The Toronto Raptors defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday, avoiding a third straight loss and putting their opponents on a three-game losing streak.

One thing Raptors fans love about their team is that no matter the franchise wins or losses, they always give their opponents' ace player a hard time. Whenever Luka Doncic received the ball on Saturday night, he had to watch out for double-teaming – even at the midcourt line, where it happened more than once.

As a result, Doncic only took 15 shots against the Raptors compared to his average of 23.1 field goal (FG) attempts in the previous games. Nonetheless, his efficiency was good; he made eight of those shots, going 2-for-4 from downtown and 6-for-9 at the free-throw line to get 24 points. However, considering that Doncic played more than 42 minutes on the court, his offensive production was far from enough for the Mavericks to win.

Of course, this was not the first time Doncic faced such aggressive defense. As a first-class orchestrator, he could often find open teammates, both at the 3-point line and inside the paint. He delivered nine assists with four turnovers during the game. However, his teammates wasted more opportunities than they seized after shooting 9-for-35 from deep.

Spencer Dinwiddie only supported Doncic in the first quarter. He was such a disappointment in both scoring on his own and setting up shots for his teammates. The Mavericks' main scoring option off the bench, Christian Wood, was scoreless when he paired with Dinwiddie alone in the first half. Wood did better when he was on the court with Doncic in the second half, but he still failed to make his average offensive contribution.

The team's relentless defense was only part of the reason behind the Raptors' home win on Saturday. Coach Nick Nurse realized the Mavericks' interior weakness in size and power, which resulted in their underperformance in paint and rebounds protection. Chris Boucher is a 2.06-meter-tall, 90-kilogram big man. But he is incredibly athletic. Boucher was given 36 minutes on the floor, much longer than his season average minutes of under 23 minutes, and it had impact.

Boucher lived up to the coach's expectations with a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, the most on the court. His teammates also performed well on the front, enabling the Raptors to lead 17-4 in offensive rebounds and 25-5 in second-chance points.

The Mavericks are not a bad defensive team, thanks to their smart and fast rotations since coach Jason Kidd arrived. However, raw physical talent was the key factor in fundamentals like rebounding. It's not something the Mavericks could overcome with only attitude.

The Mavericks tried to send JaVale McGee to the court to fix their shortcoming in size, but Fred VanVleet immediately punished them by constantly attacking McGee in mismatch using screens. VanVleet matched OG Anunoby to score game-high 26 points.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Oklahoma City Thunder 105-118 Houston Rockets

Shai-Gilgeous Alexander dropped 32 points for the Thunder in the first three quarters at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It was his 14th 30+ points game this season, the most of all players. He sat on the bench during the fourth quarter, which became garbage time due to the 22-point deficit (95-73).

Six Rockets players scored in the double digits. Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. had a double-double. Smith Jr. drained three triples while Sengun delivered seven assists. The growth and explosive scoring ability of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. are drawing an increasingly clear picture of who the team can count on in the future.

Los Angeles Lakers 143-138 San Antonio Spurs

Antony Davis sat out the back-to-back game at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. His absence made it too easy for the Spurs to work offensively in the Lakers' paint. They only failed to reach 30 points in the third quarter, dropping 66 points in the paint and making 18 triples while grabbing 17 offensive rebounds.

The Lakers' response was simply outscoring the Spurs. LeBron James turned on his full power to get 39 points and 11 rebounds after draining seven 3-pointers. The purple and gold also had six players get double-digit points, and they scored over 30 points in each of the four quarters.

Utah Jazz 112-113 Phoenix Suns

Both sides lacked their starting point guard. However, it had little impact on their performances since neither Mike Conley nor Chris Paul was like himself this season. The Jazz could not stop Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton from playing like a star duo, but the team had enough firepower to break the Suns' defense.

The Jazz trailed by one point in the last possession when Booker handled the ball. With 26 seconds left on the clock, the Jazz decided not to foul. Instead, they pressed the Suns' players to try to force a turnover. The ball moved through the hands of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Payne before going back to Booker, who then missed a 3-pointer.

The clocking was ticking, but the Jazz could still call a timeout and set up the last shot if they got the rebound. Lauri Markkanen got a good position under the rim and held Ayton behind him. But Ayton stole the rebound away over his head to seal the victory for the Suns.