MAVERICKS (42-26) AT BROOKLYN NETS (36-33)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
TV: BSSW, ESPN
Radio: The Eagle, 97.1 FM; Univision 99.1 FM (Spanish)
About the Mavericks: Since Dec. 31, the Mavs and Memphis Grizzlies are tied with the second-best record in the NBA at 26-8. Phoenix owns the best record since Dec. 31 at 28-7. . .After a long, long marathon of a chase, the Mavs have finally caught up with the Utah Jazz for the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, although both teams have identical 42-26 records, the Jazz officially have the No. 4 seed because of their 2-1 edge in head-to-head games against the Mavs, who will host Utah on March 27. . .In the department of “who saw this coming,” the Mavs have allowed the fewest points of any team in the NBA at 103.5 ppg. It’s a testament to the defensive schemes implemented by coach Jason Kidd. . .This is the third of a five-game road trip for the Mavs. After tonight, they play in Philadelphia on Friday and in Charlotte on Saturday before returning home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. . .So far the Mavs are a perfect 2-0 on this road trip. They started this road trip last Friday with a 113-100 win in Houston. The trip continued with Sunday’s nationally televised dramatic 95-92 victory in Boston, where Spencer Dinwiddie snapped a 92-92 tie with a game-winning three-pointer with only nine seconds remaining in the game. Luka Doncic led the way with 26 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals, and Dorian Finney-Smith scored 18 of his 19 points in the second half. . .The Mavs only scored 38 points in the first 
half against the Celtics. But they rallied to tally 38 points in the third quarter and also overcame a 13-point deficit in gutting out the high-profile victory against Boston, who were 18-2 in their last 20 games before playing the Mavs. . .The win over the Celtics snapped Boston’s five-game winning streak. That’s the NBA-high sixth time this season the Mavs have stopped a team with a winning streak of five or more games. They also did it to Denver on Nov. 15, to Memphis on Dec. 8, to Chicago on Jan. 9, to Memphis again on Jan. 24 and to Miami on Feb. 15. That ties the franchise record of streaks broken that was set during the 2010-’11 championship season. . .Dinwiddie played for the Nets from 2016 before suffering a season-ending torn right ACL three games into the 2020-21 season. His best year was the 2019-’20 season when he averaged 20.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 6.8 apg. . .Reggie Bullock (personal reasons), Theo Pinson (right fifth finger fracture), Tim Hardaway Jr. (left foot surgery) and Marquese Chriss (right knee soreness) will all miss tonight’s game. . .Doncic was named Western Conference Player of the Week for his work in four games last week when he averaged 30.5 ppg, 11 rpg, 6.2 apg and 1.8 spg while shooting 49.4 percent from the field. . .The Mavs are 16 games over .500 for the first time this season. They’re also 12-11 against the East.
ABOUT THE NETS: The Nets are on the second leg of a back-to-back, and are just 2-9 this season on the last end of a back-to-back. . .Kyrie Irving set a personal and franchise record Tuesday when he scored 60 points during a 150-108 victory in Orlando. The old record of 57 points was set by The Colony’s Deron Williams. Irving, who scored 41 of his points in the first half, was 20-of-31 from the field, including 8-of-12 from three-point range. . .The 150 points represent the franchise record for the most points the Nets have ever scored in a regulation game. They also scored 48 points in the first quarter against Orlando, and 86 points in the first half. Both of those are also franchise records for points in any quarter and in any half, respectively. . .Since Kevin Durant poured in 53 points during Sunday’s 110-107 win over the New York Knicks, he and Irving became the first teammates in NBA history to score 50-plus points in consecutive games. Durant also fired in 51 points during a 116-104 triumph in Detroit on Dec. 12, while Irving scored 50 points in a March 8 game against Charlotte. . .The Mavs will catch a major break tonight since Irving can’t play in any of his team’s games that are played in New York.
That’s because he isn’t vaccinated for COVID-19, and New York City’s law forbid him from playing in any games in New York unless he’s vaccinated. The NBA even fined the Nets $50,000 because Irving was in the team’s locker room during halftime of Sunday’s win over the Knicks at the Barclays Center. . .The Nets have won four straight games, are seeded eighth in the Eastern Conference and are trying to avoid the play-in tournament. Brooklyn is three-and-a-half games behind the sixth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. . .Seth Curry, Ben Simmons and Andre Drummond joined the Nets in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia 76ers last month for James Harden. Curry, who missed the last two games with left ankle soreness, has been a big hit with Nets’ fans for his long-range shooting. And Drummond has been a bright spot in the middle. Simmons, however, hasn’t played in a game since June 20 when he was still of member of the Sixers. He is now dealing with a back issue. . .The Nets came to American Airlines Center and defeated the Mavs, 102-99, back on Dec. 7. The Mavs led that contest, 71-54, with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter. But the Nets outscored the Mavs, 48-28, the rest of the game. However, that game was way back when the Mavs still had Kristaps Porzingis and the Nets still had Harden.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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