Dallas Mavs vs. Washington Wizards: 3 Big Things to Watch
The Dallas Mavericks (6-4) will take on the Washington Wizards (5-6) in part of the NBA's Thursday slate.
The Mavs will wrap up a quick two-game road trip after this matchup. They had lost 94-87 to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday in a game that featured the Mavs shooting just 37.6 percent from the floor, 26.2 percent from 3-point range, and 63.2 percent on free throws. Luka Doncic was held below 30 points for the first time after meeting the mark in nine consecutive games.
The Wizards are coming off a 108-100 win over the shorthanded Charlotte Hornets, but lost two consecutive games prior. Washington will be without Bradley Beal in the lineup and could be without Kristaps Porzingis, too.
Here are three key things to monitor when the Mavs take on the Wizards on Thursday.
3. Will Luka Doncic Find His Form?
Against the Orlando Magic, Luka Doncic had what was easily his worst performance of the season. He finished with 24 points while shooting 9-29 from the floor and 2-11 from 3-point range.
Opposing teams switch very frequently against Luka Doncic to prevent him from being able to slice up their base defense in pick-and-roll situations — requiring him to work to get by a defender out on the perimeter. It's pivotal that he makes tough plays on drives and out of the post to force help instead of frequently settling for step-back 3s.
Doncic scored a season-high 44 points in his prior meeting with the Magic, largely because he was aggressive in attacking the paint. It proved to be more of a challenge on Wednesday.
As with most teams, the play of Doncic — the superstar — goes a long way in determining the overall execution of the offense on a given day. With how significant of a share of the playmaking duties he shoulders, it's perhaps more on Doncic than any other superstar to create.
Will Doncic find his form of converting at an elite clip on drives and short-range jump shots against the Wizards? If so, the Mavs become much harder to defend as an offense.
2. Perimeter Shooting Execution
Without an interior scoring threat like Christian Wood, it's all the more important that perimeter shooting execution is high. Wood is the Mavs' best option to utilize to counter the opposition's frequent switching but he will be sidelined for Thursday's game.
Spencer Dinwiddie helped to mask the Mavs' overall underwhelming results in this area on Wednesday by shooting 4-10 on his attempts. Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith each shot 2-5 from deep, but the rest of the team had negative performances in that department — finishing 11-42 as a unit.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has been working his way back into form, but with how much of his impact relies on him making or missing shots, going 2-10 from the floor and 1-7 from 3-point range is tough to overcome. With Doncic also settling for tough 3s as previously mentioned, it becomes all the more inefficient.
1. How Will Mavs Handle Shorthanded Team
The Wizards have already ruled out Bradley Beal and may be without Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup, too. Porzingis was a late addition to the injury report and is being considered questionable to be available.
If Porzingis does play, he will surely be a focus of their half-court attack. How will JaVale McGee handle that matchup out in space if he faces such a situation? Can the undersized frontcourt options outside of McGee hold their own overall? Those will be key areas to watch.
There has been a recurring theme for the Mavs early this season: experience letdown performances against losing or shorthanded teams. Aside from their opening night loss to the Phoenix Suns, Dallas' other losses have come against shorthanded teams.
Another of these disappointing losses occurred when the Orlando Magic defeated the Mavs on Wednesday despite Paolo Banchero being sidelined. Even on the second night of a back-to-back with unusual travel circumstances, it would be a disappointment to come up short.
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