(Photo: Ned Dishman/Getty Images)
Regular Season Game 10
Mavericks (1-10) at Wizards (5-4)
November 7, 2017 at 7 PM Capital One Arena | Washington, D.C. TV: NBCSW Radio: 1500 AM
What to Watch: Taking Care of Business
Washington has already lost to the Lakers and Suns, two teams that they would all but certainly beat in a seven-game series. The Mavericks are another team that the Wizards should clearly beat, but if they have another poor effort on defense, Dallas is capable of pulling the upset. If Washington hopes to gain a top two seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture to ensure home court advantage until the Eastern Conference finals, they cannot afford to waste anymore opportunity to collect easy victories.
Key Matchup:
Harrison Barnes vs. Markieff Morris
Morris will likely still be on a minutes restriction, but should be able to play around 24 minutes with the starters on Tuesday. If that is the case, he will see plenty of Barnes who is still trying to live up to expectations as a max contract player, but certainly capable of getting a bucket. Barnes is averaging over 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, but is only shooting 42.4 percent from the field. This should be a good measuring stick to see how close Morris is to returning to 100 percent.
X-Factor:
John Wall Pass Or Play
The four-time All-Star sat out of Sunday's game in Toronto with a left shoulder sprain that caused him excruciating pain on Friday and it may be wise to take another rest day if he is still not back to full strength. The Wizards should be able to handle the Mavericks without Wall's services, but it may make things a bit tougher on offense unless Bradley Beal continues his hot streak of consecutive 35+ point games.
Fun Factor:
Mark Cuban in D.C.
One of the most interesting, and richest, team owners in the NBA, Cuban is always an animated fan sitting near his team's bench and is one of few owners that travels with his team. An interesting character that I got to chat with last season when he scoffed at what the Wizards think is high-tech with virtual reality. A man of the people, you may be able to get the billionaires autograph before the game tomorrow.
Prediction:
Dallas is clearly in a different mindset for this season and even though Rick Carlisle is a solid coach teaching legitimate talent in Dennis Smith Jr., Yogi Ferrell, and Dirk Nowitzki, Washington *should* roll to 6-4.