The race for playoff positioning is a day-to-day adventure in the ultra competitive Western Conference, and two teams in the thick of it all look to gain ground against each other — despite some separation in Sheridan’s most recent Power Rankings.
The Dallas Mavericks — on a three-game winning streak including an impressive win over the Spurs — look to snap their seven-game road skid as they visit the Denver Nuggets in Monday’s best game.
It has been a tale of home and away for the Mavericks (26-20) in the month of March: they have won all five games at the American Airlines Center while losing all five games on the road. One season after tying the Heat for the best road mark in the league at 28-13, they have fallen to 8-13 this season.
Things may be looking up, however, as they have managed to average 104.6 in the last three outings after failing to score 100 points in 12 of the past 13 games.
One player that has stayed consistent throughout the month is Dirk Nowitzki who has found his shooting touch, averaging 24.8 points on 48.9% shooting from the field, including 48.8% on 4.1 3-point attempts and 93.1% free throws on 5.8 attempts in his last 10 games.
Rodrigue Beaubois has also come on as of late, averaging 16.3 points on a robust 59% shooting, six rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in the last three games.
Meanwhile, Denver (25-20) has two games remaining on their season-high nine-game homestand and look to finish off on a strong note after alternating between wins and losses over the past seven games. The team trails Dallas in the standings by just a half-game for the sixth seed in the West.
Finding his groove in the last three games, Danilo Gallinari is averaging 18 points after scoring just 4.5 points in the four games since his return from an ankle injury. He leads the team with 15.6 points per game.
Rookie Kenneth Faried, perhaps one of the reasons Nene became expendable, had a notable game against his idol, Kevin Garnett, and the Celtics with 18 points and 16 rebounds in 23 1/2 minutes and is averaging 10.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in just under 23 minutes per game as a starter.
The team may finally get a full look at its roster. Wilson Chandler signed a 5-year deal worth nearly 37 million and may be available tonight along with newly acquired center JaVale McGee, while Ronny Turiaf looks for a new team,