Luka Doncic Drops Birthday Triple-Double, Leads Mavs to Victory Over Raptors
TORONTO — On Luka Doncic's 25th birthday, the Dallas Mavericks achieved a 136-125 victory over the Toronto Raptors, snapping a two-game losing streak. There was an emphasis on having a strong performance after losing against the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers, with coach Jason Kidd calling it a "big character game."
"This is a big character game," Kidd said before the game. "I think when you talk about how we played in the fourth quarter in Indiana, we made improvements in the Cleveland game. And so hopefully we can do, again, make improvements."
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Doncic set the tone for the Mavs, recording 30 points, 16 assists, 11 rebounds, and two steals, helping the team to bounce back from a 121-119 loss against the Cavs that resulted from a game-winning 59-foot jumper by Max Strus.
"Just a normal game, triple-double," Kidd said. "He was really good. I guess 25 means he's still going to be really good as he gets older here."
Doncic emphasized how he gave "zero" thought to the disappointing loss on the first night of the team's back-to-back games.
"Zero. As I said, the beauty of the NBA is you get another chance the next day," Doncic said. "Obviously back-to-backs are tough, but you’ve just got to keep on going.”
Irving heated up late, contributing 29 points and three assists. P.J. Washington scored a Mavs career-high 23 points. Dallas developed a cohesive flow moving around their top players in the half-court, balancing on-ball creation with off-ball opportunities while finding opportunities to push the pace.
“It’s really a team effort," Irving said. "I think the true testament of greatness is being next to other great players and being able to be yourself.”
It was a balanced effort despite receiving a trio of scores that finished with 20 or more points. Other double-figure scorers included Tim Hardaway Jr., who had 14, while Daniel Gafford added 13. Dereck Lively II patrolled the paint and ended with nine points, four rebounds, and five blocks.
The Raptors received 11 or more points from each of their starters. Immanuel Quickley provided 28 points and nine assists to set the tone. R.J. Barrett chipped in 26 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Scottie Barnes made a versatile impact, with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.
Despite the Raptors jumping out to an early 6-2 lead, the Mavs didn't allow Toronto to take control of the game. At an early point, Dallas took a 16-14 lead over the Raptors after Doncic dialed up an alley-oop pass to Washington for a dunk on a cut as a double team was coming.
"Just seeing the way he breaks down the game and the way he can pass the ball, I think it’s special," Washington said od Doncic. "I haven’t been able to play with anybody of his caliber, so just to see that each and every night has been incredible.”
Washington began the Mavs' road trip by scoring two points and shooting 1-6 from the floor and 0-3 from deep against the Pacers. He has scored in double figures in both games since, admitting that he's getting more comfortable each game and commending his teammates' playmaking.
“I just felt like I was getting comfortable each and every game,” Washington said. “Obviously my teammates did a good job of finding me tonight.”
The Raptors received a boost midway through the first quarter by attacking the paint. Toronto went up 23-18 after Quickly completed a scoop finish. Toronto played loose and took advantage when the Mavs had miscues early, but Dallas later went on to tighten things up in needed ways.
The Mavs later regained a three-point lead after Doncic threw a jaw-dropping no-look hook pass against a double team to find Hardaway in the weak-side corner for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.
Briefly, the Mavs went up 46-39 after a tough and-one floater from Doncic, but a pull-up two from Irving was taken off the board after a video review, resulting in the score being changed.
With Toronto shooting just 42.9 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from the perimeter, the Mavs struggled to keep turnovers down. Neither team managed to create separation entering the break. The Raptors were up 67-66 after closing the second quarter on a 5-0 run.
The Raptors deployed an aggressive approach to double-team Doncic frequently, resulting in an uncharacteristic volume of turnovers in the first half. Doncic tallied up 14 points, eight assists, and four rebounds before the break but was shooting 4-12 from the floor and 1-6 from deep, with four turnovers.
After halftime, the Mavs received a strong impact in the paint from Lively, with Doncic frequently finding teammates on passes while playing more off the ball. Using an 8-0 run involving points from Washington, Irving, Lively, and Doncic, Dallas held an 84-79 edge midway through the third period.
“The rhythm of this thing is going to be a little bumpy here for a little bit,” Kidd said. “But at the level Kai and Luka are playing right now, it puts us in a position to win.”
After Doncic played out of the post to draw a double team, the ball found Dante Exum, who made his return from a 13-game injury absence, for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. With Doncic frequently attacking the paint, playing off two with craftiness, and finding Gafford on a throw-ahead pass for an and-one transition dunk, the Mavs pushed their advantage to 14 points at numerous moments. With the defense providing needed support, a game-changing run occurred.
"We just played aggressive on defense, get out on a transition, and that's it," Doncic said about the third quarter.
With the Mavs outscoring the Raptors by a 40-25 margin in the third quarter, Dallas was up 106-92 entering the final period. There was a focus on locking in defensively coming out of halftime, leading to the team taking care of business to close out the second night of a back-to-back with a win against a rebuilding team.
"Yeah, everybody played great today," Doncic said. "We have a great team. Today, our defense was at the top, so we just have to keep going like that."
Part of the Mavs' defensive success involved Doncic, who wants to continue to emphasize being a defensive playmaker and staying engaged on that end. With the help of shot blockers anchoring the paint and helpful perimeter defenders in the unit, there is an intriguing level of versatility when everybody stays engaged.
"Because it helps my team," Doncic said of emphasizing defense. "My team knows when I'm engaged, everybody helps everybody to be engaged. So that's why I just got to continue to do that."
Toronto could not rally back, with Irving producing a dominant fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 29 points in the final period alone. Dallas was up by 14 midway through the final period and comfortably closed the game.
Doncic joked after the game that he feels 40 years old, not 25. As someone who played with Real Madrid throughout his youth before declaring for the NBA Draft in 2018, he said he's played "a lot of professional basketball."
"I feel like 40," Doncic said. “A lot of games. A lot of minutes. A lot of professional basketball.”
Next, the Mavs will conclude their road trip with a matchup against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
