Raptors Cage

Game Day Preview: Raptors Look to Keep Their Streak Alive Against the Mavericks

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Share on google
Share on email

Greivis

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The top two offences in the league take to the floor at the Air Canada Centre as the Toronto Raptors square off against the Dallas Mavericks. The Raptors look to maintain a perfect record against the west before heading out on a three game western swing. Here are the Cage’s Keys to the Game:

Slow down the engine

For the Mavericks, the engine for their league-leading offence is Dirk Nowitzki. Even though he has a lower usage rate than Monta Ellis, Nowitzki is the key to this offence because of the amount of attention he can draw with his shooting ability. This will be a key cover for Amir Johnson. Interesting statistic, per NBA.com: the Mavs are averaging 117 points per game against losing competition, compared to 99.3 points against teams with a winning record. Also, Nowitzki is only shooting 40.4% against winning teams. Even so, he still needs to be the key focus if the Raptors are going to improve to 14-2.

Keep Swinging

If the Raptors are going to continue to bust out, they need to keep swinging… the ball. The Raptors failed to record at least 20 assists seven times during their first 10 games. While those numbers and the ball movement have greatly improved since, they still only average 19.8 assists per game. Kyle Lowry leads the team with 6.6 per game, and is the only player averaging more than three assists on the team. The Mavs aren’t an elite defensive team, but the presence of Tyson Chandler means isolation ball won’t be an option if they want shots at the rim. The ball needs to move side to side. Keep swinging.

Hit the Boards

The Raptors rank 25th in the league in rebounds. Johnson’s currently averaging his lowest rebounding totals since he first joined the Raptors. He needs to be a bigger part of the Raptor’s effort on the glass, starting tonight. Jonas Valanciunas will have his work cut out for him going up against Chandler, who’s averaging a double-double, including 11.3 boards per game. He’ll need to be dominant inside to prevent second chance opportunities for the Mavs.

X-Factor: Greivis Vasquez

The Raptors are currently sixth in bench scoring. That’s mostly been accomplished without the help of Greivis Vasquez. The vibrant Venezuelan is shooting 36.5% from the floor and 27.8% from beyond the arc. He seemingly broke out against the Atlanta Hawks in a 21 point effort on Wednesday night. He’ll need to build that effort into a trend if the Raptors are going to continue to utilize their depth in order to win ball games. Vasquez needs to exploit the Mavs backup guards so the Raptors can keep pace in what could be a high scoring game.

 

 

Authors

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Share on google
Share on email

Leave a Comment