Photo Courtesy: Michael Kolch
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Dallas is one of the best teams in the NBA. Dallas is 9-4 with a winning percentage of .692 and is only half a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets for first place in the Western Conference. Here’s the thing, even though the Mavericks struggle in the rebounding department they’re solid on the offensive end. I guess it’s true what Bobby Knight shared, “Whoever scores the most points wins the game”. Let’s take a look at this week’s opponents on the Mavericks schedule and then some.
Who’s Hot and Who’s Not!
Who’s hot: SG Tim Hardaway Jr. has been the best 6th man in the league so far this season. For a guy that has started the majority of his career has seemed to embrace the role of coming off the bench. Over the past week, he has averaged 22 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Who’s not: Center Dereck Lively. He is a 7`1 rookie from Duke. He’s taking his learning lumps right now while getting his feet wet. He needs to concentrate on rebounding and playing solid defense. They really don’t need him taking bad shots right now.
Upcoming Schedule – All Times Central
Sacramento Kings vs Dallas Mavericks
Date: November 19
Time: 6:30 p.m.
TV: Bally Sports
This should be a cake walk for the Mavericks. Dallas is the better team across the board, but the Kings have young talent led by former Mavs forward Harrison Barnes. Dallas matches up well against this team. The Mavs will need to play hard all four quarters of this one.
Final Score: Kings 94 – Mavericks 99
Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers
Date: November 22
Time: 9:30 p.m.
TV: Bally Sports
Dallas will pull this one off. The Lakers right now aren’t playing like a very good team, but the crazy thing is they have a good team on paper. LeBron James and Anthony Davis has struggled over the last 2 seasons. Dallas has the better guards and the better bench. It’ll be close but the Mavs will find a way to pull it out in the end.
Final Score: Mavericks 115 – Lakers 105
Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Clippers
Date: November 25
Time: 9:30 p.m.
TV: NBATV
While most teams have a “Big 3” the Clippers have a “Big 4”. Forwards Khawhi Leonard, Paul George and guards Russell Westbrook and James Harden headline this stacked team. I’m taking Dallas by 9 on the road. The Clippers are struggling to find a way to get these guys on the same page. At the time of the article the Clippers just ended a six game losing streak and have only won back to back games once this season. Dallas has a chance to keep up with the top teams in the Western Conference. Call me crazy for this pick!
Final Score: Mavericks 119 – Clippers 106
