Raptors Ready For More Fireworks in Dallas

A West Coast trip that was supposed to be a humbling experience for the banged-up Toronto Raptors has been anything but. The Raptors look to go 4-1 on their five-game Western Conference jaunt as they take on the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. Toronto rode sensational performances from Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet to a 114-106 win in Portland last time out.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Mavericks opened as 4.5-point home favorites, but that line quickly shrunk to -3.5 and has remained there at most books. The Sportsbook total of 217 has risen as high as 119.5 in some spots.

Toronto Raptors News & Notes

The loss of starting point guard Kyle Lowry and backup power forward Serge Ibaka to injury was supposed to leave Toronto ill-equipped to deal with a grueling road trip. But Siakam and VanVleet have brought their game to a whole other level, evidenced by their combined 66-point effort (on 56.8 percent shooting) in Wednesday's triumph over the Trail Blazers.

Siakam, in particular, has emerged as one of the top players in the NBA through the Sportsbook month of the regular season. He comes into this one averaging 27.2 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting better than 49 percent from the field. And he'll be looking to atone for last year's dismal showing vs. Dallas, which held him to a 12.0 scoring average in two meetings.

Dallas Mavericks News & Notes

While the Mavericks have been cool customers on the road so far this season, their home showing has been rather dismal. They've lost three of their first five games at American Airlines Center, with their only two victories consisting of an eight-point decision over woeful Washington in their season opener and a one-point squeaker vs. the Orlando Magic.

But things are never so bad when you have one of the top players on the planet on your side. And even though guard Luka Doncic is only in his second year in the NBA, he already looks like a superstar, averaging 28.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists while adding 1.1 steals. He posted a 28.5/8.5/7.0 average stat line in two games against the Raptors last season.

Betting Pick: OVER 217.5

The Mavericks might play at a slower pace than the Raptors, but their high offensive efficiency – and dreadful defensive efficiency – should negate that; we like the OVER here given both teams' offensive potentials.