Mavs at Nets GAMEDAY: 'No Panic' Dallas Seeks Bounce-Back Win vs. Durant, Irving

The Dallas Mavericks loss to the New Orleans Pelicans left bad taste in everyone's mouths as the team left Smoothie King Center. Now, Luka Doncic, Christian Wood and the rest of the gang will try to bounce back against a struggling Brooklyn Nets squad playing on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Dallas Mavericks (1-2) look to bounce back into the win column at Barclays Center on Thursday night as they take on the talented-but-struggling Brooklyn Nets (1-3).

The Mavs got a day of rest after their 113-111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Nets will be on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both played nearly 40 minutes against the Bucks, so fatigue could potentially play a factor when they face Luka Doncic, Christian Wood, Spencer Dinwiddie and the rest of mostly-rested Mavs’ squad.

Here's everything you need to know before tonight's game.

WHAT TO WATCH: Obviously, everyone will be interested is seeing if Doncic and Wood can keep up their star-duo pace. Doncic is averaging 34 points per game and Wood is averaging 24 points in just 26 minutes per game.

For this particular game, though, we’re interested in seeing how Dinwiddie performs in his second return to Brooklyn as a member of the Mavs. The first time was memorable last season, as Dinwiddie nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer as time expired to give the Mavs a 113-111 win. He’s coming off a 24-point, five-assist performance in New Orleans and is averaging 18 points per game on the season while shooting 56 percent from the field. Let’s see if he can keep it against his former team tonight.

INJURY REPORT (DALLAS): Dāvis Bertans (right knee effusion) is OUT, Frank Ntilikina (right ankle effusion) is OUT, Tim Hardaway Jr. (right foot soreness) is questionable.

INJURY REPORT (BROOKLYN): Not submitted as of 8:30 a.m. CT. Check back in later for updates.

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (1-2), Brooklyn Nets (1-3)

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. CT

WHERE: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)

TV: Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW), NBA TV

RADIO: 97.1 The Freak, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

ODDS: The Mavs are currently 2.5-point favorites over the Nets. Click here for real-time betting odds updates.

POD PREVIEW: The Mavs Step Back Podcast recaps the loss to the Pelicans and previews the game against the Nets. One major key to the game: force Ben Simmons to beat you.

NEXT UP: Dallas will fly back home for a Saturday night matchup against the young Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center. It's a game the Mavs should win, but as we saw on Tuesday night in New Orleans, anything can happen. Doncic and the rest of the gang must respect their opponent whether they're favored or not.

FINAL WORD: “We got beat in all phases of defense,” said Dinwiddie after the loss to the Pelicans. “They were getting transition points, getting layups. Coach said they (had) 20-of-26 (points at one point) on layups, and that’s way too much to give up. You can’t do that and expect to win. In the first two games we did a pretty good defensive job.

"This is our first game with true defensive breakdowns. It’s three games in. There’s no reason to panic. Just learn and grow.”

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