Tonight, Dallas welcomed the Toronto Raptors into the AAC coming off a victory against Detroit on Friday. Though the Mavericks and Raptors traded basket-for-basket throughout the second half, Toronto pulled away in the final minutes after Dallas went up by a few possessions, losing 123-120.

Luka’s triple-double

It’s becoming comical at this point just how good this kid is through his first 48 games in the league. I mean, seriously.

Tonight, Luka put his elite skill-set on display, notching his second career triple-double with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists on 14/24 shooting.

Despite matching up with Kawhi Leonard and facing a stout Raptors defense, Luka was able to get whatever he wanted, when he wanted it throughout the course of the game. Whether it was shooting from three, driving the lane, and creating plays for his teammates; he was phenomenal.

“He played well, he played well,” a very subtle Rick Carlisle said postgame on Luka’s performance.

Beyond the 35 points and I’d say more impressive, was his court vision when driving the lane. There was a number of sequences where Luka was able to make crisp, unforeseen passes across the floor to find wide-open shooters in the corner.

“One of the top, for sure,” Luka said when asked if he thought this was one of his best games of the season.

First half defensive woes

Allowing 70 points in the half time is almost certainly signing your death wish and yet, the Mavericks still had a chance to steal tonight’s game against Toronto.

Dallas was down 70-58 at half time, as the Raptors seemed to get everything they wanted in the first 24 minutes, scoring over 30 points in both quarters.

“Unfortunately, the fourth looked a lot like the first half,” Carlisle said following a 38 point fourth quarter by Toronto after scoring just 15 points in the third. “Our defense has got to be more consistent from start to finish, it’s pretty clear.”

Dennis Smith Jr. shared the same sentiment as Carlisle, “It’s that 70-point first half we gave them. It’s tough to come back from that one. We fought hard but we dug a hole that was a little deep.”

Missed free throws

When discussing free throws, I’ve always said, “they’re free for a reason.” Well, despite being free, Dallas didn’t take advantage of their opportunities tonight at the charity stripe, missing 11 of their 34 attempts.

“It’s something we have to stay with. We have to keep preaching repetition, trusting your routine; those kinds of things,” Carlisle said of the struggles at the free throw line. “It’s a bit of an uncharacteristic thing and we just have to stay on it.”

In a game like this, against a top notch team in this league, losing by three points while missing 11 free throws is unacceptable. For the Mavericks, clawing and scratching their way to get back into playoff contention, a game like this felt like a must-win as they took the lead down the stretch.

Upcoming road trip

It’s no secret that Dallas has been underwhelming on the road this season, losing 16 of their 20 road games. Yet, their may be some hope on the horizon with their upcoming three-game road trip.

Starting on Wednesday, the Mavs begin a three-game stint against the Knicks, Pistons, and Cavs; all with worse records than Dallas and two (Knicks and Cavs) with the worst records in the basketball.

If Dallas wants to climb their way back into playoff contention, these next three games against lesser opponents are must haves.