'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Brooklyn Nets will visit the Dallas Mavericks' American Airlines Center for a decisive game, especially for the home team's NBA Playoffs aspirations and seeding.
While the Brooklyn Nets (43-23) have already clinched a playoff berth and sit in second place in the Eastern Conference, Luka Doncic and his Dallas Mavericks have a 37-28 record and are fighting to stay clear of the Play-In tournament.
The Mavericks are currently fifth in the West but only have a one-game advantage over the seventh-placed Portland Trail Blazers.
Thursday's game will be the second and final meeting between the Brooklyn Nets and the Dallas Mavericks in the 2020-21 NBA regular season. The Mavericks secured a 115-98 win over the Nets back on February 27th.
Brooklyn Nets vs Dallas Mavericks prediction
While the Dallas Mavericks are looking to enter the 2021 NBA Playoffs directly, the Brooklyn Nets need to give more playing time to their superstars on Thursday. Only Durant and Irving will be available from the team's Big Three, with Harden still out due to hamstring issues.
The game will surely be a high-scoring affair, with both teams constructed in similar ways. The Brooklyn Nets' offense is the second-best in the NBA, with 118.1 points scored per 100 possessions, while the Dallas Mavericks rank eighth in Offensive Rating (115.1).
On defense, both teams are part of the bottom pack, with the Brooklyn Nets ranking 27th and the Dallas Mavericks ranking 20th out of the 30 NBA teams in Defensive Rating.
The Dallas Mavericks have played better than the Brooklyn Nets recently, as they have a 7-3 record in their last 10 games. The Brooklyn Nets are 5-5 in the same period.
Thursday's encounter will surely be a close ballgame, but the Brooklyn Nets are unlikely to succumb to their fourth consecutive defeat.
Brooklyn Nets vs Dallas Mavericks combined starting 5
Point Guard - Luka Doncic | Shooting Guard – Kyrie Irving | Small Forward - Tim Hardaway Jr. | Power Forward – Joe Harris | Center – Kevin Durant
Luka Doncic has been terrific throughout the 2020-21 NBA season and has been at the center of MVP talks throughout the entire year. The Slovenian has been carrying the Dallas Mavericks this year and is averaging 28.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game, with 49/36/72 shooting splits.
The Brooklyn Nets' backcourt is crowded with All-NBA talent when the team is at full strength. Kyrie Irving will be an essential player for the team in the NBA Playoffs with his experience and championship-winning resume. However, he's been tremendous in the regular season too, though he's missed various games for personal reasons.
Irving is averaging 27 points, five rebounds and six assists in the 2020-21 NBA campaign for the Brooklyn Nets. He has played 49 games in the campaign so far, the most among the Nets' Big Three.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has been great for the Dallas Mavericks the entire season and is the team's third-best scorer behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
In his last four appearances, Hardaway averaged 26.8 points per game with 53/52/83 shooting splits and even had a career-high 42 points against the Detroit Pistons on April 29th. The Dallas Mavericks' wing player averages 16 points per game this season, with 44/38/79 shooting splits.
To close our combined lineup, we have the Brooklyn Nets' Joe Harris and Kevin Durant.
Harris is averaging 14 points per game (having appeared in each of the Brooklyn Nets' 66 games this year) while shooting 50.9% from the field and a league-high 48% from the three-point line (6.5 attempts per game).
Meanwhile, Durant has performed well during his time on the court. However, the 2013-14 NBA MVP has played only 29 games for the Brooklyn Nets this year.
Durant is averaging 28.3 points (highest average in the regular season since his days with the OKC Thunder), 6.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while making 55% of his field goals, 47.9% of his threes and 87.5 from the free-throw line.
