On a three-game winning streak and four games into their homestand, the Toronto Raptors were looking to take on the Dallas Mavericks tonight. The Mavs have his birthday boy Luka Doncic (25 years old today!) coming to Toronto after losing a bad game in Cleveland last night.
The Raptors are fortunate to have back Jakob Poeltl, who missed most of Monday's game against Indiana with a minor ankle sprain. His absence against the Pacers was just a precaution and he felt well enough to play tonight.
The only injury on the Toronto side was Chris Boucher missing the game due to illness. No Mavericks players were injured.
The Raptors played pretty well in a high-scoring first quarter. PJ Washington started for the Mavericks and led Dallas to the starting lineup with 13 points. The Raptors' starting lineup was great, with Grady Dick getting first quarter minutes.
He took over to some degree the role that Gary Trent Jr. held in the rotation before returning to the starting lineup. He comes on at the end of the first quarter as kind of the first wave of relief.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with seven points in the first quarter, but returned to the locker room in the final minutes. The Raptors were trailing by one point and trailing by two points, 36-34.
The second quarter saw some great shooting and offense by the Raptors. They caught up with the Mavericks and even took the lead midway through the quarter. It was a total team effort, with all but one Raptor on the floor getting on the board.
Immanuel Quickley was the first Raptor to score in double figures, scoring 14 points in the first half with three quick buckets from long range. By halftime, Barrett had 13 points and Burns had 11 points.
The Raptors also put pressure on defense. They held Luka Doncic to 14 points in the first half, which is well below his ability. The birthday boy shot 4-for-12 on field goals in the first half.
The Raptors already played great defense in this game, holding Luka to 4-12 from the field and scoring 14 points in the first half. He got to the line a little bit, but the Raptors are doing a good job of pressuring him with tough looks.
— Raptors Headquarters (@RaptorsHQ) February 29, 2024
Toronto trailed Dallas 67-66 at halftime.
The third quarter started off great, but Luka eventually remembered who he was and hit the ground running. With Hardaway JR and Gafford also in the double-digit scoring club, the Mavericks were off to the races. While the third quarter was down, the team was up by more than 10 of him.
That lead lasted through the fourth quarter when the Mavericks took over. Both Doncic and Irving were up to their usual antics, each scoring over 25 points with about half of the fourth quarter still remaining.
In the end, the Dallas Mavericks defeated Toronto 136-125 and took the lead. I really wish Luca a very happy birthday.
Luka wasn't bad on his 25th birthday with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists. Kyrie Irving scored 29 points and PJ Washington totaled 23 points for the Mavericks on the night. In total, the Mavericks had five players who scored in double figures and were +11 on the night.
Although the Raptors lost and the pizza losing streak ended, there were some positives from this game.
Immanuel Quickley played incredible, scoring a team-high 28 points on 5-11 shooting form 3. His ability to shoot from distance is something the Raptors lacked before the trade, and his craftiness in the paint has served him and the team well. He's so much fun to watch.
RJ Barrett also scored 26 points on the night and said after the game that he feels more comfortable with the team after two months with the team.
Scottie Barnes had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists on the night, along with three steals and one block.
As we enter the final full month of the NBA season, there are signs that the team is improving. Obviously there's going to be some good nights and some bad nights, but tonight showed this young team can hang out with the best in the business, even if it's only for half of it.
While we don't have much in the way of this team in terms of postseason hopes, the development and progress we're seeing is promising.
The Raptors will have one day off before welcoming the Golden State Warriors to town on Friday night.
