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Game Night: Deron Williams To Face Off Against Former Team

 

Chandler Parsons #25 of the Dallas Mavericks goes for the layup against the Brooklyn Nets during the game on December 23, 2015 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

 

Dallas, TX – Coming off a disappointing 1-2 road trip, the Dallas Mavericks (26-22) will look to get back on track Friday night against a struggling Brooklyn Nets (12-34) team.

 

The Mavericks will be back in the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center, where they will spend the majority of their time in the near future. After a first half of the season filled with much more road games, Dallas has more home games remaining this season (20) than any other Western Conference team.

 

“We’ll just take it game by game and try to make these games back up at home,” Parsons told the team’s official website.

 

Wednesday’s 127-107 loss at Golden State was another loss for the Mavs at less than full strength. Following his game winning shot Tuesday night against the Lakers, Dirk Nowitzki was told to rest Wednesday on the second night of a back to back. He should be back in the lineup Friday night. Zaza Pachulia, who missed all three games on the road trip, will be back in action tonight.

 

“All my scratches are healed up, so I’ve got to go get some new ones.”

 

The Mavericks have a win over the Nets already this season: a thrilling 119-118 OT win in Brooklyn on December 23rd. Besides being an exciting win for Dallas, it was the historic night where Dirk Nowitzki passed Shaquille O’Neal to become sixth on the all-time scoring list. It was a notable night for J.J. Barea, too. He notched a double double with a career high 32 points and 11 assists.

 

 

Dallas’ front line will have to contend with the springy Thaddeus Young who went off in Dallas in their last meeting. A line of 29 points and 10 rebounds will surely make the Mavericks big men bring their “A” game for tonight’s game in Dallas.

 

Key Matchup:

 

Jeff Teague #0 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on as Joe Johnson #7 and Deron Williams #8 of the Brooklyn Nets walk on the court in the fourth quarter of game six in the first round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on May 1, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

 

How about Deron Williams against his former team? Williams was unavailable in the only matchup between the two teams this season. While Williams struggled to find his comfort zone with his Nets franchise, he has seemed at ease back at home in Dallas, Texas.

 

“I think he’s been playing very well. He’s been really, really good for Dallas,’’ Thaddeus Young said. “He’s been running that team, he’s been a good part of the offense and he’s been getting guys in the right spots. But for the most part, I’ve just been watching some of their games and just seeing the things that he does, which is some of the similar things that he’s done for Brooklyn in the past years.”

 

While the numbers don’t resemble much of a difference, it’s how comfortable Williams seems with his new teammates. He hasn’t had any issues with Coach Rick Carlisle, and that allows for the Mavericks chemistry to be one of the better on/off court chemistries in the league.

 

How To Watch:

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 and the game can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest and heard on KESN 103.3.

Editor-in-Chief for Dallas Fanatic| Born and raised in Dallas, I received my Bachelor's Degree from the University of North Texas in 2014 after majoring in Radio/TV/Film. I'm a lover of all sports and support every DFW team. For random sports and other thoughts, find me on Twitter: @DylanDuell

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