Raptors vs. Mavericks, Dec. 7 Takeaways: Hearty comeback in vain as Doncic, Irving dominate
Dick led the Raptors in scoring but it was a good overall team effort to fight back
Are you not entertained?
Saturday night in Toronto was a special one as the Raptors put up a brave fight despite spectacular displays from both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks went up by as many as 24 before the Raptors made a game of it, leaving fans with fond memories to take home from both sides.
Dallas won 125-118 and it was on the back of a dominant first 33 minutes. Toronto dropped back to 10 games below .500 while the Mavs continue to surge up the standings at 16-8 and second in the West now.
Here are the game’s takeaways:
Out-talented but punching back
This was one of those nights where you have to tip your hat. Luka Doncic and Kyrie are two all-world players and boy oh boy did they put on a show.
If you’re a fan who was lucky enough to be at this game, you know you got your money’s worth despite Scotiabank Arena’s exorbitant prices these days. Doncic made several passes that dropped your jaw, hit some patented fadeaways, and a running banker from halfcourt at the halftime buzzer for good measure.
Irving had 18 first-half points on 5-of-6 shooting including four 3-pointers and looked like he could get whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. For the game, the duo combined for 59 points on 34 shots including 12 made threes. If you missed it, below are some of their best plays from the night. This is probably the first time I’ve clipped some opposition viewing together in my takeaways, but as you’ll see it was well earned.
To the Raptors’ credit, despite trailing by 24 with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter, they kept battling. A 13-0 run made things very interesting by the start of the fourth, and they even got within five points with 95 seconds remaining before the Mavs were able to weather the storm.
Mogbo, Walter continue to shine
Jonathan Mogbo and Ja’Kobe Walter were both part of the lineup that went on a 13-0 run to get the Raptors back into the contest. Scottie Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, and Davion Mitchell rounded out the quintet during that period, and I particularly like using both Olynyk and Mogbo together because of the way their skill sets complement each other.
During that stretch, both Mogbo and Walter held up really well on the defensive end while making notable contributions on offence as well. Mogbo forced Irving into an air-ball once while also having some good defensive stands against Doncic. As alluded to earlier, if those two just make tough shots anyway, you have to tip your hat.
Walter was able to come in and be a ball smothering pest on the defensive end while making some good reads on the offensive end. It was actually a pair of Walter passes to Mogbo and Olynyk, respectively, that quickly cut the deficit from 24 to 18, before another pass to Barnes early in the fourth cut the lead to 11.
Walter is showing a great knack for the ball on the defensive end and he had a couple possessions that really stood out. One was late in the second quarter where he stayed in front of Irving well enough to force a pass before poking the ball away from Doncic as the help defender. In late third quarter action, he raced back to defend a hit ahead pass to Gafford in transition and not only deterred an attempt at the rim but poked the ball away once again.
Dick on a mission
Gradey Dick is supremely confident in what his offensive prowess adds to the Raptors. There is such a tenacity to the way he hunts for his opportunities and the team needs him to get up as many 3-point attempts as possible. Dick managed to get up a season-high 14 threes (tied career-high) in this one, making five en route to finishing with 27 points on 21 shots.
Watching back the film, there were four shots that I’d consider forces, and that came primarily in the first half when he shot 3-for-10 from the field (2-of-7 from three) and struggled for a great rhythm.
It was particularly enjoyable watching Dick match up against Klay Thompson. There were a few occasions where Dick lost Thompson defensively, and you can bet Dick will have learned from the Splash Brother’s movement and look to work it into his game.
Olynyk’s season debut
Kelly Olynyk made his season debut after suffering from back spasms. Considering it was his first game back, it was a pretty good outcome with 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals in 14 minutes. He also knocked down all three of his 3-point attempts.
Having a big who can bring the ball up the floor, fake a hand-off action, and pull up and knock down a triple is going to help secondary units immensely.
What immediately stood out was the Raptors having two bigs who players are always motivated to move for. If there’s a lane to cut into, you want to make it happen because you have all the belief in the world that Olynyk or Jakob Poeltl are skilled enough as passers to find you.
For all his veteran leadership, Olynyk being on the court is an important piece in the information gathering puzzle of building around Scottie Barnes.
When the Raptors completed the trade that sent Otto Porter Jr., Kira Lewis, and a 2024 first-round pick to the Utah Jazz for Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, GM Bobby Webster spoke with the media about how Olynyk could potentially inform future decisions. Webster explained that acquiring a stretch big like Olynyk to back up a traditional centre like Poeltl would allow the organization to see how each skill set complemented Barnes and perhaps indicate what the the best starting skill set should be.
Barnes’ chemistry with Poeltl growing
Barnes finished the game with 14 assists — though I will admit four of them weren’t what I’d consider “true” assists. Let’s call it good home cooking. There were some really good moments operating with Jakob Poeltl, though, and it’s significant to see that partnership grow.
When Barnes first came back, there seemed to be a bit of clunkiness to how the two functioned together. I do think Dick’s return has really helped clean up the geometry of the court for Barnes and Poeltl and that should only further improve when Immanuel Quickley is able to return.
With Olynyk’s return as well, the secondary rotations become a bit clearer and more functional for Barnes. I wouldn’t be surprised — at least until Quickley returns — if we see some huge assist totals get put up by Barnes.
Notes
R.J. Barrett was scoreless in the fourth quarter having been sent to the bench after committing his fifth foul with seven minutes remaining. With more players available, this was the first time this season Darko Rajakovic seemed to prefer other options like Ja’Kobe Walter, Davion Mitchell, and Ochai Agbaji over Barrett. All three offered more defensively.
Mitchell in particular gave another strong defensive effort, and he’s that calibre of defender that it should excite fans to see him match up against some of the game’s best offensive talents.
Jakob Poeltl finished with 20 points but most impressively shot a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. The Raptors as a team shot a season-best 17-for-18 at the line. Poeltl is now shooting 64.9% on the year after sitting at 54.6% for his career.