Luka Doncic recorded his 11th triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and the host Dallas Mavericks held off the Toronto Raptors to clinch a playoff spot, 114-110.
The Mavericks (42-29) came into Friday’s matchup with the ability to avoid the play-in tournament in the West with a win, and jumped on the Raptors quickly.
After trailing by as many as 19 points about four minutes into the third quarter, Toronto sliced the gap to just six points in the fourth quarter on the strength of a 12-2 Toronto run that bridged the third and fourth periods.
The Raptors cut the deficit to three points with 2:59 left in the game when rookie Malachi Flynn knocked down one of his three 3-pointers en route to a season-high 26 points.
Dallas responded the next time down the floor when Jalen Brunson found Dorian Finney-Smith for one of the latter’s four 3-pointers.
Finney-Smith went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points. Brunson went 8-of-11 from the floor for 19 points with five rebounds and four assists off the bench.
While Finney-Smith’s bucket gave Dallas some cushion, Toronto (27-44) kept coming. A Flynn steal from Doncic and fast-break layup cut the deficit to four points, and Freddie Gillespie made a pair of free throws after a baseline inbound play drew a foul on Kristaps Porzingis.
Josh Richardson scored four of his 10 points with free throws in the final 10 seconds, all of which proved critical to Dallas holding off Toronto’s rally.
Porzingis led the Mavericks with 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Toronto rookie Jalen Harris, who scored a season-high 17 points on Thursday at Chicago, soared past that mark Friday with a game-high 31 points.
Stanley Johnson, who netted a career-high 35 points on Thursday, finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds on Friday.
Toronto closes the season Sunday in Tampa, Fla., against Indiana. Dallas closes the regular season Sunday in Minnesota, where a win will clinch the No. 5 seed in the playoffs.
–Field Level Media