“Trying to Get Our Habits Correct”: Mavericks Cruise Past Raptors as Anthony Davis Posts Triple-Double

After a chaotic week capped by Luka Dončić’s emotional return, the Dallas Mavericks took a step toward stability Friday night, cruising to a 124-102 win over the short-handed Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Center.

Anthony Davis led the way with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, and seven blocks in just 30 minutes, collecting his first triple-double since joining Dallas in February. The Mavericks (39-42) improved to 6-3 with Davis in the lineup and can still secure homecourt for the 9–10 play-in game with a win in Sunday’s finale at Memphis and a Sacramento loss to Phoenix.

Anthony Davis Leads Complete Team Performance

Davis spent much of the second half one assist shy of a triple-double before finally converting a lob to Dereck Lively II midway through the fourth quarter. He exited moments later to a standing ovation.

“I don’t really have to pass much, nor do, at times, guys want me to pass,” Davis said. “But just making reads, learning from the game (against the Lakers) when they were doubling me and making the right reads.”

Davis wasn’t far from an even rarer feat — a quadruple-double — as he finished with seven blocks.

“I’ve become so used to it — a lot of these guys haven’t played with him yet,” said Max Christie, who was traded to Dallas with Davis. “They’re going to get used to it. He’s such an elite basketball player when he gets comfortable. He can contribute so many ways. Pretty easy triple-double for him, basically three quarters.”

Davis said his focus was on what the team needed more than any individual milestone.

“As a team, it gives us a little more confidence as a unit and individually for guys making plays,” he said. “No matter who we’re playing, that’s how we got to play — a lot of energy and a lot of fun. That’ll make up for a lot of things.”

Rotation Returns at the Right Time

The Mavericks also got encouraging performances from several rotation players, including Lively, who posted 10 points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes — his longest run since returning from a stress fracture.

Brandon Williams added 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in his return after reaching the two-way limit and signing a full deal. Christie scored 17 points and shot 3-of-7 from deep, helping Dallas finish with 15 made threes on 33 attempts (45.5%). P.J. Washington added 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Daniel Gafford also chipped in 12 points and seven boards.

With Spencer Dinwiddie resting a sore knee, Kidd used a deeper bench, rotating through all 12 available players for the first time in recent memory. The Mavericks also welcomed back guard Danté Exum, who played for the first time since February after missing several weeks due to a fractured left hand. In return, he finished with six points and three assists in 14 minutes. Jaden Hardy also returned from a right ankle sprain and finished with three points and one assist in eight minutes.

“I don’t know how many times we’ve had a consistent roster of everyone,” Kidd said. “So hopefully, this is a start. Unfortunately, we won’t have some guys traveling to Memphis. But I think, if we’re healthy, we have a shot.”

Naji Marshall started at point once again, finishing with seven points, two rebounds, and five assists in 28 minutes. He was coming off a 23-point performance against the Lakers, but his shot wasn’t falling against Toronto at nearly the same rate.

Davis was able to accomplish the triple-double, but didn’t want to overdo it by staying in during a blowout to push for 10 blocks.

“I was hoping he got it there at the end of the third,” Kidd said of Davis’ triple-double. “But he didn’t. It’s hard sometimes to let a triple-double pass. And so I thought it was the right thing for him to go get that, and he got it within two minutes and we took him out.”

“Guys Sharing the Basketball”: Mavericks Refocus After Emotional Loss

The Mavericks put the game away early, using a 21-4 run to start the second quarter to stretch their lead to 56-29. By the midpoint of the third quarter, the lead had ballooned to 80-45.

“Tonight was more about us,” Davis said. “We got an important play-in game coming. We’re trying to get our habits correct. We’re trying to get our discipline, our chemistry. And obviously we took care of it with a win.”

Davis alluded to a team meeting following Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers — a game in which Dončić scored 45 points in his return to Dallas.

“We talked about how we could be better,” Davis said in a postgame interview with MavsStream. “The message was the message.”

On Friday, the message appeared to take root. “It looks like how it was tonight,” Davis said of what a focused group should resemble.

“Guys sharing the basketball, guys playing free, guys making the right plays, guys hustling back defensively, the guys are talking,” Davis explained. “When we’re connected like we were tonight, especially defensively, we’ll be a very tough team to beat.”

Up Next

The Mavericks close the regular season Sunday in Memphis. If they win and the Kings lose to the Suns, Dallas will host Wednesday’s Western Conference play-in game against Sacramento. Otherwise, the win-or-go-home game will be played on the road.

“It’s good that we know who we’re playing,” Davis said. “We kind of start getting ready to dive deep into what they do, their schemes, and our schemes we’ll have for them.”