Golden State Warriors (9-6) at Dallas Mavericks (9-6)
Tipoff: Wed. 11/27/2013, 5:30 PM PDT
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (by @goldenstatenz)
The Golden State Warriors take on the Dallas Mavericks after beating the New Orleans Pelicans last night 102-101. Last season, the Warriors won two out of the three games against the Mavericks.
In last night’s win over the Pelicans, the Warriors received significant contributions from Jermaine O’Neal, Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry. O’Neal sat out four games with a sore wrist, viral infection, bruised knee, and a strained groin. In his return, he had season-highs of 18 points and eight rebounds.
“That’s why we went and got him. He plays similar defense as (Andrew) Bogut,” Mark Jackson said about O’Neal’s performance. “He anchors our defense and is a presence in the post. He came ready to score. We missed Bogut but Jermaine (O’Neal) did an outstanding job at caring us at times.”
Thompson had a team-high 22 points, and Curry almost had a triple double with 16 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
The Warriors also got solid contributions from a couple of their reserves last night. Draymond Green had seven points, three assists, three steals, and three blocks in 23 minutes. Although his stat line might not show it, Nemanja Nedovic also had a solid outing in his 12 minutes last night. The Warriors need Green and Nedovic to bring some energy off the bench, especially since this is their second game of a back-to-back.
Andrew Bogut didn’t play in last night’s game because he was suspended for one game, but he will play tonight. Look for him to have a major impact on defense and for him to be integrated more into the offense.
This matchup will serve as a reunion for the Warriors and a former fan favorite. Ex-Warrior Monta Ellis signed with the Mavericks in the offseason, and he’s a significant reason why the Mavericks have gotten off to such a great start.
Ellis currently leads the team in points (23.5) and assists (5.3) per game, and he’s been much more efficient this season. He’s shooting 49.6 percent from the field, which is quite impressive given the fact that he’s a career 45.7 percent shooter. He’s also shooting 35.9 percent from three, compared to his career average of 31.9 percent. Ellis is having a great year because, for the first time in his career, he doesn’t have to be the first option, offensively. Playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki has allowed him to play more freely and with less pressure. The Mavericks’ offense doesn’t depend on just Ellis, and he’s flourishing because of it.
Keys to the game:
1) David’s defense: David Lee has certainly improved on defense this year. With that being said, he will have the tough task of guarding Dirk Nowitzki tonight. Lee might have trouble with this assignment because Nowitzki doesn’t play like a normal power forward. Nowitzki likes to stretch the floor and shoot mid-range jumpers or three-point shots, and he’s crafty with his shots. Even though it’s the second game of a back-to-back, Lee is going to have to find a way to bring some energy defensively.
2) All-around game from Klay: We all know that Klay Thompson is an above-average defender. He’s proven that he can guard bigger shooting guards and small forwards and smaller, quicker point guards. He’s going to have to use those quick feet of his to keep up with Monta Ellis. Offensively, Thompson has had difficulty with having two big shooting nights in a row. After having a big game last night, he needs to produce on both ends of the court tonight. He can’t afford to save his energy for just offense or just defense.
3) Good third quarter: In the last three games, the Warriors have allowed their opponents to get back into games and build big leads in the third quarter. The Los Angeles Lakers went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers went on a 17-5 run, and the Pelicans went on a 17-9 run. The Warriors haven’t had trouble building leads, but they need to find a way to maintain them, especially in the third quarter.
4) Bring the energy: The Warriors have not performed well so far this season in the second game of back-to-backs. In fact, they are 0-3 in those games. In those three losses, they’ve looked tired, and it’s led to sloppy play. The Warriors need to bring the energy tonight, especially on defense, because the Mavericks rank fourth in the NBA in points per game with 105.7.
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