NBA: Luka Doncic scores season-high 41 points as Dallas Mavericks defeat Toronto Raptors
Jan 20, 2022
Texas [US], January 20 : The Dallas Mavericks continued their blistering start in 2022 with another win, this time over the Toronto Raptors. Luka Doncic of the Mavericks scored a season-high 41 points with another season-high 14 rebounds to lead them to a 102-98 win over the Raptors.
The Mavericks are 9-1 since the calendar switched over to 2022 and have won 10 of their last 11 games, while having the top-ranked defense in the league over this stretch. Toronto's team effort on offense saw 6 players score in double-digits, with Pascal Siakam being the only one to score 20 points.
The Mavericks have improved their season record to 26-19 while the Raptors are now split-even with 21 wins to 21 losses. The Mavericks have seen Luka Doncic return from a lengthy COVID-19 and injury absence, but he has been slowly improving his output over the last few games.
This game saw him manipulate the offense of the Mavericks and provide open shot opportunities for his teammates. Big-man Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points with an excellent showing in the mid-range. The Mavs team defense continues to frustrate opponents, as the Raptors struggled to find consistent open shots.
This was the 18th time this season the Mavericks held an opponent to under 100 points and they are currently the fourth-ranked defense overall in the NBA. The Raptors are in the thick of the Eastern Conference Playoff race and currently occupy the 10th seed.
However, they have to hold off the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks below them that are looking to make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the season. They still have pieces from their 2019 championship team in OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam, while having promising young players like Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa.
The Mavericks will be in action next against the Phoenix Suns on January 21 and the game will be broadcast on VH1 (English commentary) and MTV (Hindi commentary) while being streamed live on VOOT and JioTV.
