After a disappointing loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks (30-28) resume their season long six game home stand Friday night in a tilt with the Denver Nuggets (23-35).
The loss to the Thunder Wednesday night dropped Dallas to 7th in the Western Conference standings. That is their lowest mark since the opening two weeks of the season. Losers of six out of their last eight games, the Mavericks desperately need to right the ship in a match-up with a team with an inferior record like the Nuggets.
David Lee made his Mavericks debut Wednesday night and could play a key role in a game against a squad with the repertoire of rebounders the Nuggets have.
Despite dislocating his finger Wednesday, Deron Williams will be in uniform Friday night.
When speaking of his debut with the Dallas, Lee said, “It’s only going to get more comfortable from here. I made up for not going for a couple of things by just playing hard.”
Despite averaging over 20 points per game over his last fifteen games, Chandler Parsons only scored six points in the OKC game Wednesday. An effort this team simply cannot have if expects to win games against quality Western Conference opponents.
The Mavericks have won their last three home games against the Nuggets and the last three overall match-ups dating back to last season.
Key Matchup: The Mavericks vs Themselves
In the modern NBA, there isn’t a serious talent gap between the top teams and the lottery teams. It’s a matter of the intangibles. Frankly, this Mavericks team is one of the least talented rosters in the league but has scraped together an above .500 record because of their coach and the experience that their roster of veterans can lean on when times get tough.
The Mavericks have had a relatively hard time with teams under .500 this season. After losing to an Orlando Magic team dealing with major roster changes last Friday and struggling to pull away from the miserable 76ers on Sunday, the Mavericks cannot afford to mess around with a very talented and versatile Nuggets team. In a game Dallas simply has to have to get things going, the have to come out firing.
Tonight’s game is set for a 7:30 tip on Fox Sports Southwest and on 103.3 KESN.
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