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Game Preview: Raptors vs. Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks (22-46) @ Toronto Raptors (51-17)

When: Friday, March 16th, 7:30 P.M. ET

Where: Air Canada Centre

Broadcast info: TSN4, SN590

LAST MEETING

The Raptors last saw the Mavericks on the road in December, dropping a 98-93 decision in Dallas on Boxing Day. Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 23 points on a night where DeMar DeRozan struggled, shooting just 3-for-16 from the floor. After a close first half, things fell apart for Toronto in the third, when Dallas went on a 17-0 run. The Mavericks were led by J.J. Barea who scored 20 points, and won despite being held to just 13 points in an ugly fourth quarter that saw both teams combine for 29 points. The teams combined to shoot just 5-for-31 from the floor in the final eight minutes of the fourth, and Barea clinched the victory for Dallas with a layup in the final seconds of the game.

LEADING INTO TONIGHT'S GAME

Injury report: For Toronto, the status of Norman Powell (sprained ankle) is unknown. Powell sprained the ankle in a basketball workout on Wednesday, and missed Thursday's game against the Indiana Pacers. For the Mavericks, Seth Curry (left leg surgery) is out, Wesley Matthews (right proximal fibula fracture) is not with the team, and Salah Mejri (right hamstring strain) questionable.

Home sweet home: The Raptors return to the ACC after a three-game road trip where they went 3-0. Toronto is an NBA-best 28-5 at the Air Canada Centre this season. After facing the Mavericks on Friday in a back-to-back, Toronto will also host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at 1 P.M. during this homestand.

Taking care of business: Toronto swept their recent three-game road trip, notching victories in New York, Brooklyn and Indiana to stretch their winning streak to a season-high 10 straight games dating back to Feb. 23. The franchise-record is 11 consecutive games, set Jan. 6-30 during the 2015-16 season. Toronto's current streak of 10 in a row is the second longest active winning streak in the league. Thursday's victory in Indiana was also Toronto's eighth straight road win, setting a new franchise record for consecutive road wins.

EXTRA ASSISTS

Points on the board: Toronto has now scored 100 points in a franchise-record 21 straight games (Jan. 28-Mar.13). This breaks the previous record of 20 games, which was first set Jan. 6-Feb 20, 2010.

Miles time: C.J. Miles scored 10 points in his return to Indiana, where he spent three years before coming to Toronto this past offseason. All 10 of those points came in the fourth quarter, where the Raptors outscored Indiana 29-20 to take control of the game and get the W. Miles shot 3-for-6 from the floor in 8:27 minutes of the fourth, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc as he helped Toronto right the ship and close out the victory.

Taking care of the ball: One thing that the Raptors would like to leave behind on the road is careless turnovers. Toronto turned the ball over 20 times against the Pacers on Thursday, giving up 18 points off their miscues. In comparison, Indiana turned the ball over just eight times, leading to seven points scored for the Raptors.