The Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks prepare to square off in a pivotal regular-season matchup.
The Golden State Warriors and the Dallas Mavericks are two teams who are trying to gain ground in the Western Conference standings in an attempt to solidify their playoff positioning. Things are getting tight in the Western Conference and every game remaining is important. Will the Warriors continue to move up in the standings? Or will Luka Doncic and the Mavs try and make a run and secure the 6th seed?
They are set to square off in a pivotal regular-season game.
Who will step up for the Golden State Warriors with Stephen Curry out?
This will be the second meeting between the Warriors and the Mavericks this season as they square off in a matchup that could cause a shift in the standings. The last time these two teams met the Mavs got the victory by a score of 132-122. The Warriors will have to be more aggressive, attack the paint, and try to get to the foul line.
In their last game, the Warriors only had 13 attempts from the charity stripe. Steph Curry scored 25 points to go along with seven assists and also made six 3’s in the loss but Curry isn’t expected to play as he recovers from an ankle injury. Klay Thompson assumed the 6th man role and was coming off the bench, but with Curry sidelined, he will more than likely be inserted back into the starting lineup.
The Mavs are one of the few teams who have held Thompson in check. In his last 10 games against the Mavs Thompson only averages 14 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. Thompson will have to come out with a scorer’s mentality and we all know he has that killer instinct. If the Warriors have any shot any winning this game then Thompson will have to come out firing on all cylinders.
The Warriors are 6-4 in their last 10 games as they hope to make it 2 wins in a row after defeating the Spurs. Hopefully, the return of a healthy Chris Paul will be able to offset the absence of Curry. He had 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in the win against the Spurs and ran the offense effectively as he usually does.
That was the reason the Warriors signed Paul, to make sure they had another rotational guard with experience in the event Curry or Thompson had to sit out. Looking like the Warriors got a good return on their investment so far.
Will Luka Doncic get his 8th consecutive triple-double?
Luka Doncic and the Mavs are also looking to improve their spot in the standings as they are currently in the 8th position. The MVP candidate torched the Warriors the last time they played as he scored 39 points with eight rebounds and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving didn’t play the last time these two teams met and he may become a problem if he can get into the lane.
The Mavs attempted 22 free throws in the last matchup and if Irving can penetrate and get to the foul line, it could be the difference if the game is close in the 4th quarter. Irving has zero free throw attempts in his last two games but expect that to change as he is top 10 among guards in points in the paint per game.
This is a huge game for the Mavs as they are only one game out of the 6th spot in the West as they will try and avoid the Play-In Tournament. The Mavs have to challenge the Warriors as the Dubs have a 16-13 road record as they will come into American Airlines Center and try to even up the season series.
The Mavs are winners of three in a row and Doncic will try and continue his streak of games recording a triple-double as his streak stands at 7 consecutive games. With his efforts in the past couple of games, Doncic appears to have narrowed the gap in the MVP race. Doncic is having a similar season to Russell Westbrook’s MVP campaign when his team was the 6th seed as he also averaged a triple-double that season.
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