The Dallas Mavericks have shown that they are a much better team than the first part of the season made us believe. Now they need to start beating opponents that can confirm that, starting tonight with the Spurs.
The Dallas Mavericks continue to get better as a team, even though the record still does not reflect that improvement. Harrison Barnes has become a force on the court, Dirk Nowitzki is finally getting back to his own, and Wesley Matthews is starting to shoot like we all knew he could.
The bench is slowly putting the pieces together, working around injuries, and genuinely doing all they can to contribute to the team. For that reason, the Mavs are starting to have closer and closer games, looking to be on the verge of a breakout.
I think that the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last week made it very clear that this Dallas team is capable of good things. The Thunder (28-19), are led by the hottest player in the NBA right now, Russell Westbrook. Despite the team being one of the best in the West, Dallas held their own against OKC right to the bitter end, despite missing 3 starters for the game.
Tonight, the Dallas Mavericks face an even bigger test against interstate rivals, the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs (36-10) have been known to beat up on the Mavericks in recent years, however, earlier this year, Dallas gave the Spurs a good scare falling in a close one 96-91. The Mavs played so well that Gregg Popovich said that Dallas deserved to win the game.
Hopefully this memory will serve as a catalyst for the Mavs tonight. Dallas will be without starter, Deron Williams and important role player J.J. Barea for tonight’s game. Wesley Matthews is also listed as questionable but is expected to play.
It will be interesting to see who the Mavs go to as the starting point guard, as Devin Harris is normally a better off-the-bench player, Seth Curry is more of a shooting guard, and Yogi Ferrell was just signed this week. That will be something to watch for, especially considering how much Patty Mills has hurt us in the past.
The Dallas Mavericks travel to San Antonio tonight to play the Spurs in a little bit earlier game beginning at 6:00 CT. The Mavs will continue to try and fight out of the cellar of the Western Conference, while the Spurs try to gain more ground on the Warriors.
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