The Dallas Mavericks (26-12) take on the Sacramento Kings (16-21) tonight in Sacramento. The Kings, after starting hot, are on a brutal 23-game stretch where they have 7 wins and 16 defeats with only a win against Oklahoma City being considered a quality win. On the other side the Dallas Mavericks have been playing some of their worst basketball of the year losing two straight.
Projected Starters
Mavs
PG: Rajon Rondo 11.1 PPG, 8.2 APG, 5.5 RPG
SG: Monta Ellis 20.6 PPG, 4.5 APG, 2.5 RPG
SF: Chandler Parsons 15.5 PPG, 2.3 APG, 4.9 RPG
PF: Dirk Nowitzki 18.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 0.5 BPG
C: Tyson Chandler 10.7 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Kings
PG: Darren Collison 16.6 PPG, 6.0 APG, 3.1 RPG
SG: Ben McLemore 11.8 PPG, 1.5 APG, 3.2 RPG
SF: Rudy Gay 20.8 PPG, 4.2 APG, 6.1 RPG
PF: Jason Thompson 5.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 0.6 BPG
C: DeMarcus Cousins 23.9 ppg, 12.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG
What to Watch For:
In the first matchup of these two teams the Mavericks were down 18 in the first quarter but ended up winning by 8. The Mavs in several games this year have started slow, without Brandan Wright coming off the bench to help on Demarcus Cousins the Mavs can not afford this kind of start. Rajon Rondo has really struggled over the past two games shooting 1 for 11 against the Clippers so look for a matchup against ex-Maverick Darren Collison to help his shooting percentage and hopefully elevate the Mavericks.
Demarcus “Boogie” Cousins has been on an absolute tear of late averaging 25 points and 14 rebounds over the past four games. He has cemented himself as one of the top 5, maybe 3, centers in the NBA. With our current depth down low expect Boogie to keep those numbers going. The key will be to limit second chance points and contain those around him such as Rudy Gay and Darren Collison.
Matchup of the Night:
As said before it is almost inevitable that Demarcus Cousins is going to get his tonight. The key will be to contain his sidekick Rudy Gay. My matchup of the night is Chandler Parsons versus Rudy Gay. When Rudy Gay struggles the entire team struggles on the perimeter. If Parsons, with the help of Jefferson and Aminu, can hold Gay to under 20 points the Mavs should be in position to win.
The game tips off tonight at 9:00 PM CST at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California.
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