Halftime Report
The Mavericks are on the road but looking no worse for wear. Sitting on a score of 68-67, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still two more quarters to play.
The Mavericks came into the matchup with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Dallas Mavericks @ Toronto Raptors
Current Records: Dallas 33-25, Toronto 22-36
How To Watch
- When: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena — Toronto, Ontario
- TV: The Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $40.00
What to Know
The Mavericks and the Raptors are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the Dallas Mavericks will head out on the road to face off against the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. ET on February 28th at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors do have the home-court advantage, but the Mavericks are expected to win by 2.5 points.
While the Mavericks couldn’t quite beat the Cavaliers on Tuesday, the two-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the 22-point defeat they were dealt on Sunday. Dallas lost 121-119 to the Cavaliers on a last-minute jump shot From Max Strus. The Mavericks have not had much luck with the Cavaliers recently, as the team’s come up short the last three times they’ve met.
The Mavericks’ loss came about despite a quality game from Luka Doncic, who shot 6-for-11 from long range and almost dropped a triple-double on 45 points, nine rebounds, and 14 assists. Doncic has been hot recently, having posted 26 or more points the last eight times he’s played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyrie Irving, who scored 30 points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Raptors had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 15 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They walked away with a 130-122 win over Indiana. The oddsmakers set the bar high with a 246-point over/under, but they still managed to beat it.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Raptors to victory, but perhaps none more so than Scottie Barnes, who dropped a triple-double on 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Dallas’ loss dropped their record down to 33-25. As for Toronto, they pushed their record up to 22-36 with that win, which was their third straight on the road.
Wednesday’s game is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: The Mavericks haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.9 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Raptors struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging only 12.8 turnovers per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Mavericks came up short against the Raptors when the teams last played back in November of 2023, falling 127-116. Can the Mavericks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Dallas is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Toronto, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 237.5 points.
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Series History
Toronto and Dallas both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Nov 08, 2023 – Toronto 127 vs. Dallas 116
- Nov 26, 2022 – Toronto 105 vs. Dallas 100
- Nov 04, 2022 – Dallas 111 vs. Toronto 110
- Jan 19, 2022 – Dallas 102 vs. Toronto 98
- Oct 23, 2021 – Dallas 103 vs. Toronto 95
- May 14, 2021 – Dallas 114 vs. Toronto 110
- Jan 18, 2021 – Toronto 116 vs. Dallas 93
- Dec 22, 2019 – Toronto 110 vs. Dallas 107
- Nov 16, 2019 – Dallas 110 vs. Toronto 102
- Jan 27, 2019 – Toronto 123 vs. Dallas 120
