Raptors’ franchise face Scottie Barnes showcases his overall offence

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quartScotty Barnes used the Raptors' visit to Big D on Sunday night to post his biggest game of the young NBA season, an amazing performance for a fifth-year player.

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Barnes was at his best, going for threes and draining them, finding teammates or exploiting the Mavericks defense in transition and in the half court. When he made the first of two free throws with 6:42 left in the game, Barnes reached the 30-point plateau, becoming the first Raptor in three games this season to reach that number, and finished with 33 points.

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However, the host Mavs needed a victory after two straight losses during a home friendly to open the season and pulled away in the third quarter en route to a 139-129 victory. The loss dropped the Raptors to 1-2.

About the only thing the home team couldn't do was contain Barnes, but one guy isn't good enough to beat one team, even though Barnes gave it his best effort.

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Below are three takeaways from the Raptors' first back-to-back, who led by two at halftime but fell 39-25 in a fateful third quarter.

1. Flagg Day

The Raptors got their first look at Cooper Flagg, the NBA's first overall pick who left Duke after his freshman season.

The Mavs were the beneficiaries of a stroke of luck when they hit the lottery a few months after the club's controversial trade that sent franchise player Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in place of Anthony Davis.

Once Kyrie Irving returns from his knee injury, Flagg won't have to handle the ball as much as he did earlier in his career.

Once all the pieces are healthy and in sync, the Mavs will pose problems in a very good and very deep Western Conference.

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Flagg played without the ball against the Raptors.

Remember, the child will not turn 19 until the end of December.

Flagg showed off his explosiveness on his first basket as he made a thunderous dunk on the drive.

Flagg has a great feel for the game on both ends of the floor. He's not a true point guard, but he handles the ball well and understands how to set up his teammates.

He scored 22 points Sunday night.

2. CMB debut

First-round pick (ninth overall) Collin Murray-Boyles became the first Raptors reserve to enter the game when he checked in under Barnes with 7:14 remaining in the first quarter.

He was quickly met with Flagg, who used a nice up-and-down move to score his second basket.

Murray-Boyles played two minutes before returning to the bench, picking up one foul with a minus-4 rating. He looked lost, which was to be expected. At least he got his feet wet, although he shouldn't have left his feet on Flagg's move near the basket.

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The guy missed the first two games of the season due to a sprained right forearm.

In the second quarter, he set a solid screen along the left baseline, allowing Ingram to get free and bury a mid-range jumper.

CMB later caught Barnes' pass in transition but was unable to convert at the rim. He tried to keep the ball from going out of bounds right in front of the Raptors bench, but it ended up in Flagg's hands on any basket.

On the final possession of the first half, Murray-Boyles re-entered the game and defended Flagg.

Overall, the guy had a bad debut: he missed all three shots from the field and turned the ball over once in 13 minutes.

3. Mom knows best

With Jakob Poeltl getting into foul trouble with alarming frequency, it's a good thing Sandro Mamukelashvili signed last offseason.

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There's nothing subtle about his game, but he's certainly competitive and has shown offensive versatility, with Mamukelashvili scoring at the rim and making 3-pointers.

Poeltl fouled out in the season opener and then picked up five fouls, including two early ones, in the home opener Friday night. Against the Mavs, Poeltl picked up three fouls in seven minutes.

Mamukelashvili runs well on the floor. He scored 13 points in 12 minutes in the first half, one of three Toronto players to score in double figures.

Mamukelashvili started the second half in place of Poeltl, who was struggling with a back problem.

Mamukelashvili wasn't nearly as effective in the second half as Davis got going for the Mavs, who led the team with his 25 points to complement his team-high 10 rebounds.

Next

The Raptors' stay in the Lone Star State brings them to San Antonio, where they can take on the Spurs and Victor Vembanyama on Monday night. In Sunday's win over Brooklyn, the French big man scored 31 points, added 14 rebounds and six blocks to record his third straight double-double, becoming the first player in league history to score 100 points and record at least 18 blocks in his team's first three games.

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