The Cleveland Cavaliers seem to have righted the ship after a tough stretch, winning three of their last four games, including a big win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. The Dallas Mavericks are trending in the other direction, having lost four of their past six games.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (40-25)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.4 ppg, 5.2 apg
G J.R. Smith – 12.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
F LeBron James – 26.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 7.3 apg
F Kevin Love – 16.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 10.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Dallas Mavericks (41-24)
G Rajon Rondo –9.4 ppg, 6.2 apg
G Monta Ellis – 19.2 ppg, 4.3 apg
F Chandler Parsons – 15.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg
F Dirk Nowitzki – 17.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg
C Tyson Chandler – 10.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg
What to watch for:
How will Rajon Rondo play?
The Mavericks have been largely inconsistent since trading for Rondo. When he's not clicking with the rest of the team, Dallas can be beaten by almost anyone. However, when he's focused and playing team basketball, they'll beat everybody. I expect him to step up to meet the challenge of facing Kyrie Irving and play well.
Kevin Love vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Aside from the point guard battle, this matchup will largely determines who wins this game. The Mavericks don't have anyone that can stop LeBron James one-on-one, so it's important for Nowitzki to outplay love to balance that out. Love is not a great defender, so Nowitzki should have a field day.
Prediction: Mavs win 109-105
Dallas desperately needs a big win, and I think they'll come out playing inspired basketball. They'll hold a slim advantage for most of the game before holding on for the narrow victory.
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