WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs. Toronto Raptors WHAT: Probably not a win, let’s be real. WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX WHEN: 6:00 p.m. CT HOW: Fox Sports Southwest or NBA League Pass THE STORY: The Mavs will look to make it three wins in a row at home as Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors visit Dallas. The Raptors are, last I checked, very good, and the Mavericks are sort of average, so this is one of those games where you expect the worst and hope for the best. If the Mavs can keep limiting their turnovers and get their three-point shot going, maybe there’s a fighting chance. Go Mavs!<doc-sep>Raptors vs. Mavericks Prediction The Toronto Raptors have won seven of their last 10 games but have dropped two in a row on the road. They’ll try to rebound on Sunday night in Dallas where they’ll visit the Mavericks at 7:00 p.m. ET in a game that could be relatively low-scoring for bettors. Game Snapshot 517 Toronto Raptors at 518 Dallas Mavericks 7:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, January 27, 2019 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line. Public Betting Trends According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Raptors are 5-point favorites to beat the Mavericks. The total, meanwhile, sits at 219 points and as of this writing, 66% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Raptors to cover the point spread. Toronto Raptors Fantasy Spin Kawhi Leonard (rest, load management) returned on Friday against the Rockets, scoring 32 points (11-of-19 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs) with seven rebounds, five assists, two steals and three 3-pointers in 39 minutes. Leonard had sat out the previous four games for precautionary rest and showed no signs of weariness in his return. He guarded James Harden throughout the game, which is good in regards to his health. The Raptors don't have another back-to-back set until March, but Leonard will likely sit out a game or two prior to that point. He's posting top-5 value when he's out there, which makes the headaches worthwhile. Dallas Mavericks Fantasy Spin Luka Doncic scored 32 points during a 106-101 win over the Pistons on Friday, adding eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, one block and three 3-pointers in 35 minutes. He's making history on basically a weekly basis. The 32/8/8 line has been reached by only two other teenagers in NBA history: LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Doncic is going to be in the Skills Challenge and he'll have a shot at the All-Star Game as a reserve. He's some kind of talent and his fantasy owners have to be pleased even with a lofty ADP. He's not even 20 yet. NBA Betting Trends Toronto The Raptors are just 2-9 against the spread in their last 11 road games. Dallas The Mavericks are 14-5-1 against the number in their last 20 home games. Prediction The under has cashed in seven of the previous 10 meetings between these two teams and is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Dallas. The under is also 4-1 in the Raptors’ last five games overall and has cashed inf our of Toronto’s last five games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. On the other side, the under is 6-1 in the Mavericks’ last seven home games and is 8-0 in their last eight games versus Eastern Conference opponents. Sunday NBA Prediction: Raptors/Mavericks under 219<doc-sep>The Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors clashed for some Sunday night hoops for the second time this season but the first in Dallas. It was about as exciting as one could hope for coming down to the final few minutes, but the Raptors were able to hold on late to beat the Mavericks for the second time this season, 123-120. Toronto was led by Kawhi Leonard’s 33 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors kept pace with the East leading Milwaukee Bucks. Luka Doncic had another dominant display for Dallas posting 35 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, good for his second triple double in the last four games. The Mavericks now sit at 22-27 with playoff aspirations slipping away, but here’s what we saw tonight. Luka Doncic - All Star Coaches have until Tuesday to vote on all-star reserves, and at this point Doncic should be one of those players, no questions about it. Doncic became the first teenager ever to post a 30-point triple double and the first player ever to record multiple triple doubles before his 20th birthday. The rookie is simply incredible and dominated against a really good defensive team. The Raptors threw Danny Green, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Kawhi freaking Leonard at him and he still scored a career-high 35 points. Doncic has been on an absolute tear in his last eight games, averaging 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and tonight will bump all of those numbers up. When he recorded his first triple double he didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but tonight he was 14-of-24 and 3-of-9 from three. He was a beast on the boards grabbing a career-high 12 boards and his court vision was elite. It seemed impossible a month ago, but Doncic really is getting better by the game. The game was won behind the arc It’s pretty much how NBA games are decided these days, but there was a big disparity from three tonight and it was just enough to push Toronto over the top. The Raptors started off hot connecting on 7-of-11 from deep int he first quarter but cooled off as the game went on and even endured a 1-of-7 third quarter. On the night the Raptors poured in 17-of-34 from three, good for 50 percent. That’s a significant increase from the 35 percent mark Toronto owns for the season. The Raptors benefitted from the Mavericks inability to find shooters in transition as well as Dallas failing to corral defensive rebounds. Threes after an offensive rebound are back breakers, and Toronto was able to capitalize a few different times. The Mavericks on the other hand struggled considerably from three, shooting 31 percent on 11-of-36 from behind the arc. Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews and Dennis Smith Jr. combined for 4-of-18 which really hurt the Mavericks while Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Danny Green combined for 10-of-21. Missed free throws will haunt the Mavericks This game was a real slobberknocker as both teams shot 72 free throws combined. At one point in the second quarter, when both teams were in the bonus, it seemed that both teams were shooting free throws every time down the floor. Toronto missed only six of their 38 attempts, but Dallas missed 11 of their 34 in a game they lost by three. Those missed free throws are monumental hiccups in a game that went down to the wire. The Mavericks face the New York Knicks next on Wednesday which starts a crucial four game stretch against the Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets.