The Dallas Mavericks took down the Toronto Raptors on Saturday to move into the second seed in the Western Conference and extend its winning streak to a league-leading seven games for active streaks.
Dallas was led in the 125-118 win over the Raptors by guard Luka Doncic, who collected his 88th career triple-double with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists while shooting 9-20 from the field and 6-13 from behind the three-point line.
Guard Kyrie Irving also contributed 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while forward Klay Thomspon added 20 points on 8-16 shooting from the field.
Dallas has now won 11 of its last 12 games and seven straight games, the longest active winning streak in the NBA. After adding a variety of new pieces to the team in the offseason, the team improved upon a slow start to the season.
The singular loss in the last 12 games came in overtime during an away game against the Miami Heat, with Doncic missing the matchup due to a previous injury that kept him out for multiple games.
Despite the Mavericks beginning the season slowly, opening the year with a record of just 9-8, the current winning streak has vaulted the team to an overall record of 16-8, moving them into a tie for the second seed in the Western Conference.
Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd said on Saturday that the team is “playing really good basketball right now,” but also added that there are still pieces that the team has “got to clean up” to continue winning.
“We gave up too many threes, but all things that are correctable. But a heck of a road trip. The way we’ve been flying the last two weeks, I thought this group has done an incredible job. To win 11 out of 12 is really impressive, especially in the Western Conference,” said Kidd, per The Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas now sits tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for the second seed in the Western Conference, with the teams also trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder by just 2.5 games for the top overall spot in the conference.
The Mavericks will now have the chance to significantly cut Oklahoma City’s lead in a matchup between the two teams on Tuesday. This game will impact both the overall standings and the NBA In-Season Tournament result.