Coming off a stressful 103-98 victory against the Trailblazers, the Dallas Mavericks (37-26) defend homecourt tonight against the first-place Eastern Conference Indiana Pacers (46-16).
The Game At Hand:
The Mavs on Friday night avoided a 4-game winning streak after a win versus the Blazers. Dallas is up 1-0 in the season series when facing the Pacers this season. In last month’s matchup, Dallas won in 81-73 with this game being probably their best defensive performance so far this season.
Keys To The Game:
1. Offensive Execution
Dallas has the potential to be one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. But looking at the last previous Mavs-Pacers matchup, shooting 35% from the field (30 of 84) and 26% (5 of 19) from the 3-point line isn’t going to get the job done tonight. Execution on offense is important tonight against the #1 ranked team in defensive efficiency
2. No Lead Is Safe
That has been the Mavericks motto this year since Day 1 of the regular season, “No Lead is Safe”. Blowing 20+ point leads do not come as a shocker to MFFLs anymore watching games. Dallas has to maintain the lead at all costs.
Matchup of the Night:
Dirk Nowitzki vs. David West
These two guys could be friends off the court, but this might be one of the most underrated rivalries in the league. When Nowitzki and West are on the same floor, there is bound be some confrontation. Dirk has to stay calm and composed on offense tonight with West being aggressive trying to defend his lethal fadeaway one-legged shot. Expect a hard-fought battle of the power forwards tonight.
Quotes:
“You know, they’re coming off some consecutive losses here, so they’re going to be loaded up and ready. We know that, and so we’re going to have to be the same. That’s the bottom line.” – Rick Carlisle
“We showed that we can battle them and play good defense.” – Dirk Nowitzki
When and Where:
Tip-off at home tonight is at 6:30pm CST. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest.
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