Dirk Sits Out Tonight's Game vs Toronto; Can the Mavs Still Pull Through with a Win?

Dirk Nowitzki will sit out tonight's game where the Mavs will take on the Toronto Raptors. Whether he will play against the Southwest Division leader San Antonio Thursday is still uncertain. 


Nowitzki's knee has been a nuisance to him for quite some time now. 


"So maybe that's why it gave in a little bit," Nowitzki said. "Hopefully it's just a strain, and hopefully I'll be back in action soon."


Dirk, as well as the rest of us, will remain hopeful for his attendance in their next game this Thursday.


A Look at the Raptors:
Toronto has been an awful road team, losing 11 out of 14 following their loss at Memphis last night. That makes three losses in a row. The Raptors stayed close with the Grizzlies for about a quarter and a half until their turnover madness begun. They acquired 25 turnovers which led to 28 Memphis points. This was sensed before the game even started due to the loss of their 21 ppg Center: Andrea Bargnani who has sat out because of a strained left calf muscle. Because they had to rely on Amir Johnson who is dealing with a sore back, Joey Dorsey who barely plays, and rookie Ed Davis, they were in for a rude awakening. Bargnani will sit out tonight's game against the Mavericks as well as their next game.


A Look at the Mavericks:
The Mavs beat the Raptors by 28 points last season at ACC, followed by a loss to them by 22. The Mavs have never lost to Toronto at ACC, in which they also maintain a 10 game home winning streak against them. The Mavericks are 5-0 in the second game of back to back games so far, 12-1 when 5 players hit double figures, and 7-0 when 6 players have 10+ points.


With the Mavs without Dirk and the Raptors without Bargnani, this should be somewhat a struggle on each end. Because the Mavs have a group of healthy players, as long as they work together there is no doubt in my mind that they can achieve their 25th win tonight. As far as Toronto goes, they need to work on their turnovers, as this could be an important attribute to a Mavs win.