The Dallas Mavericks aim to secure their season-best seventh consecutive victory when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
The teams enter the matchup having experienced contrasting results in their games on Thursday.
Dallas opened a three-game road trip with a dominant 137-101 win over the Washington Wizards, marking their 10th victory in the past 11 games.
Meanwhile, the Raptors saw their four-game home winning streak come to an end with a 129-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Mavericks’ triumph was highlighted by Luka Doncic’s first triple-double of the season, with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
This achievement marked the 78th triple-double of Doncic’s career, tying him with Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for seventh in NBA history.
Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 25 points despite playing only 25 minutes. Doncic played 32 and a half minutes in a game where the Mavericks led by as many as 42 points. Eight Mavericks scored in double figures.
Doncic also contributed two steals and one blocked shot.
The Raptors can view the Thunder’s performance as a learning opportunity, as Oklahoma City recorded 15 steals and forced Toronto into 20 turnovers.
The absence of Jakob Poeltl (illness) didn’t help matters. Jonathan Mogbo took advantage of Poeltl’s absence, scoring a career-best 17 points off the bench.
RJ Barrett also had 17 points for the Raptors and grabbed 11 rebounds, marking his fifth double-double of the season. Scottie Barnes (12 points, 12 rebounds) notched his sixth double-double of the season.
