Dallas Mavericks Preview: Toronto Raptors

The Dallas Mavericks (38-20) take on the Toronto Raptors (37-19) at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday in a battle between two of the top teams in the league.

The Raptors have lost two straight; road games against the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans. But they’ve been run through the gauntlet the last few weeks and have fared well. Before dropping back-to-back games the Raps took down the Clippers, Spurs, Wizards, and Hawks, in that order.

Dwane Casey, the one-time Maverick assistant, has completely transformed the team. He went 23-43 in his first season up north, a lockout-shortened schedule, but now has the Raptors battling for eastern conference supremacy. Kyle Lowry is a beast, DeMar DeRozan is back from injury, and Jonas Valanciunas is one of the best young big men in the league.

The Mavericks have won two in a row since dropping their post-All-Star break opener to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chandler Parsons sustained an ankle injury against the Rockets that has him sidelined for a few games, but other than that the roster is healthy. Amar’e Stoudemire made his Maverick debut against the Hornets and played well, scoring 14 points on 5-8 shooting in 11 minutes.

Expect his minutes to go up as he gets more acclimated and in game-shape. Rick Carlisle will primarily use him as Tyson Chandler’s backup at the center position, allowing Al-Farouq Aminu to continue his role as backup power forward. Aminu has been playing extremely well over the last month. It’s good to see that Stoudemire is able to be involved without disrupting Aminu’s progression.

Nov 28, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson (3) loses the ball against Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) at Air Canada Centre. The Mavericks beat the Raptors 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of Aminu, he’s going to play a big role against the Raptors. Toronto has a nice frontcourt rotation, featuring Valanciunas, Amir Johnson, and Patrick Patterson. But the guy who really comes in and provides energy and versatility is James Johnson. He’s actually started five of Toronto’s last six games, and has averaged 15.2 points on 75% shooting in that span.

Aminu, Johnson’s college teammate at Wake Forest during the 2008-09 season, will be tasked with matching his intensity and hustle.

Dallas snapped the Raptors’ six-game winning streak in Toronto back in November, 106-102, behind 30 points from Monta Ellis. DeRozan left in the third quarter with a groin strain, but is back and ready to go. He was 0-8 from the field before exiting.

The Mavericks’ roster has changed quite a bit since their first meeting, with Rajon Rondo and Stoudemire now in Dallas. Rondo will come in handy against Lowry, who had 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the two teams’ first meeting.

Check out the highlights of that one, and make sure to tune in for tonight’s game. It should be a good one.

Next: Game Grades for Win Over Hornets

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