Don\u2019t worry \u2013 we\u2019ll all get through this one together.<\/p>\n
After a tight game in Indiana and a dicey last-minute flight to Brooklyn, the Dallas Mavericks head back home to host the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. Your feelings about this matchup depends entirely on your current operating theory of the Mavericks: if you\u2019re team tank, this is a nail-biter, one of several dice-rolls that will have a material impact on Dallas\u2019 lottery odds in the coming offseason. If you\u2019re team let\u2019s-get-out-there-and-try-our-best, this is likely a breezy contest, as few teams in the Association have the moxie to truly out-bad this Kings squad.<\/p>\n
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As you might have guessed, Sacramento comes into town scraping the bottom of the barrel. They\u2019re 13-46 at the time of writing, and likely to be 13-47 after a matchup against the Houston Rockets Wednesday night. That\u2019s enough for #30 across the entire league. If that isn\u2019t sufficient to convince you, they\u2019re also on the second night of a back-to-back, and they\u2019ve won only four road games the entire season. But hey \u2013 they beat a struggling Memphis Grizzlies team a few nights ago. Maybe we can call that momentum?<\/p>\n
On the flip side, Dallas (21-36) has found something that \u2013 if you squint hard enough \u2013 looks like footing. They closed out strong enough against the Pacers on Sunday to beat them 134-130, and they thoroughly handled the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday 123-114. If they beat the Kings tomorrow evening, that would make three solid wins in a row after a nasty 10-game skid. Again, there\u2019s an argument to be made that this is a bad thing, if you\u2019re team tank. But this Dallas roster fights hard just about every right, so you can be sure they\u2019ll show up at the American Airlines Center ready to play.<\/p>\n
Here are three storylines to watch going to the final Dallas-Sacramento matchup this season.<\/p>\n
As goes the three-ball (and the turnovers), so goes the game<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret that Dallas is a bad three-point shooting team. This has been the case the entire season, and while the Anthony Davis trade was welcome in many (so many) ways, the Mavericks didn\u2019t see much relief in this area. This means that they need all of the shooting they can find \u2013 typically, this comes from Max Christie (who is in a bit of a slump right now) and Klay Thompson, but anyone is welcome to join the party.<\/p>\n
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Since the all-star break, Dallas has done okay enough behind the line, shooting a reasonable 39.3% in the Indiana win and a slightly-less-reasonable 34.8% in the Brooklyn win. Against Sacramento, they\u2019re likely to have plenty of opportunities \u2013 the Kings have one of the lowest defensive ratings in the league at 120.9, and their opponents hit on 36.4% of their attempts. This is one potential avenue of Mavericks success, whether or not they actually take the victory.<\/p>\n
Another avenue of success? Cutting down on turnovers. It\u2019s been said many times, many ways that Dallas lacks an effective point guard and can\u2019t take care of the ball \u2013 so there\u2019s no need to re-hash. But facing off against the Kings, it\u2019s a factor to consider. While this Kings defense is unmistakably bad in the macro, they have some notable defensive threats in the micro. The Mavericks took care of the ball well enough against Indiana and Brooklyn; if they can stave off Keon Ellis and Russell Westbrook, they should cruise to a three-game win-streak relatively easily.<\/p>\n
The new guys continue to contribute<\/p>\n