Mavs at Pistons GAMEDAY: Can Dallas Handle Business in More Ways Than One?
Coming off a thrilling, slump-busting win over the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks now face an even tougher task on Thursday … taking on the NBA’s worst team in the Detroit Pistons.
As odd as that sounds, it’s been the reality for the Mavs this season, as they’ve routinely played down to their competition. If Tuesday’s big win was truly a turning point for Dallas, perhaps things will actually go as expected in this one. The Mavs are favored by eight points against the Pistons on the road.
Although the Mavs’ coaches and players will be focused on avoiding another letdown against a bottom-dweller, the Mavs’ front office should be inquiring about a Bojan Bogdanovic trade while in town.
At 33 years old, Bogdanovic is arguably the Pistons’ best player right now, as he’s averaging a team-high 20.3 points per game while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. However, Bogdanovic doesn’t really fit Detroit’s rebuilding timeline. Given that 1) the 5-18 team might be better served going all in on tanking at this point, and 2) Bogdonovic signed a two-year extension with the Pistons before the season started, it might be smart for Detroit to capitalize on better teams needing his services.
Who knows if the Mavs even have anything the Pistons would truly want for Bogdanovic compared to other potential offers around the league, but it would be a shame if the two sides didn’t at least get together for dinner tonight to talk about it.
Dallas has some third ball-handler help on the way, as recently-signed veteran point guard Kemba Walker is being integrated into the Mavs’ system before making his debut. If the Mavs could also upgrade its wing situation as well by adding Bogdanovic, then perhaps we could start talking about them being real title contenders again.
Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green led the way for the Mavs in their win over the Warriors. Doncic made history again with a 40-point triple-double while also playing great defense, Hardaway broke out of his shooting slump with 22 points as a starter, and Green put in an efficient 13 points off the bench while being the Tasmanian Devil on the defensive end as well.
We all know Doncic is capable of replicating the big numbers he puts up, but we’ll see if Green and Hardaway can carry their momentum into Detroit.
RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (10-10), Detroit Pistons (5-18)
WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022 at 6 p.m. CT
WHERE: Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, MI)
TV: Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW), NBA TV
RADIO: 97.1 The Freak, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
ODDS: The Mavs are 8-point favorites over the Pistons.
NEXT UP: Dallas has a midday date with its ex on Saturday as the Mavs take on Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Brunson is having a career-best year despite the Knicks being mediocre … but we suppose you could say the same thing about Doncic and the Mavs as well.
FINAL WORD: “I know I haven’t played in a while, but I feel as good as I have in a very long time,” said Walker, who recently signed a one-year deal with the Mavs. “I really took my time and made sure I felt better before I really started ramping myself up.”
If healthy, Walker could really help the Mavs with their dire need for more playmaking and shooting. Saturday’s game against the Knicks will mainly be about Brunson taking on his former team, but we’ll see if Walker makes his Mavs debut against his former team as well.
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