The Dallas Mavericks (7-6) stumble into Massachusetts on Sunday evening to play the Boston Celtics (10-2) on the second night of a back-to-back. On Saturday evening, the Mavericks elected to play little defense against a Cleveland Cavaliers team resting a big chunk of their rotation and were run up and down the court all evening. Boston comes into this game refreshed, having not played since Wednesday where they held off the Toronto Raptors to close out a four game road stretch.
The Mavericks come
into this one needing something but face off against a team that is red hot, winning five in a row and only losing two times this season.
Scoring on a stingy Boston defense
The Celtics come into Saturday’s game allowing the fewest points per game to opposing offenses at just 103 a game. While it’s true the Celtics have played a pretty weak schedule to date, they’re pummeling the teams in front of the on the defensive end.
The Mavericks have looked inept on offense the last few games, turning the ball over often and hitting far too few shots. Given the lack of creation on the offensive end, Dallas is going to need an outlier performance from a good chunk of the roster. If Kyrie Irving happens to sit (he’s played on one back-to-back this season), then things get bleak for the Mavericks.
Defensive pride
After a three-game homestand where the defense was, at minimum, active, these past two road games against the Timberwolves and the Cavaliers have been nothing short of awful. The Mavericks found themselves down by 15+ points in the first half; in losses, that’s a number they’ve become familiar with.
The transition defense and rebounding have been of the sort to make a coach pull his hair out. Playing against a Boston team that’s middle of the pack in terms of points scored but top 6 in efficiency, the Mavericks must be locked in like we haven’t seen since the Utah Jazz win.
I say pride in my subheader because at a certain point, energy and effort matter as much as scheme. The Mavericks have looked lethargic on the defensive end with very few bursts. It’s awful to watch, they’re just not good enough for that to happen in any game.
Short turnaround
What in the hell is the NBA league office doing scheduling a road back-to-back where Dallas plays at 6:30 pm CST one night, hops on a plane, then plays the next night at 5:00 pm CST? I don’t want to make excuses for guys who get paid a lot to play this game, but this is not fair to the players or the fans.
I don’t expect some Mavericks to suit up at all because they tried to come back against the Cavs to no avail. This makes this one a schedule loss (most likely) for everyone involved and that’s just stupid.
How to watch
KFAA Channel 29 or your Mavs TV app will have you covered locally for this one. The radio broadcast will be on KRLD 105.3 The Fan. Tipoff is scheduled for just after 5:00 p.m. CT from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
