The Dallas Mavericks head out on the road to play the San Antonio Spurs following the 113-104 loss to the Utah Jazz. Looking to avoid a four game losing streak here are three things to keep an eye on in tonight’s showdown with our I35 rivals.

DSJ finding his swagger

One of the few bright spots against the Jazz was Dennis Smith’s 27-point eruption that kept the Mavericks within striking distance. DSJ tied his career-high in points and seemed to be playing like the guard we thought he would be this season. When he is slashing to the basket and knocking down threes, it really opens up the offense for the rest of the team. The young point guard has really been affected the most in Rick Carlisle’s new offense, having to play more off ball than usual. Dennis is most effective with the ball in his hands attacking the rim and dishing to his roll man or a spot up three. If he can settle down in his new role with Luka on the floor this team should be able to challenge other teams down the stretch.

Harrison Barnes shaking off the rust

Until the young guns can find some consistency, Harrison Barnes will remain the best player in Dallas. Coming back from a hamstring injury is never an easy task especially when trying to gel with the new guys. Barnes is a good two-way player and really should be the go-to-guy when Dallas needs a bucket but he is still trying to find his rhythm. Since Barnes has come back, he is shooting a subpar 8/30, less than 30% from the floor. I don’t expect this to last for too long just until he gets his legs back under him and finds his shot especially from the perimeter. Tonight will be his third game back and expect Barnes to establish himself early in tonight’s game reminding the MFFL’s how much he means to this team.

A different look Spurs

Gone are the glorious duels between future Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan going toe-to-toe leading their respective teams. As a few of the other Spurs greats have also moved on with Manu Ginobili retired and Tony Parker playing for the Hornets, these days the rivalry is not quite the same. Now with newly traded for All-Star DeMar DeRozan, the Spurs are looking to transition from the train wreck breakup that was Kawhi Leonard. There are a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball but as long as Rick Carlisle and Gregg Popovich are the ones still making the chess moves this rivalry will always be something to watch. Tune in tonight as the Mavs look to start a new winning streak in San Antonio, tip off at 7:30.