Mavericks: Dallas Looks to Rebound in D.C.
The Dallas Mavericks are back on the road to tussle with the Washington Wizards in D.C. at the Verizon Center.
The Dallas Mavericks (11-9) haven’t lost in Washington D.C. since 2008. In fact, Dallas has held the Washington Wizards (8-9) winless in head-to-head meetings since 2009.
However, the Mavericks have lost five of seven and haven’t been playing their best basketball lately. Prior to their incredible overtime victory over the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday, Dallas had lost four-straight games on the road.
The Mavericks haven’t really stepped up on defense, either. It’s frustrating to watch and there’s no question the fans in Dallas have their head-scratching moments.
With that said, the Mavericks have allowed their opponenst to score triple digits in a season-high third consecutive game Friday in a 100-96 home loss to the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. The defense must tighten up.
Nonetheless, things are going to be tough for the Wizards this time around.
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Washington is going to be without their leading rebounder, center Marcin Gortat in tonight’s game. Still, you’re going to see a gutsy Wizards squad, along with shooting guard Bradley Beal, that’s more than ready to snap a lengthy skid against the Mavericks.
“Sometimes I think we get caught up adjusting to other teams,” Beal told NBA.com. “Who’s going to get the most rebounds now? Who’s going to want it the most?”
Beal can be lethal.
If you have any knowledge of Beal, he clearly has range from beyond the arc. He’ll try to get going and heat up early, but whoever Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle feels can guard him has to apply the pressure and keep a hand in his face.
Wizards point guard and slasher John Wall can take over a game at any given time.
Wall is averaging 18.4 points per game and 8 assists per game. He can make things happen late and has plenty of energy to do so. The Mavericks will definitely need to slow him down in transition.
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The Mavericks aren’t awful when it comes to scoring. But they’re not great, either. Shooting guard Wesley Matthews is hoping to change that on his behalf. He is averaging just 11 points per game while shooting roughly 30 percent beyond the three-point line.
“I’m tired of hurting the team,” Matthews told NBA.com. “I’m tired of missing shots.”
It’s understandable Matthews is coming off a left torn Achilles this season, but Mavericks fans know the former Trailblazer has the ability to score.
Forward Dirk Nowtizki’s jump shot is nothing new.
The German is averaging 17.1 points per game, shooting nearly 40 percent. Even if Nowitzki gets off to a slow start, he’ll find his rhythm.
Point guard Deron Williams has been looking like vintage Deron lately. There’s always room for improvement, but he’s been playing exceptional for the most part and his three-point shot is starting to make a serious impact in games.
With a few spectacular performances the past two games and tallying a total of 52 points, hopefully Williams can keep it up.
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It’s obvious the Mavericks have owned the Wizards over the past several years. But Washington is not going to feel intimidated because of that. They’ll be ready.
Dallas has to slow down the Wizards potent backcourt if they want to continue the prolong dominance of this series.