TORONTO – No NBA team has a better record over the last 12 games than the Dallas Mavericks.

Including Saturday’s 125-118 win over the Toronto Raptors, the Mavs are 11-1 in their last 12 games. This is the best win-loss record any NBA team currently has in their last 12 games.

Why have the Mavs been so dominant over the last 12 games after posting a 5-7 record in their first 12 games this season?

“I think it’s just a matter of getting comfortable with each other and getting back into the swing of things offensively and defensively,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We had some illnesses and some injuries and different lineups, (but) everyone was on the same page.

“As much as we would like to have it in training camp, sometimes it just takes a while.”

The wins began after the Mavs snapped a four-game losing streak, capped with a disastrous 115-113 loss at Utah on Nov. 14, and they’re still coming.

In fact, the only loss since the Jazz upset the Mavs came on November 24th in Miami. And even in that game, the Heat needed overtime to win 123-118.

“We just played fearlessly, and we had some holdovers from game to game where we knew we weren’t playing our best basketball, and we just knew we had to support each other defensively,” especially at the end “We have to make sure we get all the defensive rebounds,” guard Kyrie Irving said. “In a lot of games we played, we made great stops, but we just had to finish possessions.

“Those games went really well for us just because everyone was eating. When everyone eats, we all do well, and when we play well as a team, we are hard to stop.”

For the Mavs, it was a bonus that the players accepted their roles and played them to the fullest.

“When you look at his role, you try to talk about it during training camp and at the beginning of the season,” Kidd said. “But often that is lost due to illness or injury.

“We can use Spencer (Dinwiddie) as an example. He would be third on the depth chart behind (Dante) Exum. But Exum got injured in training camp and was out, so now Spencer jumps to the backup position.”

And when the Mavs recently went 5-1 with Luka Dončić sidelined by two injuries, it was a real eye-opener for Dallas. For example, the Mavs won in Oklahoma City and in Denver when Dončić was out with an injury, won a home game against the New York Knicks when Dončić was in street clothes, and also beat Memphis last week.

“Great defense, great pace, sharing the rock and chemistry is the best,” Doncic said in explaining the Mavs’ recent success. “We just play hard and have fun and that’s what we have to do.”

The Mavs are on a seven-game winning streak. This is the longest winning streak of last season and the longest since the 2011 NBA victory Title.

O-MAX WAS A FACTOR: Maybe it was because he was playing in his home country and in front of 42 adoring family and friends, but Mavs forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper played his best game of the season Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors.

Montreal-born Prosper finished the season with a season-high five points, a season-high six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot in an impressive ten minutes.

“He was great,” coach Jason Kidd said. “I think we talked about him before the game that he would get some time and I think he did an incredible job with his time on the field, his energy and his ability defensively.

“And then offensively, to make plays and give us second and third chances, and then also to be able to finish at the rim.”

Even though Prosper doesn’t get much playing time, Kidd is impressed with the way he approaches his job.

“I think if you watch O-Max from training camp to where he is today, you can see that the game has slowed down and he has improved,” Kidd said. “He is someone who comes to work early and takes his time.

“He has the opportunity to compete against some pretty good guys that are in front of him, but he also has the opportunity to watch. Sometimes we take it for granted that our young players are watching the (veterans) to understand how they can be successful in this league. So he has a front row seat, but he has improved.”

SHORT: Saturday was Slovenian Heritage Night for the Toronto Raptors. That means there was a lot of love shown to Mavs Point before, during and after the game Guard Luka Doncic, who comes from Slovenia. “This is a big deal,” Doncic said. “When they announced me (on the starting grid), I heard the noise. It’s very special to experience that in an away arena and it’s always a blessing to experience that.” Coach Jason Kidd agreed, saying: “When you have Luka, whether it’s Heritage Night or not, there is lots of support for him. He is one of the best players in the world, if not the best. So he’s very proud to have this here tonight and he takes it very seriously.” Doncic, by the way, put on a show on Saturday as he ended up with a triple-double and finished the game with 30 points, 13 rebounds and Completed 11 assists. It was his 47th^Th 30-point triple-double, and he’s just one point behind Russell Westbrook, who is second on the NBA’s all-time 30-point triple-double list with 48 points. . . Since Dwight Powell was the Mavs’ starting player when they reached the 2022 Western Conference Finals, his role has changed drastically, to the point where the Toronto native rarely receives much playing time. Still, coach Jason Kidd said: “He comes to work early and is one of the last to leave.” He is a great example to everyone of what it means to be a professional, not just the young players, but also People who played in the league or on different teams. DP does this at a high level. He was recovering from an injury when we got here and he was our starting player when we reached the Western Conference Finals. And from that point on we asked him to be the substitute or even the third team and he didn’t miss the opportunity to come to work with a smile and help the team. And then this year he steps in with depth, doesn’t play a lot, but he understands when we have an injury or someone’s out and steps in and does his job at a high level. We were very lucky to have such a player.” . . . Dante Exum (right wrist surgery), Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain), Maxi Kleber (illness) and Naji Marshall (illness) all missed Saturday’s game.

X: @DwainPrice