Preview: Toronto Raptors (1-3) at Dallas Mavericks (3-1); Minus Marion, short-handed Mavs welcome in Raptors
Earl K. Sneed previews the Dallas Mavericks' Wednesday night showdown against the Toronto Raptors, as the Mavs play the first of at least three games without four-time All-Star Shawn Marion due to a sprained left MCL.
Preview: Toronto Raptors (1-3) at Dallas Mavericks (3-1); Minus Marion, short-handed Mavs welcome in Raptors
DALLAS – Next man up.
Battling to a 3-1 start to the season without 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki in the lineup following his arthroscopic knee surgery on Oct. 19, the Dallas Mavericks seemingly had no problem rallying together without their go-to scorer.
But, after the Mavericks announced on Tuesday that four-time All-Star Shawn Marion will miss at least three games with a sprained left medial collateral ligament (MCL), the team is now minus its top scorer and top defensive star early in the season.
“Well, it will affect us a lot. I mean, he’s really our best player right now with Dirk out, and now we’ve got our two best players out,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle admitted. “So, it’s gonna be challenging and we’ve just gotta step it up and do it collectively with high intensity and playing our game. Not easy.”
“We’re losing a real good versatile player for us,” point guard Darren Collison added. “He’s really a guy that can step up in so many different ways, defensively and offensively. That means other guys have gotta step up.”
Without Marion, a trio of versatile forwards – eight-time All-Star Vince Carter, eight-year veteran Dahntay Jones and rookie Jae Crowder – will be called upon to step up at the 3. Meanwhile, the team will try to collectively make up for Marion’s defensive prowess, rebounding and all-around play, after the forward averaged 8.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 27.0 minutes through the first four games.
“Defensively, he can guard so many positions, he runs the floor well, he rebounds well and he just gives us a low-post presence as well. So, I think the three of us are gonna just have to rotate in that position to make up for what we’re losing,” Carter confessed.
Still, Carlisle and his players understand that the show must go on. And after welcoming in former offensive coordinator Terry Stotts and treating the Portland Trail Blazers to some southern hospitality Monday night, Carlisle will again invite a former assistant into the American Airlines Center.
Improving to 2-0 on their three-game homestand, the Mavericks and their superb shooting proved to be too much for Stotts and the Blazers, as the home team sprinted to a 114-91 victory. Wednesday night, former defensive coordinator Dwane Casey returns with his Toronto Raptors’ roster, looking for better success than Stotts’ visit to Big D.
“Well, it’s great. It means that we’ve done good things here and those guys are very deserving of the opportunities,” Carlisle said of the returns of his former assistants as head coaches. “They’re doing great jobs in those situations, so we wish them well, and it’s tough competition when you’re going against good coaching and good teams.”
Fortunately for the Mavericks, however, Toronto (1-3) could be without its early-season leader, after point guard Kyle Lowry left Tuesday night’s 108-88 loss in Oklahoma City during the second quarter with a sprained right ankle. Lowry, who is averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists early this season, could be replaced in the starting lineup by Jose Calderon Wednesday night against the Mavs.
With Lowry's status unclear, Carlisle still remains confident in his team even as it continues to play without the services of Nowitzki and Marion. And with sharpshooter O.J. Mayo emerging as the leader of the cohort on the offensive end in Nowitzki’s absence – following consecutive 30-plus point outings – the Mavericks have managed to shoot 60 percent or better in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.
Following up a 30-point outburst and career-high seven 3-pointers in a 126-99 home victory over Charlotte last Saturday night, Mayo continued to set the nets on fire with 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 6-of-8 from behind the arc to celebrate his 25th birthday. And with the new addition finding success within the Mavs’ “flow” offense alongside Collison in the backcourt, there’s no reason to believe that Mayo will slow down against a Toronto defense that is on a back-to-back after Tuesday night’s loss.
“It’s just being prepared to shoot,” Mayo modestly said after his latest scoring outburst. “We’re getting better with finding one another, so obviously with Darren getting in the paint or [Brandan] Wright, Chris [Kaman] and Vince, I’m just trying to be locked and loaded. … The good thing is that we won both games. That’s the most important thing.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work, so I kind of just trust what I do and do what I trust,” he added. “And when you work hard, it will pay off sometime; it’ll finally pay off. So, I’ve just been getting in the gym at night by myself and getting a little work, and then trying to come before practice, just trying to find a rhythm and stay locked and loaded.”
Note: The Mavs will now conclude their three-game homestand Wednesday night against the Toronto Raptors. The game will air locally at 7:30 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest. Tickets for the game remain available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS or by visiting Mavs.com.
