Luka Doncic and his inconsistent cast
The 18-7 Dallas Mavericks got their five-game winning streak snapped on Monday following a 110-106 loss to the Sacramento Kings. The good news, though, is that they are coming off a three-day rest.
The longer-than-usual rest should be enough to get the Mavericks back in some rhythm and morale. We should the group come out aggressive, as lead, of course, by top MVP candidate, Luka Doncic. The 20-year-old phenom just broke a record (most consecutive games with at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists) and he’s virtually averaging a 30-point triple-double in the season (30 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 9.2 APG). Look for him to continue guiding the Mavs’ attack.
Doncic’s presence is needed more than ever as number two man, Kristaps Porzingis, is unable to get out of his ugly slump. Porzingis started out decent but is now just averaging 11.5 points on 35.3%-shooting in his last six games.
Their third most reliable scorer, Tim Hardaway, is also inconsistent. He’ll be fresh-off a season-high 29 points with nine threes, though, so we’ll how much of that he can carry moving forward.
The Mavs are 8-2 outside of their home floor.
Gaining some steam
The Detroit Pistons are ninth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-14 record. It’s a couple of spots below what was expected before the season started, but with a stretch that has them winning four of their last five, we’ll see.
All-Star Blake Griffin is off to a slow start as he is coming off a knee injury (18.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 39.9 FG%), but the other Pistons are stepping up to fill the void. Five other guys are averaging in double figures, including co-Allstar Andre Drummond, who’s growing as a force on multiple areas. He’s currently putting up career-highs in points (17.5 PPG), rebounds (16.7 RPG), and free-throw shooting (63.9%). Former MVP and beloved veteran Derrick Rose (16.1 PPG) and rising third-year swingman Luke Kennard (16.3 PPG) round out the main weapons of Detroit.
The Pistons are only 3-9 outside of their home floor.
PREDICTION:
Luka, as he’s been doing all year, will lead the Mavs to a victory. They win, 114-108.
