In a difficult home loss to the Toronto Raptors, rookie starting center Dereck Lively II’s absence proved to be too much for Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks to overcome.

Despite having won six of their first seven games of the season, including two thrilling 15-point comebacks, the Dallas Mavericks entered their game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Tonight, the Mavs ultimately fell short of their goal of winning at American Airlines Center, falling 127-116.

The Mavs were led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who scored 31 and 22 points, respectively. However, their efforts were insufficient to compensate for Dallas’ weak defense, as rookie center Dereck Lively II was unable to play due to sickness. Before this game, Toronto’s offense was ranked sixth-worst, but it didn’t seem that way at the AAC. Doncic completed the game with seven rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and a meagre 11-26 overall and 2-10 from three point range. Irving had an 8-19 shooting percentage and five assists.

Prior to facing the Mavs, Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam, who has been the focus of multiple trade speculations dating back to last year, had had a difficult season thus far. From the first tip of the game to the very end, he was a constant nuisance for Dallas, scoring a season-high 31 points on 15–25 shooting.

The Mavs won’t be able to afford for Lively to miss a lot of games this season, which is the game’s most important lesson. On Wednesday, he missed his first game of the new season, and the Mavs suffered defeats in the paint (72-40) and on the boards (50-38). The Mavs simply can’t win with a center rotation of Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and Richaun Holmes, especially when playing teams with superior length like the Raptors. Hopefully, Lively will be feeling better by Friday.

The Mavs shot 19-31 from the charity stripe, so they didn’t exactly help themselves either. Dallas will be much more devastated by an 11-point defeat when it looks back and finds it wasted 12 free throws.

Next up, the Mavs will play their second In-Season Tournament game at AAC on Friday against the revamped Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers recently traded for star shooting guard James Harden to form a Big 3 with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, so Dallas’ defense will have its hands full. The Mavs will play their final home game before embarking on a four-game road trip, which begins on Sunday against the Pelicans in New Orleans.