The Dallas Mavericks are one of the most unstoppable teams in the NBA right now, and they aren't showing any signs of slowing down.
Dallas defeated the Toronto Raptors 125-118 last night on the road to increase their winning streak to seven games. The Mavs have now won 11 of their last 12 games, and Luka Doncic has been rolling ever since returning from his wrist sprain.
Doncic has played in the last four games, and he has averaged 31.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 3.3 steals per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from downtown. He is back to getting triple-doubles again as he has dropped his first two triple-doubles of the season in the last two games.
Doncic looks rejuvenated since returning to the lineup, and he reflected on what has helped lead the Mavs to this impressive stretch of winning after the victory in Toronto.
"Just great defense, great pace, sharing the rock, and chemistry is the top," Doncic said. "Just playing hard, playing fun, and that's what we got to do."
While Doncic's defense has been solid ever since he returned from injury and he is playing fast, the chemistry is what he thinks is at the "top" of the reasons that the Mavs are playing so well. Dallas got this chemistry rolling before the season began with a team trip to California to work out together and spend time on the water, and that strong bond has continued into the regular season.
Dallas' team chemistry was also extremely strong last season, and it helped lead them all the way to the NBA Finals. The same can be said about the 2021-22 Mavericks that made the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011, and Jason Kidd has been excellent in his three full seasons as the Mavs' coach.
Kidd has been the perfect coach for the Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo, and he knows how to bring the best out of both players. Some coaches struggle when trying to figure out how to manage multiple superstars in the locker room, but that has not been an issue for Kidd and the Mavs.
Despite the Doncic-Irving duo taking some time to mesh, they have morphed into one of the best duos in the NBA and have shown no signs of regression as a duo. Doncic and Irving combined for 59 points against the Raptors, and Klay Thompson also chimed in with 20 points.
This was Thompson's third-highest-scoring game of the season, and his 25 minutes in that game was the most that Kidd has played him since returning from left foot plantar fascia last week. Despite his start to the season not fully going the way fans may have expected, he is still extremely valuable to the Mavs.
His presence alone helps open up the floor for Doncic and Irving, and he has been a big part of Dallas' team chemistry as well. He set up a boat trip for the team when they were in Los Angeles over the offseason, and that was a memory that he said he would always remember. His leadership is something that the Mavs cherish, and the team meshing this early in the season is an amazing sign.
Dallas' big three is setting a great foundation for them to have an excellent season, and as Doncic said, the team chemistry is essential to their success.