Toronto Raptors vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction: the Hosts Dominate At Home

Toronto has lost to Dallas four games in a row, and now the team will try to end their losing streak. The Raptors have to play without two of their starting five - can they handle the loss this time?

The Raptors are only 8th in the Eastern Conference, even though they are near the best in the league in many statistical measures. For example, Toronto leads the league in average steals (10.5), and two Canadian players, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby are in the top 5 for that metric. Only Dallas has fewer turnovers than Toronto, and Nick Nurse's team has the second most offensive rebounds. Only constant injuries get in their way. Otto Porter Jr., Dalano Banton, Precious Achiuwa, Scottie Barnes, and Pascal Siakam are still injured, but at least Fred VanVleet has begun to train and may be back for the game with the Mavericks. Thaddeus Young, Chris Boucher, and Juancho Hernangomez are getting more playing time without the frontcourt players, and the coach trusts Cristian Koloko with a serious role in certain games.

In the recent game against Brooklyn, the offense faltered again, and Toronto lost 98-112. The Raptors tried hard on defense and were tightly controlled initially, but the Nets made some tough shots. Gary Trent Jr. had no throws from beyond the arc, and the team was poor at hitting three-pointers: 24.1% execution was challenging to justify. Nick Nurse's 23 offensive rebounds did not help, either. Juancho Hernangomez and Chris Boucher combined for 14 turnovers, but they shot just 6-of-24 together. The loss to Brooklyn was Toronto's second in four previous games.

The Mavericks' results have declined lately, as the team slipped to ninth place in the Western Conference after three losses in four games. Luka Doncic and Christian Wood have looked good during Dallas' disappointing stretch, but the role players have been subpar. Tim Hardaway Jr. rarely has a surge, and he has consistently hit less than 40% of his shots from the field. Spencer Dinwiddie had a lousy game, Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith had no throw from beyond the arc, and Josh Green, who is slowly making progress and getting more playing time, is the best reserve in the league. Maxi Kleber has missed all four games but should be back in action for Toronto. Thus, the Dallas infirmary is about to be emptied.

The day before, Jason Kidd's team had nothing to do with Boston (112-125). Doncic did his best and made 17 of 28 shots on 42 points from the field. Christian Wood and Spencer Dinwiddie were also very effective, with fewer complaints on offense than defense. Dallas constantly left the Celtics at the arc, so it was no wonder the team missed 17 three-pointers. The Mavericks could not keep up with their opponent and could not slow the game down.

Dallas has played well defensively in some games, but against Boston, they looked weak. The Mavericks couldn't do anything even when their trio of leaders was attacking, and now the visitors will have a more challenging time. Toronto played good defense against Brooklyn with a near-optimal lineup, and the Raptors were without half of their rotation players. VanVleet's eventual return should revitalize the Canadian club's offense, and Fred should also help out on his end. Last week, the home team fell just short of the win so revenge may be complicated, but nothing is impossible. 

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