MAVERICKS (27-20) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (34-13)
Time: 9 p.m., Tuesday.
Place: Chase Center, San Francisco.
TV: TNT.
Radio: The Eagle 97.1 FM; Univision Zona MX 99.1 FM (Spanish)
About the Mavericks: They just completed a solid 4-1 home stand capped by Sunday’s 104-91 win over Memphis, one of the four teams above the Mavericks in the Western Conference standings . . . Luka Dončić has been sizzling of late. In the last six games (5-1), the 6-7 point guard has averaged 29.3 points, 11 rebounds and 9.2 assists with a pair of triple-doubles. Yes, his 3-point percentage still needs to perk up (20.7 percent in those six games), but he’s basically done everything the Mavericks could possibly ask of him . . . The Mavericks have made terrific progress on the defensive end of the court, rising to the NBA’s top five in points allowed and overall defensive rating . . . They will be without Sterling Brown again as he deals with left foot soreness . . . It appears that coach Jason Kidd has settled on his starting lineup (where’s some wood to knock on?) with Jalen Brunson alongside Dončić in the backcourt and Maxi Kleber joining Dorian Finney-Smith and Kristaps Porzingis on the front line. That group started all five games on the home stand and the Mavericks are 10-2 since Brunson and Kleber joined the starting five at the start of January . . . Don’t be surprised if the Mavericks have a big lead at some point tonight. They have led by 10 points or more in 17 of their last 18 games. However, they have lost a few of those big leads in going 13-5 in that span.
About the Warriors: They no doubt will remember the 99-82 waxing the Mavericks put on them on Jan. 5. Since that game, the Warriors are a pedestrian 5-6, although they have on two in a row and are 4-1 on this seven-game home stand . . . They will be without Draymond Green (back) and also are unsure about the availability of Andre Iguodala (injury management) who has missed the last two games, as well as Klay Thompson (knee), who was sidelined for Sunday’s win over Utah . . . Even without their defensive ace Green, the Warriors remain the league’s most imposing team at that end of the court. They are No. 1 in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense, fewest points allowed and overall defensive rating . . . As coach Steve Kerr said when the Warriors came through Dallas earlier this month: “I think once you have that mentality and some defensive anchors, now it’s much easier to get some of the other players to buy in. And when you go deep in the playoffs, you realize that if you can’t make stops, you can’t win. It’s as simple as that.” That’s good advice for all teams . . . As always, Steph Curry has been the heart and soul of the Warriors, averaging 26 points, 6.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds. In Sunday’s win over Utah, he was limited to 13 points on 5-of-20 shooting. He was 1-of-13 from 3-point range. In the meeting in Dallas, Curry was 5-of-24 from the field, 1-of-9 from distance. You can bet he’ll come out aggressively after that dud . . . Andrew Wiggins, who has been solid all season, also had an off-shooting night (6-of-17), yet the Warriors eked out a win by limiting Utah to 38.3 percent shooting. Wiggins is averaging 18.2 points and shooting 40.9 percent from distance.
Twitter: @ESefko
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