W2W4: Mavs to take backcourt challenge
Jason Kidd's minutes restrictions might have to be thrown out the window tonight when the Dallas Mavericks take on the guard-savvy Philadelphia 76ers.
The Mavs will be without Jason Terry (personal reasons), Delonte West (fractured finger) and Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons) tonight against a club that is tied for the most home wins in the NBA with 13.
Two guards lead the Sixers in scoring; reserve Lou Williams (16.1 ppg) and Jrue Holiday (13.7). And then there's swingman Andre Iguodala (12.2) and Evan Turner (8.9) off the bench with Sweet Lou. Dallas is down to Kidd, Vince Carter and Dominique Jones.
How do the Mavs keep up with all those young, athletic guards? Does Shawn Marion continue his defense of the point guard or does he have to stick on Iguodala?
Good questions. We'll have to wait for the answers.
Records: Mavs (19-11), Sixers (20-10)
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV: ESPN, FSSW
Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Jason Kidd. Plain and simple. With only Dominique Jones (and Lamar Odom) available to run the point, how long can Kidd go? Who does he guard? Can he keep the hot hand in a game in which the Mavs will need scoring from him? Kidd is coming off a season-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc in Wednesday's win against Denver. Coach Rick Carlisle is trying to keep Kidd's minutes around 25 and no more than 32. That could be challenging tonight, the start of three games in four days.
Key matchup: Lou Williams vs. Shawn Williams/Dominique Jones
Typically, this would be a great matchup of sixth men, but Jason Terry is not with the team for personal reasons. So, that means Dominique Jones is a prime candidate to go up against the Sixers' 6-foot-1 leading scorer. And when Jones is not in, does that mean 6-7 Shawn Marion must take Sweet Lou. This is a difficult matchup for Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, so this should be very, very interesting.
Injuries: Mavs - G Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) is out; G Jason Terry (personal reasons) is out; G Rodrigue Beaubois (personal reasons) is out. Sixers - C Spencer Hawes (left Achilles strain) is doubtful.
Up next: Mavs at New York Knicks, noon, Sunday.
Jeff Caplan
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jeff Caplan
Jeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Rangers and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Marc Stein
Marc Stein began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 as Senior NBA Writer. He also makes regular appearances on "SportsCenter," "NBA Shootaround," "NBA Fastbreak," "NBA Coast To Coast," ESPNEWS, ESPN "First Take" and ESPN Radio.
Jeff "Skin" Wade
Jeff Wade joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of "The Ben & Skin Show," heard weekdays from 9a-12p on 103.3 FM ESPN, and also works as sideline analyst for the TV broadcast of all Maverick home games.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast ESPN's Stephen A. Smith chimes in on the Dallas Mavericks' season, their free agency plans and more.
Play Podcast Mike and Mike join Ben and Skin to discuss Jerry Jones' window and the Mavs future. They don't see Dirk Nowitzki leaving even if the Mavs miss out on the dream of Deron Williams or Dwight Howard.
Play Podcast Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki says he's too old to stay with a rebuilding franchise but couldn't imagine himself leaving the city of Dallas.
Play Podcast Is the Dwight Howard to the Mavs dream alive? Dwight still wants out of Orlando and it could open the door for the Mavs to put a proposal together.
Play Podcast Mavs guard Delonte West dishes on his desire to return to the Mavs, his relationship with Lebron James and how he ended up hanging out with Dez Bryant over the weekend.
Play Podcast Ben and Skin discuss the three most important figures for the Rangers, Mavs, and Cowboys. Who is the most vital to the ultimate success of each organization?
TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Dirk Nowitzki
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.4 | ||||||||||
| Assists | J. Kidd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Steals | J. Kidd | 1.7 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | B. Wright | 1.3 | ||||||||||
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