The Mavs will face a challenge in containing Sabonis in one-on-one situations due to their lack of lateral agility. It remains to be seen how they will handle him. It’s worth noting that their two losses against Sacramento occurred before they acquired Gafford and P.J. Washington at the trade deadline.
In the case of Dončić, it can be observed and noted on the TV screen that he is choosing to put more effort into defensive play, resulting in positive outcomes. However, in the recent 15-20 games, he has not had consistent poor performances in shooting from long range, but it appears that every other game is a little below par, as seen in Monday’s game against Utah. In the past few games, the Mavs have managed to overcome Dončić’s worst shooting performance against the Spurs and a cold first half in last night’s game against Utah. Fans will gladly accept eight wins in nine games in exchange for a slight decline in Dončić’s career-high 3-point shooting percentage this year.
The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to pose a tougher challenge for the Mavs in Tuesday’s game than the first one.
Is there another positive aspect? Even if the Mavericks lose the first game in Sacramento while on the road and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, their most important game of the season will just be delayed until Friday.
Maintain the defensive strategy.
In their last 10 games, the Mavs have only allowed an average of 110 points per game. They have successfully kept three of their opponents from scoring 100 points or more during this period and have only allowed over 120 points twice.
Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II have been crucial in maintaining the Mavericks’ defensive strength by disrupting shots and providing support on rebounds, limiting their opponents to just one shot per possession. However, the Kings’ Domantas Sabonis presents a particularly difficult obstacle for opposing big men with his versatile abilities in the mid-range, ball-handling, and passing. This makes him a less-than-ideal matchup for both Gafford and Lively.
Dončić is giving his all on both offense and defense. He currently ranks seventh in the league with an average of 1.5 steals per game and has become even more disruptive since the All-Star break compared to his previous career performance.
The supporting players must make use of the opportunities that Dončić and Irving provide for them, as they did in a previous game this year against a strong offensive team like the Kings. It was a positive sign to see Tim Hardaway Jr. (13 points, four assists) find his rhythm in the first half against the Jazz on Monday and for Washington (16 points, four rebounds) to make some shots in the final moments to secure the 115-105 victory over Utah.
Improve your perimeter shooting skills
However, what about the other members of the team? In the previous 15 games, the Mavericks as a whole have a 3-point shooting percentage of slightly above 34%. Some players on the team are currently struggling to make shots, and their cold streak cannot be explained in the same manner as Dončić’s inconsistent shooting from beyond the arc in the past month or so.
The Dallas Mavericks (42-29) are on a crucial five-game road trip in the Western Conference and will face the Sacramento Kings (42-29) at the Golden 1 Center twice in a row, starting with Tuesday’s game. This match is highly important as both teams are tied for sixth place in the conference and the Kings have already won the previous two games against the Mavericks this season.
Recently, there has been discussion about the team’s performance and whether sacrificing some success in 3-pointers for stronger defense is worth it. The assumption is that the team can only excel in one aspect, implying that improving defense means sacrificing outside shooting.
Despite the Kings having multiple tiebreaker advantages over Dallas, it would not be a negative outcome if they both win one game in their upcoming match-ups. Should they still be tied in the rankings after their rematch on Friday, Dallas has a more favorable nine-game schedule to end the season compared to Sacramento. A split result gives a chance for the sixth seed.
There are two tasks that the Mavericks must accomplish in order to surprise some individuals and surpass the Kings, securing the sixth place solely for themselves:
