March 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during the first quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Image RJ Barrett scored a season-high 31 points Sunday night and the Toronto Raptors beat the visiting Dallas Mavericks 122-92.
Scottie Barnes added 17 points for the Raptors, who had lost their previous two games and games 4-5. Jakob Poeltl had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Ingram and Ja’Kobe Walter each had 11 points and Sandro Mamukelashvili had 13. Immanuel Quickley had 10 points and a game-high eight assists, and Gradey Dick had 10 points.
Daniel Gafford scored a season-high 21 points on 10-for-10 shooting and had a game-high 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have lost seven straight. Rookie Cooper Flagg added 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks. Brandon Williams led the way with 16 points.
Dallas has lost 17 of 19.
Thanks to their solid defense, the Raptors entered the fourth quarter with their largest lead at the time, 22 points. Toronto did not give up, and Barrett’s 3-pointer increased the lead to 26 points with 9 minutes and 31 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. With 6 o’clock remaining, Poeltl’s dunk maintained the 26-point advantage.
Toronto led 36-29 after a first quarter that ended with Quickley’s 28-foot 3-pointer.
The Raptors went on to score 16 points with 5:54 to play in the second quarter after Barrett scored four straight points to open a 14-2 burst. Toronto outscored Dallas by 15 points in a pedestrian second quarter to take a 57-44 halftime lead.
Toronto had a field goal percentage of 48% (24-for-50) in the first half, while Dallas shot 40.5% (17-for-42). Turnovers were key in helping Toronto build a lead. The Mavericks committed 11 turnovers in the first half, leading to 13 points, while the Raptors had 4 turnovers, leading to 4 points.
Dallas started the third quarter with more energy and Gafford’s tip-in cut the margin to 11, 65-54, with 8:57 left. Toronto went on a 10-0 run on Ingram’s short jumper to take a 21-point lead with 6 minutes, 28 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Mavericks cut the margin to 16 points before Ingram scored the next four points to push the lead to 20 points. Toronto led 88-66 after a third quarter stoppage.
–Field level media
