Prior to playing Golden State this past Tuesday at the Chase Center in San Francisco, the Dallas Mavericks had the longest active
winning streak in the NBA at seven games. That distinction now belongs to the Warriors.
And now, the Mavs and Warriors will meet for the second time in four days, this time at American Airlines Center. Meanwhile, the Warriors come to town winners of six consecutive games after they dispatched the Rockets in Houston on Thursday, 133-110.
It will be a challenging game for the Mavs, who have won 12 of their last 14 and are 23-15 at home, while the Warriors have a better road record (23-15) than home record (19-19).
But the Mavs come into this game flexing their muscles in a mighty big way. After defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 109-95, on Thursday, the Mavs have now held five of their last 12 opponents under 100 points, and have posted a perfect 5-0 record in those games.
What’s more, bouncing back from Tuesday’s 104-100 loss to the Warriors means the Mavs haven’t lost two games in a row since they dropped three straight to Boston, Philadelphia and Indiana from March 1-5.
“I think it just shows our toughness,” Mavs forward P.J. Washington said. “For us, the mindset we had was to come in (Thursday) and protect home court.
“Everybody was locked in and ready to play. Hats off to everybody. We stepped in and did everything we were supposed to do. We played like a team.”
And as the Mavs play a Warriors team that has an impressive 23-10 record since Jan. 30, they do so knowing their chemistry appears to be on-point.
“Winning a game of basketball is always great, but the chemistry that we have together, the bond that we’re building, it’s great,” Mavs forward Derrick Jones Jr. said. “I love it.
“We’re all having fun, enjoying each other’s success. That’s the main thing. We’re all out having fun and enjoying each other. That’s all I can tell you.”
Still, the Mavs will have to contend with a Warriors’ team that has won 15 of their last 18 road games. That includes winning an NBA season-high tying eight consecutive road games from Feb. 5-March 1.
In the meantime, the Mavs’ victory over the Hawks clinched at least a spot in the play-in tournament for Dallas. But of course, the Mavs are searching
for more. Much, much more.
“I’ve got a meme in my photos — as you know, professional athletes love memes — that the media put out,” Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said. “ESPN gave us a grade D for the trade (last season) of me coming here.
“I think us clinching a playoff spot and putting ourselves in a great position definitely answers some of those questions that were asked last season by some of the naysayers and all of that stuff. It’s a great moment to again answer those questions and succeed in clinching a playoff spot.”
Here are some other nuggets surrounding Friday’s game between the Mavs and Warriors.
*This is the second of a three-game home stand for the Mavs. The home stand concludes with Sunday’s 2:30 p.m. contest against Houston before the Mavs hit the road again for back-to-back games Tuesday in Charlotte and Wednesday in Miami, respectively.
*Friday’s game in Dallas completes the Texas two-step for the Warriors, who won Houston on Thursday, 133-110. After facing the Mavs, Golden State will next host Utah on Sunday before playing a pivotal game in Los Angeles on Tuesday against the Lakers which could determine seeds nine and 10 in regards to the play-in tournament.
*The Mavs will be without center Dereck Lively II (sprained right knee) and guard Josh Green (sprained right ankle) Friday. Lively suffered his injury this past Sunday against Houston, while Green has missed the past nine games after suffering his injury in the March 14 game at O
klahoma City.
*On the injury report for the Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga (knee tendinitis) and Dario Saric (right knee pain) have each missed the last five games.
*The Mavs converted 18 three-pointers Thursday against the Hawks. They are 32-10 this season when they make at least 15 three-pointers in a game.
*Despite being one of the smaller NBA teams, the Warriors get things done on the boards. Entering Friday’s game, the Warriors are first in the league in rebounding at 46.8 per game. They also are fourth in assists at 29.2 per contest.
*Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each scored 29 points in the victory over Houston. But in this past Tuesday’s win over the Mavs, Curry and Thompson were held to a combined total of just 27 points on 10-of-32 shooting. Thompson was 5-of-14 from the field and scored 14 points, and Curry was just 5-of-18 from the floor and tallied 13 points.
*Mavs guard Luka Dončić collected 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists while racking up his 20th triple-double of the season during Tuesday’s game against the Warriors. Also in that game, Kyrie Irving scored 27 points and P.J. Washington added 20 points for the Mavs.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (42-34) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (46-30)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV: WFAA, UniMás
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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