By DaVince “Dino” Wright
The Dallas Mavericks, with their recent trade acquisitions have proven to fans and NBA critics that they are a solid team. If you take a closer look at this team when they are healthy, they can beat any team in the league. Two games before the NBA All-Star break, Dallas went 2-0 and in their last 8 games, Dallas is 7-1 with quality wins overs Philadelphia, Brooklyn, New York, Oklahoma City, Washington, San Antonio and Phoenix. I shared in my last article that Dallas would win half of those games. Remember Dallas was in 10th place and is now in 8th place in the Western Conference. Since the return of PG Kyrie Irving, the offense has opened up and wing defense got a bit more solid on the open floor. This week, Dallas has 4 players on the GTD list: PF Maxi Kleber, C Dereck Lively II, G Dante Exum and SG Josh Green. Keep an eye on these players over the next week.
Dallas and the Western Conference
Over the past 2 weeks, Dallas has moved up 2 spots from 10th to 8th place after going on a 7-game win streak. Right now the team is right behind the New Orleans Pelicans and 2 games ahead of the LA Lakers. Dallas has a chance to move up in the standings with wins in their next 3 games. How can they pull it off? REBOUNDING!! The Mavericks has Cleveland, Toronto and Boston on the road while finishing the week at home against the 76ers. Let’s take a closer look at this week’s Mavericks matchups.
Upcoming Schedule – All Times Central
Dallas Mavericks vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Date: February 27
Time: 6:00 p.m.
TV: Bally Sports
Dallas will need to contain SG Donovan Mitchell. He is the heart and soul of that team. He is averaging 28.1 points per game and could easily score 50 at any given time. The key to win a on the road will be rebounding and creating turnovers. I’m taking Dallas in an upset by 7!
Final Score: Mavericks 127 – Cavaliers 120
Dallas Mavericks vs Toronto Raptors
Date: February 28
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: Bally Sports
This game is basically a trap game for the Mavericks. Toronto is a young team that hasn’t found their identity yet and a team coming into Canada looking past them will get beat. Dallas will need to come out strong on both ends of the floor. They can’t allow Toronto to get any kind of confidence this game. I’m taking Dallas by 16!
Final Score: Mavericks 115 – Raptors 100
Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics
Date: March 1
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
If Dallas comes out in the first quarter and scores 30 points. They will win by 15 easily. The Celtics is a strong team that struggles from climbing back into games. Dallas will be on the hunt for this one. I’m taking Boston by 10.
Final Score: Mavericks 122 – Celtics 132
Philadelphia 76ers vs Dallas Mavericks
Date: March 3
Time: 12:00 p.m.
TV: ABC
At the time of this article, the Sixers are sporting the exact same record as the Dallas Mavericks, 33-24! Everyone knows that Tyrese Maxey can ball out and Cam Payne can score too coming off the bench. Center Joel Embiid is out with a knee injury. You have to wonder if Embiid is done for the season. The Mavs will need to capitalize on his absence and take it to them. I see the Mavs doing this and making a very winnable game, a nail-biter!
Final Score: 76ers – 98 – Mavericks – 103
