Dallas Mavericks fall to Toronto Raptors in close game

The Dallas Mavericks faced off against the undefeated Toronto Raptors last night and played a tight game from start to finish. Sadly, the upset bid fell short as the Mavs lost 116-107.

The return of Harrison Barnes proved to be an important one for the Dallas Mavericks, as the Mavs young star was able to play an impressive 28 minutes in his first game back and was tasked with guarding Toronto Raptors star, Kawhi Leonard.

Things didn’t go too easily for the Mavs, as they found themselves in an early 16-point deficit after Toronto stormed out to an 18-2 lead. The Raptors held on to that lead from start to finish, but that does not mean the Mavericks did not work their tails off throughout the game.

The Dallas Mavericks were led in scoring by none other than rookie phenom, Luka Doncic, who scored 22 points on 7-14 shooting, including 4-6 from three-point range. He also had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and only 3 turnovers.

After Luka, the Mavs had Wesley Matthews with 21, DeAndre Jordan with 18 and 15 boards, and Harrison Barnes with 14. Maxi Kleber finished a nice game with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Jordan was able to set a new Mavs record in the loss last night, as he started the season with his 5th consecutive double-double. I expect that record to be reset much higher than it is currently, as Jordan has been and will continue to be one of the most dominant rebounders in the league plus one of the highest percentage shooters out there.

Speaking of high percentage shooters, Dwight Powell went 2-2 last night, keeping his two-point field goal percentage at the highest in the league. He is also creeping up on Damian Jones who has the highest field goal percentage in the NBA.

The Raptors were led by a team effort in scoring. All five starters scored in double-digits, led by Kawhi Leonard with 21. Serge Ibaka and C.J. Miles also had double-digits off the bench.

The Mavericks were without Dennis Smith Jr. in this contest, as he twisted his ankle in the game against the Hawks. The injury did not look too serious so I wouldn’t expect him out for any major length of time. Harrison Barnes was also back from injury for the first time this season and was not on a minutes restriction, which is a good sign for the Mavs.

Dallas will look to get back to .500 on Sunday when they take on the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 central time.