**TORONTO – Luka Dončić loves racking up those triple-doubles so much that he added another one to his impressive collection on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.**
Dončić scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and distributed 11 assists, and the Mavs completed a clean sweep of this brief two-game road trip with a 125-118 victory over the Toronto Raptors. It was the seventh consecutive win for the Mavs, and their 11th in their last 12 games as they moved into second place in the Western Conference standings with a 16-8 record.
It also was the second straight triple-double for Dončić, who moved into sole possession of seventh place on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list with 79.
Other than Dončić, Kyrie Irving had 29 points, six rebounds and two steals for the Mavs, Klay Thompson finished with 20 points and five boards, and P. J. Washington had 13 points and five rebounds. In addition, Spencer Dinwiddie scored 11 points, and Daniel Gafford collected 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Toronto was led by Gradey Dick (27 points), Jakob Poeltl (20 points), Scottie Barnes (19 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists), RJ Barrett (18 points) and Kelly Olynyk (13 points).
The Mavs were nursing a seemingly comfortable 24-point lead (98-74) late in the third quarter before the Raptors staged a furious rally to crawl within 120-115 of Dallas late in the game. And when Dereck Lively II was whistled for a goal tending call on a basket attempt by Poeltl, suddenly it was a one-possession game at 120-117 with just 1:02 left.
Or, was it?
The goal tending call was reviewed by the officials and the two points were subsequently taken off the board when Lively’s block on Poeltl was ruled a clean block, leaving the Mavs up by five points. Washington then nailed a pair of free throws – after Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic lost a coach’s challenge – to give Dallas a 122-115 lead with 48.2 seconds to go.
Two free throws from Dončić padded the Mavs’ cushion to 124-115 with 36.9 seconds, enabling the Mavs to cross back across the border with a much-deserved victory.
Irving tallied 16 points in the first quarter when he converted 5-of-6 shots, including making four of his five three-pointers. Irving was in such a zone that he scored 14 of the final 17 points the Mavs tallied in the first quarter, which ended with them holding a 35-26 lead.
It was a very impressive display of shot-making by Irving, who connected on four consecutive three-pointers in a span of just three minutes and 27 seconds.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who was born in Canada, started the second quarter and made an immediate impact with a blocked shot and a three-pointer to put the Mavs up, 41-30. A short time later, Dončić whipped a long fastball of a cross-court pass to Thompson, who fired in a bucket from downtown as Dallas increased its lead to 47-32.
“They’re just an outstanding team and a veteran team,” Rajakovic said. “A veteran team in the creation from the day when Luka came to Dallas (in 2018) — they’ve been trying to build around him.
“From me, an outsider just looking towards them, it looks like they have a roster that can definitely go all the way to win the championship. They’re championship competitors.”
And the Mavs showed that championship pedigree for most of Saturday’s game, and the Raptors didn’t have enough to overcome that huge 24-point hole. Especially with Dončić already having a triple-double before the third quarter ended.
**X: @DwainPrice**