With the chemistry on-point, Mavs one of NBA’s hottest teams

TORONTO – What the Mavs are experiencing on the court right now is exactly what they hope to experience heading into this season’s playoffs.

A winning streak.

After Thursday’s impressive 137-101 win over the Washington Wizards, the Mavs have now won six straight games and are an equally impressive 10-1 over their last 11 games. The only other team currently with a 10-1 record during their last 11 games are the Boston Celtics – the team the Mavs lost to in last season’s NBA Finals.

Does this mean the Mavs and Celtics are on a collision course to meet again in this season’s NBA Finals? Only time – and good health and good luck – will tell.

But for now the Mavs are cooking, and will take a 15-8 record into Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. contest at Scotiabank Arena against the Toronto Raptors. And if not for a 123-118 loss in overtime in Miami back on Nov. 24, the Mavs would be riding an 11-game winning streak.

The players appear to be settling into their roles, the chemistry is off the charts, and the camaraderie is arguably among the best in the NBA.

“It’s good for us because we’re still building,” center Daniel Gafford said. “The chemistry is getting better and guys are just comfortable, I would say.

“We’re not hesitant. We’re just out there having fun and playing the game.”

What the Mavs are going through right now is reminiscing of a game-changing 13-game stretch late last season when they posted a 12-1 record from March 17-April 10. All of that had the Mavs entering the playoffs on a winning note and propelled them to their eventual spot in the NBA Finals.

Meanwhile, Gafford said the Mavs have to approach every game the same — no matter the won-loss record of the opponent. For instance, when the Mavs played Washington, the Wizards had lost 15 consecutive games and owned the NBA’s worst record at 2-17.

Gafford said coach Jason Kidd’s message to the Mavs at the time was the Raptors “are NBA players, too. They’re all pro players and they’re not going to stop until the clock is zero, so we’re not going to take that for granted at all.”

The Mavs are hopeful of having that same philosophy on Saturday when they battle the 7-16 Raptors.

Here are some other nuggets surrounding the game between the Mavs and Raptors.

*For the Mavs, this is the finale of a short two-game road trip which started with Thursday’s 137-101 win over the Washington Wizards. After Saturday’s game the Mavs will play the Thunder in the 2024 Cup Nights quarterfinals at Oklahoma City on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. That winner will advance to Las Vegas to play a semifinals game on Dec. 14.

*This is the fourth game of a five-game home stand for the Raptors, and they are 2-1 on this home stand. After playing the Mavs, Toronto entertains the New York Knicks on Monday before heading out for a one-game road trip to Miami on Thursday.

*Mavs point guard Luka Dončić picked up his first triple-double of this season during Thursday’s 137-101 win over the Washington Wizards. In that game Dončić finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Dončić is tied with Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for seventh place on the NBA’s all-time triple-double list with 78. The next person ahead of Dončić on that prestigious list is Jason Kidd, who finished his career with 107 triple-doubles.

*The Raptors are 3-2 in their last five games and are coming off Thursday’s 129-92 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Prior to that the Raptors defeated Indiana on Tuesday (122-111) and Miami on Sunday (119-116). Scottie Barnes collected 35 points, six rebounds and nine assists in the victory over Indiana, and RJ Barrett contributed 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win over Miami.

*The Mavs had eight players score at least 10 points in the win over Washington. That’s one shy of the franchise record of nine. The Mavs have had six or more players pour in at least 10 points in nine of their last 10 games, and are 10-1 this season when at least six players reach double-digit scoring.

*RJ Barrett (23.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 6.0 apg), Scottie Barnes (21.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 7.3 apg), Gradey Dick (17.9 ppg) and Jakob Poeltl (16 ppg, 11.8 rpg) are the top producers for the Raptors, who are 3-8 against the Western Conference this season.

DALLAS MAVERICKS (15-8) at TORONTO RAPTORS (7-16)

When: 6:30 p.m., Saturday

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream

Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @DwainPrice