The Dallas Mavericks are starting to backslide after coming off a blazing start to the season. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving did all they could but still could not close out Pascal Siakam's Toronto Raptors. A lot of the battle was lost by the Mavs through rebounding. Their frontcourt looked thin without Dereck Lively II and even Jason Kidd took notice. The coach outlined how much of a factor his absence was to the loss, via Landon Thomas of Mavs Fans For Life LLC.

“We miss him a lot, there was no one in the paint tonight and that just shows how important he is to our team,” Jason Kidd said as he was reflecting on the Mavs missing Dereck Lively II.
Pascal Siakam and the Raptors took advantage of the team that looked lost on the boards. The Mavs had a 12-rebound deficit which disabled them from getting more possessions down the line. Most of their missed chances to clean up the boards happened on offense too. Only six offensive rebounds were grabbed by the Luka Doncic-led team throughout the whole four quarters. This was eclipsed by the Raptors who got 15 of them and a reset shot clock afterward.

The offense looked good for the squad but the hard work on the boards spelled the difference. Doncic and Kyrie Irving may have combined for 53 points but it was not enough to notch them the victory. Will they be able to get him back soon such that these struggles get fixed?