Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Welcome to the 2-game skid
The Dallas Mavericks have dropped two in a row recently. The Indiana Pacers beat the Mavericks by 7 (134-127) on Monday, 11/4. The Mavs followed that up by beating the Chicago Bulls two nights later by 20 points, 119-99. The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets handed the Mavs back-to-back losses on Friday and Sunday. Here’s the problem at hand, Dallas takes the ball out of Kyrie’s hand and allows Luka to control the offense. Head coach Jason Kidd has to stick to what’s best for this team. Allow Kyrie to run the point and give Luka the ball when it’s time too. You have two primary ball handlers that play differently with and without the ball. Luka is a scorer, so he should work to get himself open while Kyrie makes the better decision down in the clutch. Keep an eye on the 3rd and 4th quarters of the Mavericks games and you’ll see why this team often loses close games down the stretch.
Playing Time and Game Time Rotation
Head coach Jason Kidd has a really good coaching staff that hasn’t made a splash so far this season. Here’s the thing, Dallas has a good young team that can score and defend. The problem is their rotation. You have players that will get hot like Spencer Dinwiddie and Klay Thompson during games and then all of a sudden there is an in-game decision that is made to bring another player off the bench and the offense cools off. What sense does that make? Over the last 3 games, Dallas has brought in guys that are cold off the bench and expects them to continue the scoring and defending players that already has a sweat working. It’s hard to watch at times.
Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors
Tuesday – 9:00PM – TV: TNT
This will be the first game for the NBA Cup and playing Golden State has its own back story. It will be the first time that Klay Thompson is going back to Golden State to play against his former team. This will be the first of three games against the Warriors this season. ESPN has the Warriors favored to win this one at home. Dallas will need to play tough on the perimeter in order for a win. I’m taking Golden State by 12. Final Score: Mavericks 110 – Warriors 122
Dallas Mavericks vs Utah Jazz
Thursday – 8:00PM – TV: NBATV
This will be the Mavericks second game on the road for the week. Dallas is favored to win this game, but if they can’t get this rotation figured out, they could possibly drop their 4th straight game on the road. Dallas has the talent to win anywhere at anytime, but recent play has them dropping very winnable games. Keep an eye on Luka and Kyrie in the backcourt for this game. I’m taking Dallas by 20!
Final Score: Mavericks 124 – Jazz 104
San Antonio Spurs vs Dallas Mavericks
Saturday – 6:30PM TV: ESPN
This game will be closer than most people think. Dallas has two young centers that can run with the best of them in Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. They will need to pull Spurs center Victor Wembanyama away for the paint and allow the others to get to the basket. Keep an eye on how the Mavericks play on both ends of the floor. I would like to think that Dallas will give power forward Dwight Powell some playing time. I’m taking Dallas by 10+. The Spurs just aren’t there yet.
Final Score: Spurs 94 – Mavericks 120
Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Sunday – 6:00PM TV: Channel 29 (DFW area)
This will be one of the best matchups of the NBA weekend. The Thunder are rolling right now. They are blasting teams by 15 plus points in their last 5 games. Dallas will need to lock down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s averaging 27.8 points per game this season. Dallas will need to force the ball out of his hands and make their role players step up and make plays. Dallas will need to score points and create turnovers to get a win on the road. I’m taking Dallas by 10+ but this score could be flipped if the Mavs don’t execute on Sunday night. Final Score: Mavericks 130 – Thunder 119