<doc-sep>One could be forgiven for thinking this game would be a blowout. One would probably assume the wide margin would be in favor of the Toronto Raptors, the team with the best record in the East, starting a (rather) well-rested Kawhi Leonard. That’s not how the game began, however, with the Rockets jumping all over the Raptors and leading by 33-20 after the first quarter. The Rockets were attacking, sharing the ball, and playing great defense. The Raptors seemed a bit befuddled by it all. They’d come here to overplay James Harden, to keep him under 40. The Rockets responded with Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers and PJ Tucker doing good work on the offensive end, instead. The Raptors came back with a furious second quarter, with quondam Rockets nemesis Danny Green displaying his full abilities: defense, three point shooting, whining and falling down suspiciously. It was an overall team effort for Toronto though, with the Eastern Conference leaders notching 41 points, the most given up by the Rockets in a quarter this season. The half ended with the Rockets ahead 70-61. The second half brought a continuing Toronto surge in the third quarter, with the margin narrowing to as little as four. The Rockets countered and at one point had the lead at 18. If you know these Rockets, though, you’ll know they didn’t extend the lead to 25 and put the game on ice. No, indeed. While a combination of strong drives (and James Harden unleashing a lethal floater) and some long range shooting built the lead, settling for threes, and missing wide open ones allowed the Raptors to once again climb in the game. The fourth quarter was both better and worse. The Rockets withstood another Raptors run, and built what would normally be a safe lead with under two minutes left. Where PJ Tucker was the goat in the narrow win over the Knicks, Eric Gordon, otherwise having a fine game, decided to see how close the Raptors could make it. With every Raptor hitting three point shots, making three within the span of 50 seconds from the 1:07 mark, they made it uncomfortably close. On the final Rockets offensive play, Eric Gordon, believing himself to be the target of an intentional foul, flung up a three point attempt, rather than running more clock. No foul was called, and Toronto was behind only two, with plenty of time to shoot. The call was for Kawhi Leonard to take the final shot, and attempt a three for a win. Leonard switched onto James Harden. Despite a push off, Harden stayed close for an excellent contest. Kawhi may be many things, but Harden’s equal at shooting step back threes he is not. Leonard airballed the potentially winning shot for the Raptors and the Rockets escaped with a win in a contest that never should have been that close. Once again the Rockets show themselves to be one of the least opponent driven teams in the NBA. Their victory tonight over the team with the best record in the NBA was much like theirs over the woeful Knicks. Highlights: Kenneth Faried looked like his younger self tonight, flying around the court, rebounding, dunking passes from Harden, and generally being a good all-around player.<doc-sep>
After losing two straight games, the Raptors travel to the American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Mavericks to close out a three-game road trip. Who's Playing Matchup: Toronto Raptors vs. Dallas Mavericks Records: Raptors (36-15); Mavericks (22-26) Where to Watch Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: TSN Radio: TSN 1050 Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX Game Preview After losing a close one to the Rockets Friday, the Raptors try to avoid going winless on their three-game road trip as they travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks Sunday night. In Friday's loss, Toronto was led by 32 points from Kawhi Leonard and a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double from Pascal Siakam. After trailing by as many as 22 points on the night, the Raptors staged a furious comeback and had an opportunity to win the game late, but ultimately came up short. Danny Green also finished with 22 points Friday, but the struggles of his backcourt mate Kyle Lowry continued, as he finished with just nine points (on 2-for-9 shooting) to go along with 11 assists and four rebounds. The play of Lowry, who is averaging 11.0 points on 34.5 percent shooting from the field in Jan., is a major key to the Raptors' success moving. Toronto, who has a league-best 36 wins on the season, has an impressive 15-11 record on the road this season. The team's win total on the road is second most in the league behind only the Warriors. Dallas, on the other hand, has an impressive 18-6 record at American Airlines Center this season, giving them one of the best home-court advantages in the league. The difference is almost night-and-day: at home, the Mavericks boast an Offensive Rating of 112.0 and a Defensive Rating of 106.4 for a Net Rating of 5.6. On the road, the team's Offensive Rating plummets to 104.7 while their Defensive Rating soars to 110.5 for a -5.8 Net Rating. The Mavs have won two straight at home, with its most recent win coming Friday night over the Pistons. In Friday's game, Dallas was led by rookie sensation Luka Doncic, who finished the night with 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Doncic, the favourite to win Rookie of the Year in 2019, is averaging 20.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds in 47 games, putting him on pace to join the elusive 20-5-5 club as a rookie. Along with Doncic, the Mavericks will lean on free agent acquisition DeAndre Jordan, Harrison Barnes and Dennis Smith Jr., who returned to the team last week, against the Raptors tonight. With Dallas being such an impressive team at home, Sunday night's game could go in a much different direction than the first meeting between the teams early this season. Notes Dallas will be without J.J. Barea, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on Jan.12. For the Raptors, Danny Green is listed as probable with hand soreness while Jonas Valanciunas remains out. The Raptors have an opportunity to sweep the season series against Dallas for the fifth time in franchise history and the fourth time in past six years. The home team has won three straight meetings between Dallas and Toronto Toronto has an Eastern Conference-best 14 wins against Western Conference teams. After Sunday's game, Toronto will have just three Western Conference road games remaining on the schedule - at New Orleans (March 8), at Oklahoma City (March 20) and at Minnesota (April 9). The Raptors need two more wins against the West to ensure a winning record against the opposite conference for a sixth consecutive season. The Mavericks are 16-6 all-time at home against Toronto and are 18-6 at home this season. Last Time They Played Date: Oct. 26, 2018 Score: Raptors 116, Mavericks 107 Raptors: Kawhi Leonard - 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals Mavericks: DeAndre Jordan - 18 points, 15 rebounds, five assists