Iztok Franko@iztok_franko
Mavs - Raptors observations
1. Second loss and second game (like vs Denver) where Dallas was outsized & outmuscled
72 points in the paint allowed & crushed on the offensive glass
Tough to win these games when Luka & Kyrie are not at their peak dominating games on offense
2. It's becoming a trend
They surely missed Lively in this one. But rebounding and paint protecting have been a problem since the first 3 games
Mavs are now:
2nd worst in NBA in opp paint points & opp rim FG%
4th worst in opp OFF REB%
3. Raptors length & disruption made Dallas go smaller
Barnes (!!), OG & Siakam were disrupting so much with length & ability to help and recover that Mavs needed more dynamic players to attack that.
4. Raptors killing Dallas in transition
Saying all that (like against the Nuggets) Mavs were still better in half-court offense. But the Raptors generated so many defense to offense opportunities:
25% of their offense was in transition
With bad rebounding to much to overcome.
5. Raptors small-ball was way bigger than Mavs small ball
In my preview I speculated how much Poeltl will play. He got only 20 mins.
But Raptors wings Barnes, OG, Siakam, Boucher, Porter are way bigger than Mavs wings/guards. Punished mismatches on post-ups and off glass.
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