NBA Playoffs LISTEN: Can Mavs Take Advantage of Abysmal Road Warriors?
As the Dallas Mavericks gear up for a pivotal Wednesday night matchup against the Golden State Warriors, there is a significant focus placed on the ever-changing outlook for teams competing for positioning in the Western Conference playoff race.
On Tuesday night, our own Grant Afseth joined "The Get Right" with Kevin Gray and Reginald Adetula on 105.3 The Fan to discuss the latest surrounding the Mavs, including Wednesday's matchup against the Warriors and the experience of covering the team on the road. You can listen here as it begins near the 17-minute mark of the segment.
The Mavs are coming off a disappointing loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in which featured losing a 16-point lead that was established late in the third quarter. With Luka Doncic sidelined, Dallas was contained to a staggeringly low total of 12 points in the fourth quarter.
“We just misfired on offense,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “We had some mismatches that we didn’t take advantage of.
“So when we go back and look at this for everyone, we’re going to see it and we’re going to get better from it.”
After falling back to .500 on the season with a 36-36 record, the Mavs were surpassed by the Oklahoma City Thunder for seventh in the Western Conference standings. The Thunder defeated the LA Clippers on Tuesday night and hold the tie-breaker with the Mavs.
A win would be pivotal for the Mavs against the Warriors on Wednesday. Not only because it will determine the tie-breaker between the two teams, but also, the Mavs only hold a half-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz for ninth and tenth in the standings.
Doncic and Irving are both considered questionable to play against the Warriors, but Doncic appears to be trending significantly in the right direction toward playing. Irving, on the other hand, was in a walking boot after Monday's game after re-aggravating his right foot injury, making his outlook to play unclear until closer to tipoff.
One thing working in the Mavs’ favor is the Warriors’ abysmal road record. The defending champs are just 8-29 on the road season, so regardless of who plays at AAC on Wednesday night, the Mavs should like their chances.
“I just got to make it back home to Dallas and then start my recovery work and do everything I can to prepare for the next game,” Irving said. “Take time to rest and exhaust all my options possible to be ready to play the next game.”
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