Monta Ellis

Game Info

  • Tip Off: 5:30 PM PST
  • Television: CSNBayHD

Dallas Mavericks Team Profile

  • Offensive Efficiency: 106.3 (5th in NBA)
  • Defensive Efficiency: 104.3 (26th in NBA)

Scope the Opposition: Mavs Outsider Report.

Preview: The losing streak is over. The Golden State Warriors (9-6) ended a three-game skid last night against the New Orleans Pelicans (6-8). The Dubs were without Andrew Bogut who served a one-game suspension for showing Mo Williams of the Portland Trail Blazers (13-2) a little bit of love.

The Warriors are currently in the midst of a four-game road trip that will see them make stops at the Oklahoma City Thunder (9-3) and Sacramento Kings (4-9). The stretch started last night in New Orleans and will resume tonight at the Dallas Mavericks (9-6).

The Mavs may very well be on the cusp of the elite. They certainly have multiple interesting names such as Dirk Nowitzki, Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis and Shawn Marion to name a few.

The roster is constructed to complement the talents of Nowitzki and it certainly seems as though that is a success. He is receiving great support from his teammates, especially from Ellis.

The former Warrior is averaging 23.5 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting from the field. The pieces that surround the German allow Dallas to score at one of the best rates in the league.

Mind you, the defense leaves much to be desired and consequently, that might be the one factor holding this team back. Indeed, when looking at their schedule, what stands out is the quality of the opposition in the victories.

The teams projected to make the postseason have defeated the Mavericks fairly frequently. The units with poor chances at the playoffs on the other hand have had no success at all against Dallas.

Nowitzki and company are either an average at best or a below the radar contender that will get better as the season progresses. Thus, tonight’s matchup with the Warriors may very well give us an indication with respect to what kind of teams the Warriors and Mavericks are.

Golden State has the better defense and thus is expected to be the team, but other than against the San Antonio Spurs earlier in the season, they have failed to put the clamps on teams with top-five offenses.

They get another shot tonight.

Questions or comments? Feel free to leave them in the comments section or you can contact me by email at [email protected].

About The Author

J.M. Poulard is the Warriors World editor. He is also a contributor to ESPN TrueHoop sites Forum Blue and Gold (Los Angeles Lakers), Piston Powered (Detroit Pistons) and Raptors Republic (Toronto Raptors). He has a particular fondness for watching Eastern Conference ball games and enjoys the history of the sport. Feel free to reach out to him on Twitter (@ShyneIV).

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