TORONTO – After getting blind-sided by a vicious upper cut Tuesday night in Cleveland, the Dallas Mavericks had to get up
off the mat, leave the United States and play the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Scotiabank Arena.
In the meantime, the Mavs must find a way to flush that devastating 121-119 loss to the Cavaliers down the toilet. It was a frustrating loss that came when Cavs forward Max Strus drilled a 59-footer at the buzzer right after the Mavs had taken a 119-118 lead on a basket by P.J. Washington with 2.6 seconds remaining.
Mavs guard Kyrie Irving acknowledged that forgetting what happened against the Cavs takes a process.
“You don’t flush it out of your system,” Irving said. “You’re human, you feel it, you don’t ignore all the emotions that came with (Tuesday’s game).
“You see where you can get better, then you make peace with it. But I’ll be in the gym at (Scotiabank Arena) at 2:30 (p.m.) getting ready for (Wednesday’s) game. I’m excited for the next 24 hours, but this one’s got to sting a little bit.”
It stings because the Mavs (33-25) know they let one get away that may eventually cost them when the final Western Conference playoff chase is settled.
“Everyone’s playing to win,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “I don’t want to say jockeying for a position.
“Everyone is trying to win as many games right now. There’s not a lot of games to give away, but I think when you look at the competition right now, everybody’s fighting for a playoff spot.”
Tuesday’s loss made the Mavs’ fight for a playoff spot a bit harder. And in playing the Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back after Luka Dončić played 41 minutes and Irving played 39 minutes against the Cavs, the Mavs will be hoping to find some fresh legs.
In reviewing what occurred in Cleveland, Kidd said: “We’ve got do a better job defensively in our switching. But we put ourselves in a position to beat one of the best teams in the league — not just in the Eastern Conference — but in the league. And we came up short.”
Before the Mavs left Dallas on Saturday to play the Pacers in Indiana, the Raptors (22-36) had the worst record of the four teams Dallas would play on this trip. The team with the best record in the NBA who the Mavs will play on this week-long journey are the Boston Celtics, who Dallas will face on Friday.
That places even more emphasis on Wednesday’s game, which could be characterized as a must-win situation for the Mavs. But the 
Mavs must somehow hit the reset button and forget about what happened Tuesday in Cleveland, although Irving said first things first.
“You’ve got to let some of those emotions out,” Irving said. “You’ve got to yell it out when you get to your hotel room or talk to whoever you’ve got to talk to, then you flush it out that way.
“So, there’s a process. But as a human being right now just leaving the game like that where we get gamed by Max Strus from three quarters of the court, yeah, I’m feeling it a bit right now.”
*This is Game 3 of a four-game road trip for the Mavs, who are 0-2 on this trip after Sunday’s loss in Indiana (133-111) and Tuesday’s stunning loss in Cleveland (121-119). The road trip ends with Friday’s game in Boston before the Mavs return home to entertain the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at noon.
*The Raptors are 5-3 in their last eight games. They also come into Wednesday’s game riding a three-game winning streak, last Thursday’s 121-93 win over Brooklyn, Friday’s 123-121 win in Atlanta, and Monday’s impressive 130-122 victory in Indiana.
*Luka Doncic had a huge game against Cleveland on Tuesday, finishing with 45 points, nine rebounds, 14 assists and three steals, and he also was 6-of-11 from behind the three-point line. That’s the first stat line of this kind in NBA history.
*For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes manufactured 21 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and five blocks in Monday’s victory over Indiana. Also in that game, RJ Barrett finished with 24 points and five assists, and Gradey Dick came off the bench to score 18 points on 7-of-9 shots in just 23 minutes.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (33-25) at TORONTO RAPTORS (22-36)
When: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
TV: BSSW
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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