Game Night: Blair and Mavs Look To Take Down The Spurs

Your (16-12) Dallas Mavericks return from a two-day rest to take on the Texas rival (22-7) San Antonio Spurs.

THE GAME AT HAND:

The San Antonio Spurs may have the oldest team age average in the league, but their level of play does not reflect it. The Spurs are currently in first place in the Southwest Division and hold third place over in the Western Conference. San Antonio is coming off a disappointing defeat to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day.

The Mavs are looking forward to finishing the year on a positive note with just three games left in December. The Mavs’ previous game resulted in a 110-104 victory against the Houston Rockets. A win tonight along with the win against the Rockets could a huge momentum boost towards moving up in the conference and division standings.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

1. Defend Spurs’ Perimeter Shooters

It is evident Spurs are a team full of 3-point shooters being that they are ranked third in the league in 3-point percentage category. The Mavs have to make sure to defend the Spurs’ perimeter shooters at all costs. Guys like Marco Bellineli, have been on a hot streak as of late averaging above50% from behind the arch in the past 10 games. San Antonio’s spot up shooters can go on a hot steak quickly and end the game early for the Mavs if they aren’t defended closely.

2. Control the Tempo

Part of the Spurs’ success through the years is forcing opponents to adjust to their style of tempo. The Spurs are used to slowing the game down so that players like the aging forward Tim Duncan will not fatigue easily. The Mavs have to take advantage of their young quick guards running the floor and capitalizing on fastbreak chances.

3. Mavs’ Pick n Roll Game

Tonight’s game for the Mavs will be a challenge. Their focus on offense should be to limit careless mistakes. So far Dallas have failed to maintain 15+ point leads against opponents on multiple occasions due to turnovers and unnecessary contested mid-range shots. The Mavs should use the pick n roll game effectively to limit those offensive mistakes.

MATCHUP OF THE NIGHT: Dejuan Blair vs. His Former Team

It’s been a tough road for Mavs’ forward Dejuan Blair. The Spurs took a huge risk drafting a guy in Blair who many teams overlooked mainly due to his playing with no ACLs. Last season, the Spurs gave Blair a minimal role due to the additions of Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw. Dejuan Blair average just 6 minutes last year in the postseason.

Blair has truly made a phenomenal impact on the bench this season for the Mavericks. He is currently ranked top 10 amongst league leaders in steals and rebounds. Greg Popovich and the Spurs organization surely gave away a hidden gem in Blair. The Mavs’ forward is looking to have a breakout game tonight against his former team and prove to Popovich why he should have had a better role on the Spurs last year.

WHEN AND WHERE: Game action starts at 7:30 p.m. CT and airs locally on Fox Sports Southwest.

GO MAVS!