Dallas Mavericks Hope To Start 2018 With a Win

With the defending champs coming to town, the Dallas Mavericks look to win their fifth straight game.

The Dallas Mavericks (13-25) hope to start 2018 on a winning note tonight, but to do that they will have to beat the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors (29-8).

That is the bad news. The good news is the Mavs will be trying to do it in front of a rowdy home crowd in the American Airlines Center.

The Mavericks finished 2017 on a strong note by putting together a four-game win streak for the first time this season. This was especially impressive, considering that three of those teams had a record above .500 and three of the four games were on the road.

Unfortunately, the level of competition will only increase tonight as the Mavs play host to the league’s best when the Warriors come to town. The Mavs and Warriors have already played twice this year and the Warriors won both matchups. And the games weren’t remotely competitive.

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As discouraging as all of that may sound, Mavs’ fans should not just chalk this game up as a loss. The Mavs have played inspired basketball as of late and have displayed a refusal to quit. During the last four games, the Mavs made huge plays when they had to. Time after time, the Mavs made buckets or free-throws when the game was on the line.

That alone should make Mavs fans feel better about the impending match-up with the Warriors.

If the Mavs want to win tonight, they will have to continue to follow the formula that helped them win the last four games.  One of the keys to the four-game win streak has been hot shooting.

Also, the Mavs have had multiple players have productive nights on the offensive side of the ball in each of the four wins. The Mavs will need all the offensive productivity they can get against the dynamic offense of the Warriors.

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The Mavs will surely be underdogs in this game, but they will have a chance if they continue to play the kind of basketball that built the current win streak.

Tip-off will be at 8:30 P.M EST in the American Airlines Center in Dallas.