The Dallas Mavericks will be out to end a six-game losing streak Sunday when they visit the Toronto Raptors.
The Mavericks’ struggles go beyond the losing streak. They have dropped 16 of their past 18 games after their 120-100 road loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday.
The Raptors also hope to use the game to turn around their recent fortunes. They dropped four of five after a 115-107 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
The Mavericks won the only meeting of the season between the teams 139-129 on Oct. 26 when Cooper Flagg scored 22 points. That team looked very different. Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds in that game, while D’Angelo Russell added 24 points and six assists off the bench.
Dallas has won four in a row over Toronto.
After the loss to Minnesota, the Raptors are 4-17 against the top 10 teams in the league.
“When we play these good teams, something has to change,” said RJ Barrett, who led Toronto in scoring with 25 points Thursday. “Something has to change. I think we’re working hard. I think we have good intentions. …This is the part that we’ve got to figure out. This is the challenge that we have to overcome. I’m confident that we will, but something’s got to change, and we have to figure something out.”
The Raptors have been plagued by bad stretches, usually later in the game. The Timberwolves dominated the third quarter 35-22 on Thursday. In Toronto’s 111-95 home loss Tuesday, the New York Knicks outscored them 24-13 in the fourth quarter. The Knicks finished the game on a 16-2 run.
“I think they kind of upped their physical play,” said Barrett, explaining how Minnesota took over the game.
The Raptors also would like to turn home court into an advantage, which they have not done. They are 16-16 at home and 19-11 on the road. Toronto has lost four in a row at home.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks will be playing their fourth of six straight road games Sunday.
The game in Boston, however, was more like a home game for Mavericks rookie Flag, who scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Flagg is from Newport, Maine, about a three-hour drive from Boston, and he received a big ovation.
“It was incredible,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “I’ve never heard a road player get a cheer like that, especially here in Boston. They tend to go the other way. But that shows the appreciation they have for Cooper.”
“I love being a Maverick,” Flagg said. “That’s home, and I don’t want anything else. It’s incredible to be able to play here. Obviously, it’s the place I came when I was a kid and got to watch. I think it’s going to be incredibly fun for the rest of my career to come here and play in front of this crowd.”
Of course, the loudest cheers Friday were for Boston’s Jayson Tatum, who played his first game of the season after tearing his right Achilles tendon in the playoffs.
“I had a lot of people come from back home,” Flagg said. ‘It was cool. The energy was incredible with Jayson coming back. It meant a lot. I tried to take a moment to try to take a deep breath and take it all in. It’s a dream come true being out there on that court. It’s really special.”
