The Toronto Raptors (12-3 at home) and the Dallas Mavericks (11-2 away) are going to be playing against each other tomorrow, and there’s a good chance that it will be a tough war.

Both teams are short-handed and missing their star players in Luka Doncic and Pascal Siakam. They’ll both have to rely on their remaining starters and role players to grind out a victory.

The Mavericks will need a secondary scorer to win

The Mavericks have gone 2-1 since Luka Doncic went down with an ankle sprain.

Their run includes an annihilation of the Philadelphia 76ers while on the road along with a close loss to the Boston Celtics and a win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

At the heart of these wins has been resurgent play from Kristaps Porzingis, who’s averaging just over 23 points and 14 rebounds in his last four games. He should continue to play well, since the Raptors will be missing the biggest body they can throw at him in Marc Gasol.

However, the Mavs will also need a secondary scorer to get them over the hump, as even a depleted Toronto will play tough defense and hound Porzingis if he’s the only one doing any damage.

If Tim Hardaway Jr (13.5 PPG) gets hot again, look for them to run a lot more plays for him. Same for Seth Curry (10.2 PPG), who is a fearless gunner and might have a huge effect off the bench again.

The Raptors’ skeleton crew will have their work cut out for them

The Raptors can’t catch a lucky break. Three of their key rotation players are out of commission: Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, and Norman Powell. That’s not going to make things any easier against a Mavs team that shows no fear when playing in hostile arenas.

They still have Kyle Lowry (19.5 PPG, 7.4 APG) and Fred VanVleet (18 PPG, 7.1 APG) to help lead their offense.

Serge Ibaka’s also had a bit of a mini-renaissance, and has averaged 24 points and 11.5 rebounds in his last two games. He’ll need to be effective, and might also have to spend a lot of time guarding Porzingis. If Ibaka gets into foul trouble early, it’s going to be a long night for the Raptors.

Prediction

The Mavericks continue with their strong road play and grind out a 111-107 win.