The Dallas Mavericks (33-33, 10th in the Western Conference) are set to face off for the fourth and final time this season against their Interstate 35 neighbors, the San Antonio Spurs. This matchup comes just 48 hours after the Mavericks snapped a five-game losing streak on Monday, beating the Spurs 133-129. Kessler Edwards set a career high in both points & rebounds in that contest, which along with a relatively quiet game from new Spur De’Aaron Fox, allowed the Mavs to escape with a win.
With that in mind, let’s play two! Here’s what you should know before tipoff.
Missed opportunities
With a pair of losses in this baseball set, the Mavericks could’ve gotten within a single game of the 9th place Spurs in the Tankathon race. However, since they won the first game of this series, those dreams of a top 10 pick will probably go unrealized, as Dallas is now a full four losses behind the Spurs.
To add insult to injury, the Phoenix Suns lost once again on Monday night to the Memphis Grizzlies. Because of that, Dallas again holds a 2 1⁄2 game lead over the Suns for the 4th & final play-in spot. The Suns must continue to just be thankful that the Mavericks exist, sparing them from a lot of the embarrassment that should be thrown their way. The “race” for the 10th spot should still see the Suns as favorites, but that’s less about them and more about the Mavs trying to end this season as quickly as humanly possible.
Finding Fox
De’Aaron Fox was noticeably pedestrian in Monday night’s contest, scoring just 14 points on 13 shots. It’s safe to assume that the Spurs will be looking to get him going early & often in this game, considering that he is their best player with Victor Wembanyama sidelined for the remainder of the season. With Dallas lacking in the rim protection department, I expect to see a lot of drives to the basket early on by Fox to get himself in a rhythm.
Going for the sweep
The Mavericks haven’t lost to the Spurs since April 9, 2023, when they tanked the game and lost 138-117 in effort to secure a top 10 pick. In fact, in games that the Mavericks have been actively trying to win, the Mavericks haven’t lost to the Spurs since April 11, 2021, when they lost at home 119-117 to the Demar Derozan led Spurs. So, the Mavericks have won 14 in a row against the Spurs when they’ve tried to win. Can they keep the streak alive for another season?
How to watch
This is a 7:00 pm tipoff from San Antonio. The game will be carried on KFAA Channel 29, and streaming on Mavs TV locally. Out of the region, NBA League Pass has you covered.
