Toronto Raptors vs. Dallas Mavericks: Another powerhouse from the West comes to visit

Time to defend home court as the Raps face the talented back court duo from Dallas

The Toronto Raptors have their work cut out for them as they face the Dallas Mavericks in the midst of their five-game home stand. After a 37-point blowout loss to OKC, the Raptors will be looking to pivot and take one back against another tough team from the West. The last time Dallas visited was February 28, where they took a decisive victory with help from Luka Doncic who posted a 30-point triple double, Kyrie Irving who chipped in 29, and P.J. Washington Jr. with 23. For Toronto, Scottie posted 19-11-7 and RJ had 26-5-6, although their highest scoring player in the game, Quickley, won’t be available tonight.

Dallas has had a strong start to the season, going 15-8 in a stacked Western Conference. Led by the backcourt of Luka, averaging almost 29-8-8, and Kyrie, averaging 24-5-5, the Mavericks enter this matchup on a six-game winning streak. They rank 5th in offensive rating, an unsurprising advantage given their roster construction. It’s not just that they shoot at volume though, they shoot with efficiency, as they are ranked third in the league in FG% but only 11th in attempts. They’ll be a difficult team to stop, even with home court advantage.

Toronto benefits from the return of Gradey who can provide another option on offence, as well as spacing the floor which he has done so effectively. The most important keys to this game will be defence, rebounding, and moving the ball effectively. Unfortunately, the challenge is that the Raptors might be missing a few key players.

With Jakob’s status still up in the air going into this game, Toronto will need to look to Fernando and Mogbo for some help defending the paint and getting boards in the event he remains on the bench. While OKC is a tough opponent regardless, it also served as a bit of an indicator of just how important Jak is to the team. He’s posted 13 double-doubles already this season, and he sits fourth in the league in total rebounds and second in offensive rebounds. He’s helped carry Toronto to those same rankings as well, which is production that is pretty difficult to replace. Mogbo has shown flashes all season, including some strong defence, and now hit a career-high on Thursday with 17 points. They’ll undoubtedly look to him for another big night to contribute.

Davion might be missing as well, another challenge as it was likely him that would matchup significant minutes against Kyrie on defence. The Raptors will need to do everything they can to keep a lid on Dallas’ scoring, and someone will need to step up in order to win this game.

Probable Starters:

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, RJ Barrett, Ochai Agbaji, Jakob Poeltl

Dallas: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington Jr., Derrick Lively II

Injury Report:

Toronto: Bruce Brown (Out: Reconditioning), Davion Mitchell (Questionable: Right Hip Stiffness), Kelly Olynyk (Questionable: Back Strain), Jakob Poeltl (Questionable: Illness), Immanuel Quickley (Out: Left Elbow Partial Tear)

Dallas: Kessler Edwards (Out: G League Two-Way), Dante Exum (Out: Right Wrist Surgery), Jaden Hardy (Doubtful: Right Ankle Sprain), Naji Marshall (Out: Illness) Brandon Williams (Out: G League Two-Way)

How to Watch:

Tune in at 7:30pm ET on TSN!