Getty Luka Doncic chases down Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs.
After a slow start in their first game of the season, the Dallas Mavericks have won two-straight games. Projected to be one of the better teams in the NBA, they’ll have a real shot at keeping that winning streak alive on Thursday against the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs.
We’ve only played three games so far, but this might already be the best assist of the season 🪄
San Antonio is 1-3 to this point in the season, while the Mavericks hold a record of 2-1 overall.
On Thursday evening, the Mavs will play their second home game of the season as they take on the young Spurs team. At 8:30PM ET, these two teams will match up at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The Mavericks will play against San Antonio a total of four times this season, as they’re both in the same division. This will be the second consecutive game in which they’ll play an in-state rival.
Can the Mavericks keep their momentum heading into the weekend with another win?
Large Rotations
In their last game against the Rockets, Jason Kidd played the entire 15-man roster by the end of the third quarter. While this was extremely uncommon, it does speak to the depth of this Mavericks team.
Dallas has a ton of guys that have the ability to step up on any given night. This comes from the balance that the roster has.
To this point in the season, the Mavs have five players that have averaged double-digit points and nine that average at least five points per game.
While the overall team 3-point shooting isn’t great, they also have four players that are shooting 45% of better from beyond the arc.
Outside of scoring, Dallas also has four players that average at least five rebounds and two guys that average at least six assists. This balance makes it hard for teams to gameplan for the players on the roster outside of the Mavericks’ main core.
In every game this season, the primary supporting cast has looked different in terms of top producers. This is a good sign for depth, as long as a real rotation forms during the season and the Mavs get consistent play from their role players.
It’s worth noting, the Spurs are also a well-balanced team, with seven players who average ten or more points per contest.
Keys to the Game
The Mavs have struggled from the floor this season and are last in the NBA with a 40.4% clip from the field. They’re also the third worst 3-point shooting team at 30.5% on the season.
On the flip side, San Antonio is one of the most efficient teams on offense. Shooting 47.6% from the floor this season puts them at fourth in the NBA. They don’t take many 3s, with just 32.3 per game which is 25th in the league.
GettyFollowing DeMar DeRozan’s departure, Dejounte Murray takes over the reigns as the Spurs leader in 2021-22
On the bright side, Dallas is fifth in the NBA in rebounds (50.0 per game) and commit the fourth fewest turnovers (13.0 per game) of any team.
The Spurs struggle on the glass, pulling down just 44.8 rebounds per game. They combat that by being the best passing team in the league, dishing out 29.5 assists per game, which is most in the NBA.
With how balanced Spurs are, it’s hard to say who will be the main contributor of the team on Thursday. However, Keldon Johnson leads team with 18.3 points per game.