It’s been a really long time since the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavs have won 13 straight against L.A., with the last meeting being a 49-point slaughter in the AAC. Unless something weird happens, the outcome of this one should end with a Mavs win yet again. The Lakers seem to be in full tank mode, having lost 7 games in a row. The Mavs, on the other hand, are playing some of the best basketball they’ve played all season, having won 4 of their last 5 games. Dallas’ next 3 games are all at home against the 3 worst teams in the NBA: L.A. Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns. After beating the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder in back to back games, there’s no reason to think the Mavs can’t sweep this homestand. Let the playoff push continue!
What To Watch For:
There are four main reasons you should watch this game.
1) You’ve got the Mavs sitting only 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the 8-seed in the West. Every game Dallas plays will be crucial from here on out, especially when they play teams they should beat at home.
Mavs 2GB of Denver….Here's the team's next 3 games–home games for both
DAL: LAL, BKN, PHX
DEN: SAC, WAS, BOS— Mike Peasley (@PeasESPN) March 6, 2017
2) Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, Nerlens Noel has been a pleasure to watch so far. During his first 5 games with the Mavs, Noel has averaged 9.8 points, 8 rebounds and 1 block per game, including a 15-point, 17-rebound outburst against the Grizzlies. Noel is becoming more familiar with Rick Carlisle’s system with each passing game, and his teammates are becoming more comfortable throwing him lob passes. The future is bright for Nerlens Noel in Dallas, and you should tune in to watch him blossom.
NOEL THROWS ⬇️! pic.twitter.com/kK3sMPuUge
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 6, 2017
3) Seth Curry is a human inferno right now, and we need to enjoy it. Over his last 6 games, baby Curry is averaging 23.3 ppg on 57.7% from the field and 52.6% from deep. You can go ahead and insert obnoxious amounts of fire emojis here. Whether he can sustain this level of play long-term remains to be seen, but for now we will enjoy Seth doing Steph-like things. Seth Curry, by far, is the steal of free agency last summer, given that he has significantly out-played his 2-year, $5.9 million contract.
Oh BABY! ? pic.twitter.com/VlV2iaK0z3
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 2, 2017
4) The final reason you should watch this game is because Dirk Nowitzki is about to reach yet another legendary milestone in his already-legendary career. Dirk is a mere 20 points away from tallying 30,000 career points, an accomplishment only 5 other players in NBA history have achieved. Think about it. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Out of every person that has ever played in the NBA, those 5 are the only ones to eclipse 30,000 career points, and Dirk is about to join them. He may or may not reach that milestone against the Lakers, but it’s coming soon. With that being said, let me be one of the first to say: Congratulations, Dirk!
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POINTS AWAY pic.twitter.com/sUOnH5rgfH— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 6, 2017
Mark Cuban can’t build that statue outside the AAC soon enough.
How to Watch:
This potentially historic game at the AAC can be viewed on FSSW or NBA League Pass. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m., CT.
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