Coming off an emotional roller coaster victory Wednesday night, the Mavericks will look to continue their success at the American Airlines Center tonight against the Utah Jazz. The Mavericks overcame a 14-point 4th quarter deficit to beat the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, largely in part to Dirk Nowitzki (35 points) and Monta Ellis (37 points).
THE GAME AT HAND:
The Mavericks will take on a Jazz team that is 1-12 in this young NBA season and winless on the road at 0-7. They are one of the lowest scoring teams in the NBA and that will have to change in order to have any chance against the high scoring Mavericks. The Jazz won the season series last year 2-1. Gordon Hayward leads the team in scoring at 18.2 points per game and Derrick Favors leads them in rebounding at 10.4 per game.
THREE KEYS OF THE NIGHT:
1) DON’T OVERLOOK OPPONENT: The Mavericks took a huge game on Wednesday night and while it’s still early in the season, they are starting to catch some of the attention from the national media. Games like these can bring you back down to earth quickly, so it’s important that the Mavericks take care of business and don’t put themselves in a tough situation throughout the ball game.
2) LIMIT MARIONS MINUTES: Despite some early concerns, the groin strain of Shawn Marion will not hold him back from action tonight, but it should be noted that it would be wise to take care of business and limit his minutes. The Mavericks can ill afford to lose their top defender for any stretch of time.
3) TAKE AWAY HAYWARD: Gordon Hayward is by far the best player on the Jazz, and he can really fill up the box score as well. At 6’8, he is listed as a Shooting Guard, but we imagine he will be defended by Marion for the majority of the game. He is a very good defender and can change the momentum of the game at any time.
MATCHUP OF THE NIGHT
Shane Larkin vs Trey Burke: While both of these guys are just in their first year in the NBA, they are two up and coming players who figure to be around for a long time to come. Trey Burke was taken 9th overall in last summers draft and he just made his NBA debut the other night in New Orleans, racking up 11 points on 5-8 shooting. Larkin has quickly taken over the role of back up point guard, and will continue to see some heavy playing time leading up to the season debut of Devin Harris. Two rising stars should figure to be on the court at the same time tonight. What more can you ask for?
QUOTES:
“He’s always aggressive, and he’s their best player and their leading scorer, so he’s going to be aggressive and we have to be aggressive with him.” – Rick Carlisle on Gordon Hayward
“We’re really just playing off of him. He’s been aggressive, he’s been shooting the ball well, but what’s been great is that he has been making plays for others. He’s making all of us better.” – Dirk Nowitzki on Monta Ellis
HOW TO WATCH:
The game can be seen on FSSW at 7:30 p.m. CT
INJURY REPORT:
Dallas Mavericks
- Brandan Wright OUT
- Wayne Ellington Day-To-Day
- Devin Harris OUT
Sources – Game Preview by Earl K. Sneed (quote)
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