The Dallas Mavericks (21-42) have lost 16 of their last 18. The Toronto Raptors (35-27) have dropped four of their last five. Something’s got to give on Sunday when two teams heading in the same direction but on very different trajectories meet on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Raptors will be looking to reverse that recent trend and salvage their playoff positioning in the east, while the Mavericks are destined for the NBA Draft Lottery, sitting seventh from the bottom
of the NBA standings and in 12th place in the west.
The Mavs won the first matchup between these two teams in the third game of the season, 139-129, at American Airlines Center. Anthony Davis led Dallas with 25 points and 10 rebounds in that one, but the circumstances surrounding both teams are completely different at this point, with 19 games remaining on the Mavericks’ schedule.
Mirror image?
Both of these teams come into Sunday’s game near the bottom of the league in both 3-point shooting percentage and 3-point shooting frequency. Both teams, as a result, come into the matchup near the top of the league in 2-point field goal frequency. This one might be won in the paint.
The difference lies in the talent gap, and in ball movement. Toronto is one of the best teams in the league at sharing the basketball, coming in at fourth in assists per game at 28.9 per game. Dallas sits in 24th in the NBA in assists per contest, at 24.9.
The Raptors can beat you with their long, athletic forwards, in Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett. The Mavs’ forwards, with the exception of Cooper Flagg, are a little less athletic and have not been as effective as Toronto’s collection at the position. The Raptors’ penchant for sharing the ball shows up in the team’s scoring stats. While Ingram leads the team at 21.9 points per game, Barnes, Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley all average more than 17. Quickley’s 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio is ninth-best in the NBA.
Flagg’s foot
The Mavericks had not submitted an official injury report for Sunday’s game as of early afternoon on Saturday, but keep an eye on Flagg’s left foot and his possible injury designation before Sunday’s game. He went down hard early in the quarter of Friday’s 120-100 loss at the Boston Celtics after getting fouled by Neemias Queta on a hard drive to the cup. He grabbed at his left foot before limping off the floor, but came back in almost immediately to make two free throws and played the rest of the game. Flagg’s lateral movement wasn’t quite as sharp after the fall, and he finished with 16 points, eight boards and six assists in the loss.
We’ll also be watching for injury updates on Marvin Bagley III, who missed Friday’s game in Boston with a neck injury. He has been something of a mid-level revelation in his first seven games with the Mavericks, averaging 13 points and 8.9 rebounds in a reserve role for the most part.
Random Mavs killer
Scottie Barnes has been one of those guys who consistently gives the Mavs trouble in recent matchups. In the two teams’ earlier meeting this year, Barnes went off for 33 and 11. He poured in 26 and grabbed nine rebounds against the Mavs last April.
Barnes is going to get his on Sunday, I suspect, but I want to turn your attention to an even more random pick to click. There always a random Mavs killer in the waiting, it seems, and the Raptors’ ball movement makes this kind of breakout night even more likely than the average bear.
To that end, watch out for Jakob Poeltl on Sunday. The Mavs have a tough time holding teams to one shot per possession, and the seven-footer is the kind of center that could feast on the offensive glass against Daniel Gafford. Gafford was held out of Friday’s game in Boston with an ankle injury, so if he’s held out again, and Dallas’ frontcourt is as thin as it was against the Celtics, Poeltl could be the latest middle management type the Mavericks make look like an All-Star.
How to watch
The Mavericks and the Raptors tip off from Scotiabank Arena at 5 p.m. CST on Sunday. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29 and on regional sister stations throughout the Mavs’ viewership area. It will stream on MavsTV and on NBA League Pass where available.
