PREVIEW
MAVERICKS (15-16) AT BROOKLYN NETS (22-12)
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
TV: ABC
Radio: ESPN 103.3 FM; Univision 1270 AM (Spanish)
About the Mavericks: After playing the best team in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night in the Philadelphia 76ers, the Mavs will now match wits with the second-best team out East in the Nets. . .This is the middle of a three-game road trip for the Mavs, who opened the trip with Thursday’s 111-97 loss to the Sixers. The Mavs will complete the trip Monday in Orlando prior to returning home for their final game before the All-Star break – Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. . .The Mavs have won seven of their last 10 games and, overall are 7-8 on the road and 7-6 against the Eastern Conference. . .Forward/center Kristaps Porzingis went through a full practice on Friday and is expected to play tonight after missing the past three games with lower back tightness. In his last game before suffering the back ailment, Porzingis collected 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks during a 121-118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 14. “What I’m working towards is making sure my body is strong and durable that I can just play without thinking about anything, without worrying or just being free out there and just playing and enjoying the game that I love, and that’s it,” Porzingis said. “I’m striving towards that, and that’s my mindset.” Porzingis made the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 2018 when he was playing for the New York Knicks. . .A starter in this year’s All-Star game for the second consecutive season, Luka Doncic is averaging 28.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 9.0 apg and is tied for second in the NBA in triple-doubles with seven. . .The Mavs are 6-3 when Josh Richardson scores 15 or more points. Richardson, who is averaging 12.9 ppg, tallied 13 points on 5-of-11 shots during Thursday’s 14-point loss to the Sixers. . .The Mavs have been receiving major contributions off the bench from backup guard Jalen Brunson, who is averaging 12.3 ppg and shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from 3-point range while also frequently finding himself on the court during the critical late stages of a game. “Brunson’s been terrific,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “The decision on whether to finish (the game) with him, sometimes it becomes a gut call. Sometimes it’s a thing where if you have to decide between him and J-Rich, J-Rich is bigger and has more length, so if you’re playing from in front it may be a situation where we go with him. A lot of these decisions aren’t clear cut. But it isn’t necessarily an automatic that (Brunson is) going to finish games.”
About the Nets: The hottest team in the NBA right now in terms of winning streaks are the Nets, who have won their last eight games and are coached by former Mavs All-Star point guard Steve Nash. That includes going 5-0 on a recent West Coast road trip that involved victories over the Phoenix Suns (128-124), Los Angeles Lakers (109-98) and Los Angeles Clippers (112-108). Those are three of the top four teams in the always-tough Western Conference. . .This is the finale of a three-game home stand for the Nets, who defeated the Sacramento Kings (127-118) on Tuesday and the Orlando Magic (129-92) on Thursday. . .Following tonight’s game, the Nets will start a brief two-game road trip Monday against the San Antonio Spurs and end it on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets before resting for the All-Star break. . .The Nets are led by the dynamic three-headed All-Star team combination of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Harden averages 24.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg and leads the NBA with 11.4 apg, Irving is averaging 27.4 ppg and 5.9 apg, and Durant averages 29 ppg, 7.3 rpg and 5.3 apg. Harden, Irving and Durant were all selected to this year’s All-Star game. However, the Mavs won’t have to game plan for Durant. The 11-time All-Star has missed nine of the last 10 games – six of them with a strained left hamstring and three of them due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols. An MRI conducted Friday revealed that Durant’s hamstring hasn’t healed sufficiently enough for him to return right now. He will be re-evaluated after the Mar. 7 All-Star game, which he will also miss. “He’s disappointed clearly,” Nash said. “He got himself through one of the most devastating injuries in basketball and was playing at an All-Star level and an MVP level. For it to get shut down for a little while is very disappointing for him, but it could always be worse. We will continue to monitor him and he will be back this season. We will all be grateful for when that time comes, but not until he is ready.”. .From an official statistical standpoint, small forward Joe Harris is shooting 53.4 percent from the field and is the only NBA player shooting over 50 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Harris, who averages 15.1 ppg, is shooting a sizzling 50.9 percent clip from behind the 3-point stripe. . .Former Mavs center DeAndre Jordan is averaging 7.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg and was a member of the Western Conference All-Star team in 2017 when he was playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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