Mavs Game Observations: Game 24 @ Raptors

Grueling schedule, no breaks, no letdowns—Mavericks keep winning

Photo by Anadolu / Getty Images

The Mavericks are officially the hottest team in the NBA, earning their seventh straight win and their 11th victory in the last 12 games with a 125-118 triumph over the Toronto Raptors.

What makes this stretch even more impressive is the relentless travel schedule: seven of those 11 wins came on the road, with the Mavericks bouncing from Denver to Miami, Utah to Portland, a quick homestand, and then embarking on two more cross-country trips to Washington and Toronto.

Although things got closer than they should have at the end, this game was yet another reminder that the Mavericks are a very good team—one that, thanks to its depth, or "beautiful depth" as Kyrie Irving described it, we predicted would have its best regular season since Luka Dončić was drafted in 2018.

With this latest win, the Mavericks climbed to 2nd in the West (tied with Memphis) and are now on a 55-win pace, confidently eyeing their big Tuesday showdown in the quarterfinals of the Emirates NBA Cup in Oklahoma City.

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Today’s notes:

1. Too much shot-making and playmaking (🎞️VIDEO)

2. Klay's under-the-radar scoring night

3. Raptors kept fighting, made adjustments, and made it interesting

4. Lively shuts down another comeback with two clutch blocks (🎞️VIDEO)

5. O-Max steps up with 10 meaningful minutes

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1-Too much shot-making and playmaking (🎞VIDEO)

In my preview, I noted that the Raptors' two key creators, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett, aren’t on the same level as the Mavericks' star duo. As this game clearly showed, not many—if any—teams in the NBA can match Dončić and Irving, especially when they’re in the groove like they are right now.

We witnessed yet another wave, another Dončić and Irving 1-2 punch—or rather, a combination of punches—that the Raptors simply couldn’t counter.

Irving came out blazing with a 16-point first quarter, setting the tone early. Dončić followed with a 17-point explosion over a eight-minute span from the middle of the second quarter to the middle of the third. During this stretch, he knocked down 5 of 7 threes, including a half-court bank shot to beat the halftime buzzer.

Dončić added a couple of highlight-reel passes along the way, finishing with his second consecutive triple-double: 30 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, and 4 steals—the third time he has achieved that feat this season. Irving capped off the night with 29 points on an efficient 9-of-14 shooting.

The NBA is a star-driven league, and when both Mavericks stars are performing at this level, they’re incredibly tough to beat.

2-Klay's under-the-radar scoring night

When the Mavericks signed Klay Thompson this summer, many envisioned him expanding the team’s scoring punch from a 1-2 combo to a 1-2-3 threat. The 34-year-old sharpshooter has had an up-and-down start to his Mavericks tenure, and it’s likely unrealistic to expect him to be a consistent high-level scorer at this stage of his career. Fortunately, the Mavs’ depth provides a strong contingency, allowing Jason Kidd to deploy Thompson almost like a secret weapon.

Last night, Thompson delivered that third punch and much-needed relief, scoring 7 points in less than 4 minutes at the start of the fourth quarter. His timely contributions helped stall the Raptors’ comeback attempt after they had cut into a deficit that was as large as 24 in the third quarter. Thompson scored 20 points, reaching that mark for the third time as a Maverick, in only 25 minutes. He probably deserved a few more minutes down the stretch, but Kidd once again chose to close the game with Spencer Dinwiddie over Thompson.

3-Raptors kept fighting, made adjustment and made it interesting