With just a few weeks left in the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks still have a lot of room to play in the tight standings of the Western Conference. With a record of 39 wins and 29 losses, they are in 7th place at the time of writing, the same record as the 8th seeded Phoenix Suns. A top-three spot will likely be out of reach later in the season, but there's still a good chance they'll fall out of the play-in slot. They are just 3.5 behind the fourth-seeded Clippers and actually have a better record than the sixth-seeded Sacramento Kings (38-28), who they will play twice on the road before the end of March. There is. Thanks to late-game heroics from stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas cruised to a 107-105 home victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets in arguably its biggest win since the All-Star break. Although we are gradually reducing the number, we are still far behind. 7-6 since that break.
Every win is a big win in what has been another testing season for the San Antonio Spurs. Sunday's win against the Brooklyn Nets doesn't mean much for the Spurs in terms of standings, but it could mean everything in terms of their mentality. They haven't had many wins this season, so getting a win is a reminder of the purpose of this rebuilding process they are currently in. Returning home to Frostbank Center tonight after two games in Austin, the hope is that Victor Wembaneyama and his players can get hungry and get a second straight win against a team that has it all.
san antonio spurs (15-53) vs. Dallas Mavericks (39-29)
March 19, 2024 | 7:00 PM Central Time
Watch: BSSW | Listen: WOAI (12:00 AM)
Spurs injury: Charles Bassey out for the rest of the year
Mavericks injuries: Brandon Williams, wrist (OUT), Josh Green, ankle (OUT)
What to watch out for
- Luka Doncic is having arguably his best season ever. He led the NBA in scoring this season with a career-high 34.4 points on the best shooting percentage of his career, and also averaged nearly 9.7 assists per game with 10 assists. As the cherry on top, he's grabbing nine rebounds a night and is just shy of averaging a triple-double. If Dallas were fighting for a top-three seed and not just to avoid the play-ins, they would likely be at the top of most pundits' MVP rankings by the end of the season.
- Notorious Spurs killer Kyrie Irving hit a left hook shot against Denver on Sunday afternoon for a buzzer-beater, their second loss since the All-Star break. Offensively, the 12th-year guard can do just about anything he wants on the basketball court, but he always felt like he could get injured at any moment. Dallas needs him to stay healthy throughout if they want to avoid the play-in tournament and make some noise in the playoffs.
- In two games against Dallas this season, including his rookie debut, Victor Wembaneyama is averaging 20/7/3 in 25 minutes played. He played 27 minutes in the most recent matchup on Valentine's Day, recording 26/9/5 and three blocks as the Mavericks won 116-93 on their home floor. After last Friday's loss to the Nuggets ended his nine-game double-double streak, he got back on track with 33 points and 15 rebounds against Brooklyn, and he has a chance for a fresh start tonight.
- Tim Hardaway Jr.'s playing time has waxed and waned over the last 10 games, but he's the type of player that could heat up quickly if head coach Jason Kidd puts him in the mix. Hardaway Jr. played just 15 minutes in Dallas' win over the Nuggets and has only played more than 20 minutes twice in the past 10 games.
For a Mavericks fan's perspective, check out Mavs Moneyball.
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