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Game Information
Golden State Warriors (56-14) vs Dallas Mavericks (30-39)
Date: Tuesday March 21st, 2017
Location: American Airlines Arena — Dallas, TX
Time: 8:30pm EST | 5:30pm PST
TV: CSN Bay Area
Radio: 95.7 The Game
Blog buddy: Mavs Moneyball
The Golden State Warriors face the Dallas Mavericks for the third time this season in the second leg of this road back-to-back. The comes after an emotional victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which the Warriors found a rhythm that has largely escaped them since Kevin Durant’s injury.
The Warriors won their last two match-ups against the Mavericks, both of which were played at Oracle, by a margin of 21 and 9 points respectively. Former Warrior Harrison Barnes scored 25 points in both of those outings, while former Santa Cruz Warrior, Seth Curry, has since earned his position as a productive starter.
The Mavericks have won 19 of the past 30 games that Seth Curry has started — good for a 63% win percentage, compared to their 43% on the season. These include wins against the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards.
Their recent success hasn’t come without hiccups; the Mavericks lost by 42 points to Philadelphia 76ers in their penultimate game. Every win is also bittersweet, as the Mavericks are 2.5 games out of the playoff race and find that improving their record comes at the cost of their lottery chances if they do not secure the spot.
That being said, they have made smart acquisitions, from talented guard Yogi Ferrell, who was an unknown commodity passed on by the likes of the Brooklyn Nets, to Nerlens Noel, who has flourished with the playtime and support of a new franchise.
The Warriors must look to set the tone early and not relax after a fantastic outing against the Thunder. The Mavericks are finally playing back in Dallas after a long road trip — which is often described as playing an additional road game — and the Warriors must deal with their own disadvantage of coming off a back-to-back. The Warriors can continue their positive momentum by playing another focused game on both ends; all that is left to be seen is if they can muster the same enthusiasm as they did for the marquee matchup against the Thunder.
Things to watch for:
- Stephen Curry vs Seth Curry - Always fun to watch, if not just for the similarities and differences in their games. Seth has played particularly well in recent games, and both have another gear when playing against each other.
- Harrison Barnes - Barnes may have gotten the residual feelings out against his former team in the past two matchup, but expect him to bring something a little extra as he is playing in front of a home crowd.
- Mavericks 14-6 at home since January, 6-1 since All-Star Break - The Mavericks have hit a stride recently and have pulled off wins against contender level teams. A win would be huge for this team that’s still on the outside looking into the playoff picture.