By Dwain Price
SAN FRANCISCO – The door opened, and in less than two weeks, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves in sole possession of the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference after being stuck in the No. 8 spot seemingly forever.
Now, the Mavs’ eyes are set squarely on the No. 4 seed, which is presently within reach and owned by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavs are 45-29 and are only two games behind the Clippers, who are 47-27.
The fourth seed is a precious commodity since that gives the team homecourt advantage at least in the first round of the playoffs. So, it’s a position the Mavs covet as they head into Tuesday’s 9 p.m. contest at the Chase Center against the Golden State Warriors.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd has discussed the crucial variables on the line with his team as they approach the regular season’s final eight games.
“Just understanding what’s at stake, and being able to talk to them about what we’re playing for,” Kidd said. “You see the defensive side has gotten better.”
The Mavs have won 11 of their past 12 games, including their last seven. They also strung together a seven-game winning streak from Feb. 5-22.
Since that first seven-game winning streak started, the Mavs acquired center Daniel Gafford and forward P.J. Washington in separate trades on Feb. 8. What those acquisitions did was power up the Mavs’ defense along with giving Kidd more options.
“We still, as a group, feel we can be better,” Kidd said. “Offensively, guys are cheering for one another make or miss.”
That camaraderie is visible as players are often seen cheering for the success of their teammates, even if that teammate’s playing time is at the expense of the cheering player’s playing time.
Kidd also said he’s not into bogging his players down with too many details. Particularly since he knows he has a pair of very high IQ superstar guards in Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving who can bail the Mavs out of any jam.
“We’re trying to keep it simple (and) make the right plays,” Kidd said. “Understanding that Luka and Kai are going to get a lot of the attention and get double-teamed, so someone else is going to have that opportunity (to hit a big shot).”
Still, it helps that hitting big shots are second nature to Dončić and Irving. They do that kind of stuff left-handed from 20 feet, or even underhanded from 20 feet. Those shots happened by Irving and Dončić, respectively, in recent games.
“I’ve been in this league for five years now, so I’m just understanding the game and learning the game and just maturing,” Dončić said. “I’m better this season, so I’ve just got to keep going like that.”
And as Dončić keeps things going, the Mavs hope by the time the regular season ends in two weeks, they will at the very least have the Western Conference’s No. 4 seed all locked up.
What to watch for against the Warriors:
*This is the finale of a season-high five-game road trip for the Mavs before they host the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. The Mavs are a perfect 4-0 on this road trip following a win over Utah (115-104), two wins over Sacramento (132-96 and 107-103), plus the snapping of Houston’s 11-game winning streak (125-107).
*After Tuesday’s game against the Mavs, the Warriors will fly back to Texas where they’ll play in Houston on Thursday and in Dallas on Friday before they return home to entertain Utah on Sunday. The Warriors are coming off a five-game trip on which they went 4-1 and they are riding a four-game winning streak following Sunday’s 117-113 victory in San Antonio.
*Mavs guard Josh Green is out with a right ankle sprain, and rookie center Dereck Lively II is questionable with right knee soreness.
*Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (bilateral knee tendinitis) and center Dario Saric (right knee pain) will not play Tuesday, while Klay Thompson is probable with right foot tendinitis.
*The Mavs are 92-82 all-time versus the Warriors, including a 39-48 record during games played in the Bay Area. This season, the Mavs are 2-0 against Golden State. They beat the Warriors, 132-122, in San Francisco on Dec. 30, behind 39 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists from Luka Dončić. Kyrie Irving sat out that game with a right heel bruise. The Mavs also defeated the Warriors, 109-99, on March 13 in a game Irving collected 23 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.
*Warriors guard Stephen Curry is sixth in the NBA in scoring (26.6 ppg) and first in three-pointers made (4.8). Also for Golden State, Klay Thompson averages 17.3 ppg, Andrew Wiggins is averaging 12.9 ppg, and Draymond Green averages 8.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg.
*Mavs guard Luka Dončić can certainly stack his MVP-type numbers up against any other player in the league. Dončić currently is first in the NBA in scoring (34 ppg), second in three-pointers converted per game (4.0), third in assists (9.8), tied for sixth in steals (1.5), and 15th in rebounds (9.1). The NBA also named Dončić as the Western Conference Player of the Week for his performances in four games last week when he averaged 32.5 ppg, 11 rpg, 9.5 apg and 1.8 spg. In addition for the Mavs, Kyrie Irving averages 25.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 5.3 apg, Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging 15.1 ppg, Daniel Gafford averages 11.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 2.0 bpg, and P.J. Washington is averaging 10.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
*The Warriors are in a fight for their lives — just to get in the play-in tournament. They own the Western Conference’s 10th and final play-in spot, but are just two games ahead of the 11th-place Houston Rockets.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (45-29) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (40-34)
When: 9 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco
TV: TNT
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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