Dallas Mavericks (6-3) at Detroit Pistons (5-4)
As they have needed to do so much of the last two seasons, the Dallas Mavericks proved they can win without swingman Josh Howard on the court in their 89-77 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Though Dallas is clearly a better team when Howard is on the court, with No. 5 out indefinitely while he returns to rehabbing his surgically-repaired left ankle, Dallas has to move on and find a way to make up for his production on the court.
With and without Howard, the Mavs have shot poorly for long stretches this season but Dallas has learned how to win when the shots aren't falling. Dallas' defensive intensity has made up for their inability to score at times, though the Mavericks will need both if they are going to win the third game of a four-game road trip against the offensively-potent Detroit Pistons.
(Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Defending Ben Gordon tops Dallas' priority list
The two teams met exactly one month ago in the preseason, with Dallas leaving their home floor with a 113-88 runaway win. Now Dallas enters Detroit and the game actually counts in the standings. Despite their 5-4 record, the Pistons are on a three-game win streak and figure to be a much-improved team by season's end.
"They’re still a team that’s going to compete in the East. To me, they’re certainly a playoff team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "There are probably going to be better than a lot of people think. They’ve got a lot of weapons, and they’re going to stretch you out with a lot of ball movement, drive-and-kick and pick-and-rolls, so it’s going to be another good test for our defense."
The new-look Pistons made a great impression on Carlisle when they signed free agent forward Charlie Villanueva and guard Ben Gordon this offseason. While stopping Villanueva is one of the Mavs' top priorities, containing Gordon heads the list of concerns.
“(Ben Gordon) is a big time scorer,” Carlisle said of Detroit's high-volume scoring sixth man before their preseason matchup. “He is going to be extremely aggressive, and he’s capable of 30 and 40-point nights. That type of weapon off the bench is extremely valuable.”
The Mavs take on the Pistons on Sunday evening, with the game airing on FSN Southwest at 5:00 p.m. CT. Dallas completes its four-game road trip on the back end of a back-to-back in Milwaukee, taking on rookie standout Brandon Jennings and the Bucks with the game airing on FSN Southwest at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Dallas returns to the American Airlines Center on Oct. 18, when the Mavs host the San Antonio Spurs, after the Spurs handed Dallas a 92-83 road loss on Wednesday night. The game will air locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA 21 HD and nationally on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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