Luka Doncic Magical Again as Mavs Outlast Raptors for 3rd Straight Win
Both the Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors came into Friday night's matchup at American Airlines Center seeking a third consecutive victory. After an up-and-down contest that featured a handful of runs from both teams, the Mavs ultimately defeated the Raptors, 111-110. Dallas improved to 5-3 on the season while Toronto dropped to 5-4.
Luka Doncic was as magical as always in this one, as he finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He shot 10-15 from the field, including 12-14 from the free-throw line. At the end of the third quarter, Doncic ignited the home crowd pirouetting multiple times before nailing a rainbow fade-away over Precious Achiuwa.
"I think I made too many moves," admitted Doncic. "I think I had him beat the first time, but then the ball escaped a little bit. I don't know what I did there, but it was a hard shot. I don't know how I made it. I thought it was short, but it just went in.
"It is just fun, man. Those plays are fun. Later when you see it on TV, everybody talks about it, but it is just fun. Tough shots – the bullshit shots – when you make them, are so fun."
It was Doncic's eighth consecutive 30+ point game, which is the second-most all-time behind only Wilt Chamberlain to start a season. He was feeling so good tonight, he even broke out his brand new hook-shot that was displayed for the first time in EuroBasket over the summer.
Although Doncic's offense makes the headlines, his defense was as impactful as ever on Friday. He was physical with the Raptors from start to finish and ended up with three steals and one block. After forcing 17 turnovers from the Utah Jazz in the previous game, the Mavs forced 19 Raptors turnovers on Friday.
"Our defense there for a stretch – kinda looked connected," said coach Jason Kidd. "You’re talking about a team that scored 143 (and) 139 points (in its last two games respectively), and we held them to 110. Big win against a hot team, a lot of good things (to take away).”
Spencer Dinwiddie was the Mavs' second-leading scorer with 21 points on 8-17 shooting. He hit two clutch free throws with three seconds remaining to help Dallas secure the one-point win. Dinwiddie had a season-high seven assists to go with two steals.
After leading by 19 points late in the third quarter, the Mavs' bench was unable to keep things from getting tight down the stretch. Holding onto big leads has been an issue for Dallas all season, but it was able to avoid a total meltdown this time around.
One reason – not the only reason, but a big one – the game was able to tighten up in the fourth was due to the amount of offensive fouls called on the Mavs in the fourth quarter. After what seemed like a light protest from Dinwiddie after one of the offensive fouls, Tony Brother's hit him with a technical foul. In Dinwiddie's postgame press conference, he says Brothers referred to him as a "bitch ass motherf*****." If that's the case, perhaps the NBA should find a way to give Brothers a technical foul of his own.
Next up, the Mavs will conclude their five-game homestand on Monday night when they take on Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have dominated news cycles this week due to Kyrie Irving's off-court distractions. Brooklyn has suspended Irving for a minimum of five games, so he won't be playing on Monday.
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