Concern about the play-in tournament is already a thing of the past for the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic’s team confirmed with a 114-110 win over the Toronto Raptors a place in the Top 6 of the Western Conference. The achievement of the express objective of this course, avoid play-in, allows the Slovenian and his teammates to breathe easy in these last days of the regular season, who will also be able to take some strength with a few days of rest before the start of the playoffs.
Doncic led the win over the Raptors with a triple-double of few boasting. Ended up with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on a bad night shooting (7-19 TC; 1-8 3P), but it was complemented perfectly with a Kristaps Porzingis what did he knead 21 points and 10 rebounds in his second return game after half a month off.
“It’s great, when we were in twelfth place, everyone kept us out of the playoffs.”Doncic recalled as he reflected on the Mavs’ qualification for the playoffs. “Now we have achieved it and we will have a couple of days off, something we need.”
The eleventh triple-double of the Slovenian’s course served to celebrate the classification, in which at the moment they are fifth classified with 42 wins and 29 losses. In February, the Mavs were a long way from the noble zone with 9 wins and 14 losses.
The numbers say it all about your wonderful final stretch of the course: 31 victories and 15 defeats that allow them to reach the playoffs with the poster of serious threat. “I am happy for the boys, they have worked hard for this”said Rick Carlisle, coach of the Mavs. “There are too many advantages to avoiding play-in.”
The Raptors were a tame foe for Dallas. A triple by Porzingis opened the game and the Mavs were never behind on the scoreboard. The texan team came to dominate by 19 points in the second half but was traced back in the final minutes by the Toronto side.
Malachi flynn, with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, he made a magnificent game and the rookie Jalen Harris he went to 31 points, his best scoring mark in the NBA. Doncic answered to Toronto’s squeeze and Dorian Finney-Smith, author of 17 points.
The Dallas bench also burned with 19 points for Jalen brunson, who took a blow to the knee without too many consequences, and 10 points of Josh richardson.
With his eleventh triple-double this course, Doncic already accumulates 36 triple-doubles in his career, a figure that allowed him to surpass a legend like Bob cousy. Far is, of course, the record holder Russell Westbrook.
The Mavericks will close the course against the Minnesota Timberwolves of Ricky Rubio and Juancho Hernangómez. A win will secure them fifth place, while a loss combined with Portland’s victory would put them sixth in the competitive West.
There are two possible rivals for the Mavs in the playoffs: if everything stays the same they would be the nuggets in the first round, and if things change it could be the clippers. It all depends on the last day of the morning from Sunday to Monday.