This is the first big test before the biggest test of the season.
As a game against the freakishly-good Oklahoma City Thunder looms, the Raptors make a stop in Dallas tonight – a place where traditionally, the entertainment value is high.
In 2013, the Raptors – destined for one of the greatest tanks in franchise history and fresh off of trading Rudy Gay – went into Dallas and came out with a dramatic overtime victory which came down to the wire. No one knew it at the time, but that game was the beginnings of a complete turn around for Masai Ujiri’s project.
And nothing was the same.
The Mavs are not what they used to be due to age and regression of roster talent over the years. While the pieces surrounding Dirk are solid names on paper, the team is also suffering from health issues. Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams are both coming off of big injuries and still finding their way into game-rhythm, while Chandler Parsons is playing limited minutes as he’s just returning from a six-month hiatus due to hybrid microfracture surgery on his right knee.
Despite all this, the Mavericks will be a handful.
The corpse of Dirk Nowitzki is still shooting the ball like a mad-man. In a 103-93 win over the Lakers on Sunday, Dirk shot 10-of-13 en route to 25 points. The Mavs in general are, as usual, an offensive juggernaut and have averaged a whopping 118 points in their opening three games of the season.
And, of course, there’s the simple truth that the American Airlines Center is an incredibly tough place to play in, and the Mavericks have won three straight home-openers stemming back to 2012.
Key match-up: Wesley Matthews vs DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan’s decision-making has been, for the most part, pretty on point this season. He’s making it a priority to get to the line and drive-and-kick. But this will be his toughest match-up this season. Matthews is a good wing-defender, and he held Kobe Bryant to 3-of-15 from the floor on Sunday. Yes, it’s true that Kobe Bryant may have held himself to 3-of-15 anyway, but the point stands – Matthews is a legit two-way NBA guard.
Perhaps equally interesting: Lowry vs. D- Will; and Scola vs. Dirk.
Deron Williams is an eternal enemy of the Toronto Raptors and one of the most inconsistent point guards in the league. Lowry controlling the tempo here would certainly set the tone of the Raptors’ flow. In the front-court, can Scola comfortably defend and contain the stretchiest stretch-big in the game?
Off the bench, the Raptors have an advantage so long as the sharp shooting of Patterson and Ross continues. The most interesting match-up in the 2nd unit is Raymond Felton – who somehow leads the Mavs in minutes this season – vs Cory Joseph. Joseph wins the agility and speed battle over Felton any day.
Tip-off is at 8:30 pm EST.
