:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44331422/usa-today-8263965.0.jpg)
Golden State Warriors (19-2) vs. Dallas Macericks (17-7)
11 a.m. PST
American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX
TV: CSNBA/HD | Radio: KNBR 680
Buddy blog: Mavs Moneyball
14 straight, and today the Golden State Warriors will look to make it number 15.
The Dubs will face off against the Dallas Mavericks who are currently ranked sixth in the ridiculously competitive western conference. Dallas has a record of 17 wins and seven L's while the Warriors record stands at a league best 19-2. This will be the first meeting of the year for the two clubs, and the Warriors will seek to improve upon their .443 all-time winning percentage against the Mav's.
While point guard Jameer Nelson and forward Chandler Parsons are both questionable, don't be surprised if they grit their teeth and suit up. The Mavericks will look to put forth a tremendous effort in the interest of snatching a W at home before embarking on a two-game back-to-back road trip against the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately for the Mavs they'll seek to get it done against a scorching hot Warriors team.
On the injury front for the Warriors it looks like Andrew Bogut will be riding pine again, although he only needs two points to reach 6,000 for his career. After having his knee drained (a very painful experience I know of first hand), he'll sit for the next two games at the least.
Get away from the water cooler!
Do the Warriors even remember what a loss feels like? They haven't experienced one for over a month and after 14 games straight it can be easy to lose focus and let your foot off the gas a bit. This team looks extremely focused, so while it's low on the totem pole of factors to worry about, it's one that can easily jump up and take a bit out of a team's positive momentum.
In wins against some of the league's toughest competition on paper, the Dubs have benefited from injuries all around the league. They've compiled wins against a Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat, Houston Rockets without Dwight Howard, Oklahoma City Thunder who were missing Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Not to discount what the Dubs have done so far this season, quality wins came against the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Bombs away boys!
The Mavericks currently lead the NBA in scoring, putting up 110.5 points per game. However they're ranked 25th in scoring defense, allowing 108.7 points per 100 possessions. More woes for Rick Carlisle's crew include the Mavericks allowing the highest percentage of opponent three-point field goals than any team in the league. Teams are shooting 40.1 percent against them from beyond the arc.
Even some of the league's worst from deep have lit up the Mavericks. In a 27-point win against the Charlotte Hornets, the Mavs allowed Charlotte to shoot a season high 45.5 percent from deep. They also gave up 41 percent from three to the Minnesota Timberwolves who average 32.4 percent on the season. It's safe to say they're not very adept at running shooters off the three point line, or getting a hand in the faces of wing players.
Good fortune for Klay Thompson who recently passed Chris Mullin (590) for fourth place on the Dubs all-time three-point list. He's only two three point buckets behind Tim Hardaway for the third all-time spot. While he's currently averaging 6.5 attempts and 2.8 trey's hit per game.
Either way, it smells like an afternoon of hoisting and hitting for the Warriors. Out of 140 games played during the regular season, last year the Warriors shot no less than .391 against the Mavericks and out of four games played, shot over 48 percent in two contests.