A Texas showdown ensues on Monday night as the San Antonio Spurs visit the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The win-starved Spurs are looking the break their five-game dry spell while the Mavs will be out to finally establish a winning momentum.
It was a fine start for Gregg Popovich and his squad as they started the season unblemished after three games. They, however, hit a drought since, crossing out just two wins in their next 10 assignments – the last of which saw Popovich getting tossed against the Blazers, forcing Tim Duncan and the rest of the staff to take over the huddles.
The Mavs are having quite a different story. After 12 games, they are enjoying a winning record of 7-5 which is good for the seventh spot in the Western Conference, but Rick Carlisle and his boys do have their own struggles in that stretch.
The Mavs are still looking for that one haymaker that will open the floodgates for a consistent winning run to be unleashed. Ahead of this match, they are currently even at home with three wins and three losses while also splitting their last 10 games squarely. But one thing they can bank on is their huge win against the defending champs Toronto Raptors last Saturday. Confidence must be a factor and no other perfect time to flaunt it but to take advantage of a topsy-turvy Spurs.
Luka Doncic will be his usual self as the prized guard has already fixed himself at the forefront of the Dallas franchise. At this point, the Slovenian star is flirting with a triple-double average, tallying 28.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game.
Demar Derozan and Lamarcus Aldridge will have to step up big time if the Spurs are to stop their bleeding. While their team takes pride in team basketball, it will not hurt so much if the two former All-Stars gear up higher offensively. The team has a decent support cast and Popovich – as odd as it is – must utilize his bench better. The Spurs must figure things out before it’s too late.
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