Mavs Show 'Good Character' in Bounce-Back Road Win Over Raptors

Just one night after the Dallas Mavericks lost in stunning fashion, they pulled away in the second half against the Toronto Raptors to win 136-125.

One night after losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-119 due to a 59-foot heave from Max Strus at the buzzer, the Dallas Mavericks appeared to be feeling the hangover effects from the loss early against the Toronto Raptors, giving up 67 points in the first half.

This time though, they managed to right the ship, and there wasn't a miraculous shot for Toronto to steal a win, as the Mavs (34-25) used a big third quarter to win 136-125 on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Arena. 

"Good character," Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said. "Intent, the energy pre-game was in the right place. We lost on a 50-footer. We could have easily been still thinking about that game. I thought the guys moved forward."

Feb 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) controls the ball as Toronto Raptors forward Bruce Brown (11) tries to defend during the fourth quarter at Scotiabank Arena / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic did what he normally does, as he had a triple-double with 30 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds on his 25th birthday. The 30-point triple-double was Doncic's 39th of his career, passing Lebron James for the third-most all-time. 

"Just a normal game," Kidd said of Doncic's performance. "Triple-double, it was good. I guess 25 means he's still going to be really good as he gets older. He played 41 minutes [and] I think he understood where the game was at...He's our leader." 

Dallas also got key contributions from Kyrie Irving, who had 29 points and P.J. Washington, who scored 23, which is his most as a member of the Mavericks. Fellow trade deadline acquisition Daniel Gafford scored 13 points and had seven rebounds, while Tim Hardaway also had a solid performance off the bench with 16 points, four assists and four rebounds.

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Washington's performance, in particular, was promising as the team seeks a third option behind Doncic and Irving. After almost having the game-winning basket against the Cavs and scoring the most of his brief Mavs career as he shot 5 of 10 from 3 on Wednesday, Washington may be poised to take on that role for the rest of this season and beyond. 

"When you look at the third scorer, we want to try to get them going as soon as possible," Kidd said. "We would like to be consistent with a third. That would make coaching or being a teammate a little bit easier knowing who's going to be there on a consistent basis, and I think P.J. is starting to trend that way."

After a nip-and-tuck first half, Toronto (22-37) pulled ahead 79-75 with 8:34 left in the third quarter. Dallas responded with a 9-0 run that was led by Irving and Washington to take the lead for good. The Mavs went on the Raptors 31-13 and led 106-92 heading into the fourth quarter.

Luka Doncic Drops Birthday Triple-Double, Leads Mavs to Victory Over Raptors

The win snapped a brief two-game skid for Dallas and ended a three-game winning streak for the Raptors. While it was important for the Mavs to get back on track ahead of Friday when they face the Boston Celtics, Kidd believes his team's performance was catalyzed by having a win snatched from their grasp 24 hours earlier. 

"We understood we put ourselves in a position to win last night, and it didn't happen," Kidd said. "It's like the pitcher who gives up a home run. You've got to ask for the ball because you've got to throw another pitch, and I thought the group did a great job tonight of learning from what happened last night and being able to turn the page."

On the heels of a heartbreaking loss, the Mavs could have been poised for a letdown that ended their losing streak to three. Rather than letting the effects of that loss snowball, Dallas withstood an early storm to get a much-needed win on the road north of the border.