Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA final last season when Luka Doncic wore an otherwise average team through the treacherous Western Conference water.
This season, Maverick’s generation star was shopping for Los Angeles Lakers and the franchise fell for most of the second half of the season before landing the last Play-in spot in the west.
No. 10 Frö Dallas (39-43) now seems to take advantage of the life raft when visiting No. 9 Frö Sacramento Kings in Wednesday night’s do-or-die competition.
The season is over for the loser. The winner is moving forward to play the loser of Tuesday’s competition between No. 7 Golden State Warriors and No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies for a quay in the playoffs.
“We are two wins from getting to the next step on our trip,” said Sacramento Interim coach Doug Christie.
Kings (40-42) swept the three-game series from Dallas during the regular season and won by 10, 1 and 24 points. Only the first matchup was in the rabid atmosphere in Sacramento.
“That place is really hard to win in a playoffs, so we look forward to that challenge,” said Dallas guard Max Christie. “I think if we can get past that game, it will hopefully help us get into the playoffs.”
The loss 122-98 to the kings on March 3 was extra painful for Mavericks. It was the night’s standout guard Kyrie Irving got a season ending ACL-year in his left knee.
Irving’s injury came during a distance where Dallas lost nine out of ten matches. Although he lost four of his last five games in the regular season, Mavericks got the last play-in spot when Phoenix Suns collapsed into the route.
Maverick’s acquired outstanding Anthony Davis in the Doncic business, but he has played in just nine matches due to injuries. A boring program list remained and did it in addition to challenging for Dallas to win games.
“It’s just a series of obstacles and hardships that we handled throughout the season,” said Maverick’s Big Man Daniel Gafford. “There are many mental frustrations, many emotions with a lot of things that went on throughout the team’s injury, and I feel like how we handled it is like something else team would have. Just come out, keep doing the same thing we do on a daily basis.”
Dallas veteran Kyy Thompson was at the Golden State team that lost to Kings last season in the Play-in round and he need not be reminded of what his state line looked like.
Thompson missed all ten shots and went speechless at 32 minutes of the loss 118-94 in what was his last game with Warriors.
He said his approach will not change.
“As if I were approaching any other game after the season – give it your undivided attention and ultimate effort and live with the results,” Thompson said.
Sacramento had its own upheaval when Mike Brown was dismissed as coach 31 matches during the season. Later, Star Point Guard De’aaron Fox was traded to San Antonio Spurs in a three-team agreement that sent Zach Lavine from Chicago Bulls to Kings.
But Sacramento has a potent threesome in star Big Man Deman’s Sabonis, forward Derozan and Lavine are demolished. In addition, King won four of his last six matches.
“I feel we play our best basketball in the last six or seven matches,” Sabonis said. “We have to use that momentum in Play-in.”
Sacramento also has Burly Big Man Jonas Valanciunas and it is no small footnote. The Lithuanians have played in more Play-in games (eight) than any other NBA player and have the record of 23 returns in a game. This will be his sixth straight season in the play-in round.
“Is it a good thing or a bad thing? I would rather be a 6 seed,” said Valanciunas. “That’s what it is. Now we have to fight and win the games.”
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