Luka Doncic Counters Raptors' Creatives Schemes in Mavs’ Win: 3 Big Observations

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Toronto Raptors on Friday. DallasBasketball.com lays out three of the biggest observations from their 111-110 victory.

The Dallas Mavericks (5-3) have now won three consecutive games after winning 111-110 over the Toronto Raptors (5-4) on Friday. 

After the game was tied 31-31 at the 10:39 mark of the second quarter, the Mavs took and held the lead for the remainder of regulation. The Raptors came within five points with around three minutes left in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to overcome the deficit with Dallas hitting its clutch free throws. 

Dallas managed to get off to a favorable start and closed it out in clutch time, both of which have been areas of concern at times early in the season. 

Before moving on to the Mavs’ next game against the Brooklyn Nets, let's take a look at some of our biggest observations from Friday night's win.

3. Mavs Brought JaVale McGee Off the Bench

The Mavs made the decision to make a starting lineup change by swapping out JaVale McGee with Dwight Powell at the center position. the move may be something that Dallas changes at a later time, but one they made with matchups in mind. 

"We will start DP at center and will bring JaVale off the bench," Kidd said before the game. "Not a rest day for JaVale. ... We're going to take a look at it. In the season, there's different matchups to take a look at. Toronto is a team that doesn't play extremely big, so this is something for us to look at as a team. 

"DP is playing extremely well. Well deserved for minutes. ... This could change by the time we play our next game on Monday. We'll take it one game at a time for now."

Powell had played well for the last few games while the team with his energy and willingness to do the little things. For a team that had not defended well to start games recently, perhaps deploying Powell early could help get things going early. His screen setting and understanding of how to play off Luka Doncic proved to be connective for the half-court offense.

McGee ultimately only played four minutes and didn't get brought back into the game during the second half. He looked more in his element playing alongside bench talent as opposed to protecting the paint against starting bigs and shot creators.

2. Spencer Dinwiddie Initiated the Offense Effectively

The Mavs received important contributions from Spencer Dinwiddie, who finished with 21 points and seven assists. He filled a key role as Doncic's secondary ball handler in addition to initiating the second unit offense.

When the Raptors utilized schemes at times like a box-and-one, the Mavs found success with Doncic playing the role of decoy while Dinwiddie initiated the offense.

“I think that’s a credit to their coach, he’s a very smart coach and willing to try anything, throw anything at the wall to get a win," Dinwiddie said of the Raptors' defense. "It’s a credit to him, but obviously when you’re box-in-one, that means you’re playing 4-on-4 on the back side, the dimension of the court are still the same. So, it means more space, so you can get by your man. Your man plays for Doe [Dorian Finney-Smith] and DP [Dwight Powell], that’s how I was able to get a couple of assists today, so that was a good thing.”

Dinwiddie has been a key contributor early in the season. He's scored at least 20 points in three of his four previous games and four times on the season. He's averaging 17.2 points and 4.2 assists while shooting 48.2 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from 3-point range. He's thrived playing off Doncic when they share the floor while aggressively attacking when he runs the offense.

Dinwiddie made a pair of free throws at the end of the game to put the Mavs up four with 3.0 seconds left — proving to solidify the team's victory. When Dallas needed contributions, he was ready to deliver.

1. Luka Doncic Had Counters for the Raptors' Schemes

Regardless of what schemes the Raptors tried to throw out to slow down Luka Doncic, he was ready with counters. Whether it was against traps, a box-and-one, or just general aggressive low-man rotations, Doncic picked it apart with precision. He finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

Doncic was highly efficient as he shot 10-15 (66.7 percent) from the floor, 3-6 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc, and 12-14 (85.7 percent) on free throws. His step-back 3-pointers were dropping, he was getting into the paint, and he was creating high quality looks for his teammates throughout the night. 

Doncic made no shortage of highlight plays that will end up on his 2022-23 season reel when it's all said and done. Among the memorable sequences he pulled off was a spin move splitting a trap on a side ball screen, right in front of the Mavs' sideline for coach Jason Kidd to see.

“(Doncic) did one of those little spin moves in front of me when he split the double team,” Kidd said. “I wonder if he surprises himself sometimes."

One of Doncic's top plays was an isolation possessions that featured many between the legs dribbles — getting Precious Achiuwa to dance trying to keep up — resulting in a tough turnaround, one-legged jumper that went in after a high arcing release.

“There were too many moves,” Doncic said about the play. “The ball escaped a little bit. It was a hard shot. I don’t know how I made that.”

"It is just fun, man. Those plays are fun. Later when you see it on TV, everybody talks about it, but it is just fun. Tough shots – the bullshit shots – when you make them, are so fun."

Doncic even brought out his hook shot that he showed off in EuroBasket, but had yet to attempt in a game with the Mavs during the NBA season. 

“Yeah, sometimes,” Doncic said with a smile. “The best play was my hook shot. Those plays are fun. Later you see them on TV. Everybody talks about them."

While all of the big plays Doncic made with the basketball are what will grab the most attention — and rightfully so — there were moments when he was content trusting his teammates to make plays. The best of the examples was when he stood in the corner to be a decoy against the Raptors' box-and-one scheme to allow his team to attack 4-on-4. 

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