Is Luka about to return?
Luka Doncic (ankle) has been gone for pretty much five games, and though the Dallas Mavericks have shown a whole lot of fight and flashes without their MVP, he has to return soon. He reportedly felt good in practice and wants to come back against the Spurs.
The Mavs have continued to alternate wins and losses in his absence, an inconsistency that had them beating the Milwaukee Bucks on the road and also blowing a second-half, 30-point lead… in regulation!
We should continue seeing Kristaps Porzingis produce well if Doncic stays sidelined. The Unicorn is putting up 22.4 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game ever since his partner in crime went down. He had a double-double (18 pts, 10 rebs) in the Mavs’ 117-110 win over the San Antonio Spurs last November 18th.
The same goes for Tim Hardaway Jr., who’s averaging 18 points and 3.6 threes across his last five outings.
The Mavs currently stand at 19-10 (8-7 at home). They are fourth in scoring (117.2 PPG) and first in offensive efficiency.
Gregg Popovich’s toughest Spurs season continues
It’s been a terrible year for coach Pop and his men, as the Spurs are only 12-17 (4-9 on the road) and remain outside the Western Conference’s playoff picture. As a small sign of hope, though, they have gone 6-5 ever since that ugly eight-game losing streak in November.
For better or worse, All-Stars DeMar DeRozan (20.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.9 APG) and LaMarcus Aldridge (19.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG) are still the focal point of the Spurs. It is more apparent than before that the two are struggling to lead the team because they are not fit to do so in today’s style. Though DeRozan can play fast at any given night, both ultimately tilt towards the old school, half-court type of offense that’s pretty much washed out for the past couple of seasons.
DeRozan (36 points), Aldridge (16 points), and Bryn Forbes (13 points) were the only Spurs to reach double figures in that loss to the Mavericks last month. Outside of the two All-Stars, the rest of the team also shot just 37% from the floor.
PREDICTION:
The Mavs take it after an entertaining clash, 109-103.
