Game Thread: Raptors vs. Mavericks updates, TV info, and more

Shhhhh. Just close your eyes. It will all be over soon. The Raptors have met what seems to likely to be the hardest stretch of schedule they’ll face all year with aplomb, and are as of right now 3-and-1 on a west coast road trip they took without the services of two of their best players. They also briefly lost the services of OG Anunoby partway through the trip, after Anunoby briefly lost the services of his right eye when former teammate Kawhi Leonard inadvertently poked him. Anunoby will be back tonight as the Raptors attempt to shoot the horse that is the Dallas Mavericks with a gun. I hope you all remember the tweet I’m making reference to.

For the Mavericks’ part, they have galloped out of the gate to a 6-and-5 start, led by the MVP level efforts of Slovenian wonder child Luka Doncic, who’s nearly averaging a triple double (efficiently, I might add) topping marks of 28 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists per game. The recently acquired Kristaps Porzingis, meanwhile, is struggling both to adjust to a new system and to return from injury, and has been inconsistent and inefficient to begin the year. Porzingis, however, is just one of the Mavericks’ bevy of stretch bigs who have them launching nearly 40 three point attempts per game, putting them among the league leaders in three point volume.

Will the Raptors round out their road trip on a high note? Or will the Mavericks have the necessary horsepower to eke out a win? Either way, the horse-gun guy didn’t deserve to be fired. Let’s watch.

Where to Watch:

TSN at 8:30pm EST

Lineups:

Toronto — Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol

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Dallas — Seth Curry, Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell, Kristaps Porzingis

Injuries:

Toronto — Kyle Lowry (out - hand), Serge Ibaka (out - ankle), Patrick McCaw (out - knee)

Dallas — None