The Mavericks will play the Spurs in their last game before the suspension.
The Dallas Mavericks will host the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center in their final game before the All-Star break. The Mavericks are looking to extend their five-game winning streak to six, which coincidentally is the same number of wins the Spurs have on the road this year. Needless to say, this should be easy for a Dallas team that's currently on a roll.
As of this morning, Dante Exum is the only Mavericks player listed as unavailable. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are likely options, while Maxi Kleber and Derek Lively II are listed as questionable. The Spurs have no notable players on the injury report.
There are three things to keep in mind during the match:
Will the Mavericks' revamped big man rotation be able to accommodate Wembane Yama?
The Mavericks changed their frontcourt rotation, adding Daniel Gafford in a trade and bringing Maxi Kleber back from injury. If Lively can play, he will be a solid rotational addition to the big pitchers who can throw to Spurs star rookie Victor Wembaneyama. Kleber looked like he stepped into a time machine, returning to the player he was three years ago when he was a consistent 3-point shooter and a defensive nightmare. Gafford showed he is a capable center who can catch Doncic's lobs and protect the paint. Lively has surprised even the most optimistic observers with his stellar play this season. Each will pose a challenge to Wembaneyama defensively and hopefully be able to contain his attacks. Doncic and Irving are talented enough to figure out how to score from him on the other end.
Will the Mavericks bench players get significant playing time?
Spurs are no good. Very bad. Dallas needs to take a big lead in the first half and keep the momentum going in the second half. Too many times we've let bad teams hang around for the entire game. As a result, Doncic and other star players are forced to make big plays even when they don't have to. The Spurs are probably fed up with this season, prepared for a week off, and won't put up much of a fight unless the Mavericks give them hope. Dallas needs to build an early lead, get the players on the bench to close out games and give the rotation players an early start on their holidays.
Be proactive on defense
Spurs run the ball well. They are 28th in the NBA in turnovers per game with 14.4. The Mavericks are in the middle of teams that force turnovers. Opponents are averaging 13.1 points per game against Dallas, which ranks 16th in the league. The Mavericks need to attack from the defense and force the young Spurs into mistakes. This helps Dallas get out in transition and score some easy baskets, which helps them accomplish what I mentioned above: an easy win against a bad team.
How to watch
The game tips off at 7:30pm CST on Bally Sports Southwest or NBA League Pass.
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