Dallas Mavericks: Can the Detroit Pistons slow down Luka Doncic?

The Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons meet tonight for the 2nd time this season and this month. Last time, Luka Doncic went off back at the AAC. Can he do the same on the road?

With another road double-header finishing up tonight, the Dallas Mavericks probably feel at least a little bit better about this one than the ones in the past. This time, they are playing a team that they have beat so recently that it is undoubtedly still fresh in their memory. Part of the reason it is likely still fresh is because they beat the Detroit Pistons despite a big night from Blake Griffin.

A big reason the Mavs grabbed the win in this one was the stellar play of the backcourt for maybe the first time all season. It may be that they are finding a way to coexist, it may be that Carlisle has figured out a way to do the rotation where they don’t play as many minutes together or it may be that they are both talented enough to work through it. Either way, Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic put up a nice performance against the Pistons on January 25th.

The two players combined for 51 of Dallas’ 106 points, something that was desperately needed on a rough shooting night from both Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews. Doncic also finished the game with 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and a block. He followed that up with a triple-double the very next game against Toronto and then DSJ got one yesterday against the Knicks.

Both players are on a hot streak and, with the way Matthews and Barnes played last night, Dallas could be a force to be reckoned with if they can keep it up. The Mavs are winners of 3 of their last 4 with the lone loss coming in a very winnable game vs. Toronto.

With three very winnable games coming up starting tonight and a 23-27 record, the Mavs are in position to make a move up the Western Conference standings. Currently 4.5 games out of the 8th spot in the West, if the Mavs can fight their way up to .500, they will be right in the thick of things going forward.

The even more important part of the entire situation is that the NBA trade deadline is exactly one week away. After Dirk Nowitzki gave us a vintage performance last night, it was clearer than ever that Dallas should still be fighting for a playoff birth this season. A lot of that will be reliant on what they do in the next seven days.

The Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons will be tipping off at 6:00 central time this evening. The game will be played up in Detroit where the Mavs haven’t won since April 1, 2016. If Dallas does win, they will have equaled the total wins from last season with 31 games left.