Raptors were coming off a back-to-back. The Mavericks’ Harrison Barnes was unstoppable with an assortment of moves. The sluggish Raptors were not sluggish on the offensive end which kept them in the game. Toronto did not close out the half as they wanted to as DeMar fouled Barnes assuming he had a foul to give, but they were already in the bonus. Barnes hit both free throws and Dallas smashed the Raptors for 33 points in the quarter. The Mavericks led 54-60 at halftime which the Raptors during that rough third quarter was down by double-digits.
The third quarter started and the Raptors made an early push with the starters. However, Barnes was still doing damage as OG struggled to keep up his strength and quickness. Casey elected to go bigger with Ibaka on Barnes but he was being exposed due to his lack of quickness on the perimeter. Toronto kept making runs but Dallas always responded. JV was efficient in this game and was active on the offensive glass. Noel and Nowitzki could not handle the Lithuanian big man inside. After watching the third quarter, you would assume the Raptors to either be tied or winning, but the quarter was played completely even with a score of 24-24. The Raptors headed into the fourth down 78-84.
JV was dominant with a strong double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the game.
The Raptors had to turn it up a notch if they were ever going to get back into this one. The Mavericks bench which included the likes of Yogi Ferrell and JJ Barea were huge for them. The Raptors bench was outscored by the Mavericks bench, 41-47. The Raptors had to rely on their defense and pushing the pace if they were going to get back into this one. Casey kept Delon Wright with the bench and the bench started its run. The bench was finally productive and allowed the starters to get some rest before entering the game with about 5 minutes left in the fourth.
Pascal Siakam’s defense 1-on-1 on Harrison Barnes was huge. His length and athleticism really bothered Barnes during his post-ups and jump shots. DeMar DeRozan was clutch down the stretch. He hit clutch free throws, huge contested jumpers, and was aggressive going to the rim. The Raptors had a chance to win after Siakam forced Barnes into a turnover with less than a minute to go. CJ Miles was inbounding the basketball and turned it over. The Mavericks had the last shot of the game and a chance to win, but Serge Ibaka came up huge with a block on Dennis Smith Jr.’s dunk attempt. Ibaka misses the running shot as time expires and the game went into overtime. Things were looking bleak initially but the Raptors were able to claw back and force overtime.
Serge Ibaka's defense and offense was huge down the stretch to help the Raptors force overtime.
The Mavs were not discouraged and started the overtime on a 5-0 run. The Raptors responded strong and were not phased. The key play of the game was Ibaka crashing the glass for the offensive rebound and swung it out to VanVleet for the three. It was 115-112 with a 1:13 to go with the home crowd going nuts. Dwight Powell hits the shot from distance and we were tied up once again. DeMar sinks in another shot to give the Raptors the lead again. Serge Ibaka and the Raptors pulled out a final stop before icing the game with free throws. Raptors steal this game back from the Mavericks to extend their winning streak to 11 games tying a franchise record.
Toronto Raptors Dallas Mavericks
122 115
Player of the Game
DeMar DeRozan
41 minutes, 29 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks, 3 turnovers, 8/23 shooting, 1/3 3PT, 12/14 FT
Honorable mentions for the player of the game goes out to JV, Ibaka and Siakam. All three were great in different moments of the game and for different reasons. But DeRozan’s ability to score and close out the game while struggling from the field was huge. Without his backcourt mate, DeRozan took all the attention of the Mavericks’ defense and was still able to hit tough basket after tough basket to help the Raptors pull out this one. He did hit the eventual game winner to give the home crowd a great showing on a Friday night.
Things To Take Away From This Game
1. Depth
The Raptors had the ability to play different lineups and Casey had tons of options to throw out on the floor to win this game. Barnes was not slowed down by OG, Ibaka or DeRozan so Casey went with Siakam who did an excellent job slowing him down. Delon Wright stepped into the starting role with no hitches in the offense at all. The Raptors defense was due to a lack of energy and effort which was partly caused by the back-to-back scenario. This team has many different guys who can have big games which makes this team harder to game plan for compared to last year’s isolation basketball.
2. Battle Tested
The Raptors were able to pull out another close game and are starting to build their confidence in late game situations. Toronto last year struggled to close out games and win tight ones like this. This year’s team has a calm confidence and are not phased by the pressure from opposing crowds and the moment. Another tight win is a sign of what is to come in the playoffs as most of the games in the playoffs won’t be blowouts.
3. Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka
Both starting bigs were outstanding in the game. JV kept the Raptors in the game with his offensive rebounding and scoring. The Raptors are 19-3 whenever Jonas collects a double-double and the Raptors are harder to guard when the big man is dominant. Casey elected to bench JV for Ibaka in the fourth which was the right call. The Mavericks went with a more mobile and switching lineup which Ibaka was more suitable for. Serge came up with huge defensive stops and timely baskets. All in all, a solid night for the big guys except Jakob Poeltl who struggled in this one.
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