Doncic vs. Durant, NBA Players of Week Clash: Mavs GAMEDAY vs. Nets
The Dallas Mavericks hit the road for a nationally televised showdown against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night. On display will be two of the hottest players in the league right now; The NBA announced Mavericks' Luka Doncic and Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant as the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week for March 7-13.
Rest advantage goes to Dallas as the Nets will be traveling home from Orlando for the second leg of a back-to-back. Brooklyn crushed the Magic, 150-108.
With 14 games left in the regular season, the Mavs are tied with the Utah Jazz for fourth in the Western Conference. Should Dallas finish as a top-four seed, it will capture home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 championship season. However, in the west seeds two-through-seven are separated by single-digit games.
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Reggie Bullock remains away from the Mavs due to personal reasons. Dallas was also without Bullock in the lineup in Sunday's 95-92 win at the Boston Celtics. The Nets will be without Kyrie Irving (ineligible to play) and Ben Simmons (back soreness/return to competition conditioning).
WATCH FOR... Spencer Dinwiddie. In 11 games with the Mavericks, Dinwiddie is averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 44.2 percent on 3-pointers.
FUN NOTE: Nets head coach Steve Nash played six seasons in Dallas (1998-2004), while garnering back-to-back All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors with the club in 2002 and 2003. Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson, who was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, wears No. 13 because he idolized Nash growing up.
FLASHBACK: Brooklyn leads the 2021-22 season series, 1-0, after it recorded a 102-99 win at American Airlines Center in December.
INJURY REPORT, DALLAS: Reggie Bullock (personal reasons) is out; Marquese Chriss (right knee soreness) is out; Tim Hardaway Jr. (left foot surgery) is out; Theo Pinson (right fifth finger fracture) is out; Moses Wright (G League two-way) is out.
RECORDS: DALLAS MAVERICKS (42-26) at BROOKLYN NETS (36-33)
WHEN: Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. CT
LOCATION: Barclays Center (New York, NY)
TV/RADIO: ESPN, BSSW, 97.1 The Eagle (KEGL)
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ODDS: The Mavs are 1.5-point favorites vs. the Nets.
NEXT: Dallas continues an east coast road trip with stops vs. the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets.
LAST WORD: Dinwiddie on his fit in Dallas:
“You know, I’ve been in a lot of places in my career. I’ve been in a lot of different situations. Your work environment can kind of be like dating sometimes, right. You want the person that wants you. Simple as that."
