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Even without Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets are currently dominating the NBA, and welcome the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday to the Barclays Center.
Durant has missed the Nets' last 6 games which, if anything, has only put a spotlight on how immense Brooklyn look this season. During this run, rallied by stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Nets have knocked off the Suns, Clippers and Lakers - no mean feat to complete without your top scorer.
The Dallas Mavericks have shown similar form recently, winning 7 of their last 10 games. They have recovered what was a disappointing start to the season, and are now hoping to finish with home court advantage this year.
Luka Doncic has had to lead the Dallas Mavericks while Kristaps Porzingis has been on and off the court with injuries, but has been in desperate need of more consistent scoring support.
Dallas Mavericks vs Brooklyn Nets - 3 key matchups to look out for
As metioned, Kevin Durant has been out for some time and the Brooklyn Nets are in no rush to force the forward back into action. Therefore, it is presumed that he will likely miss his 7th-straight game, with Nash hoping the star can return before the mid-season break.
Kristaps Porzingis has also been sidelined recently, missing the Dallas Mavericks' last three matchups. There has been no confirmed update as to his availability, therefore we have also ruled him out of this matchup.
Regardless, with two leaky defenses and several superstars who can score at an extremely high rate, fans can expect a blockbuster spectacle on Saturday night. Let's have a look at the three matchups that could decide the fixture.
#3 Dorian Finney-Smith vs Joe Harris
The Brooklyn Nets will once again look to their third highest scorer Joe Harris in Kevin Durant's absence. Despite their three superstars, Harris' shooting could prove just as important when it comes to the playoffs. The small forward is leading the league in 3-point accuracy, shooting at over 50% off 6.7 attempts and has the highest effective field-goal percentage with 69.9.
His opponent on the night, Dorian Finney-Smith has, like the rest of Doncic's supporting cast, struggled to perform so far this season for the Dallas Mavericks. Finney-Smith is shooting at a considerably lower clip than last year. He is scoring less points even though he is still attempting the same number of field goals.
This battle could prove vital for the Brooklyn Nets, who will look to utilise Harris' superior shooting prolificacy to take advantage of the Dallas Mavericks' weaker scoring.
#2 Josh Richardson vs Kyrie Irving
Dallas Mavericks' new guard Josh Richardson is going to have a tough night alongside Luka Doncic against the Brooklyn Nets' backcourt pairing. The Mavs traded Seth Curry for Richardson during the offseason, though the 27-year old has struggled to find his feet in Dallas while his status as a 3-and-D player is yet to come to fruition.
Irving on the other hand is continuing to prove why he is one of the greatest ball-handlers the league has ever seen. Irving has added an additional 50.3 points for the Brooklyn Nets this season from field-goal attempts above the league average. Meanwhile, Richardson is 14.3 points below the average for the Dallas Mavericks so far.
Although providing consistent points for the Dallas Mavericks, Richardson is yet to emerge as the second go-to scorer behind Doncic when Porzingis is out. If they are to get a result on the road, Richardson will have to be at the top of his game to contain the Nets' All-Stars.
#1 Luka Doncic vs James Harden
With the Brooklyn Nets fluidity at the guard position, we have matched up both side's best players to compete against one another on the night in what should be a eye-catching battle.
Harden and Doncic have been electric this season, proving equally effective for their sides as far as their stats are concerned. For all the slander Harden has received in the past for his ball-dominant play, 'The Beard' is leading the league in assists with 11.1 this season and is averaging 24.9 points a night.
Doncic has almost identical rebounds for the Dallas Mavericks to the Brooklyn Nets guard, 8.4 to 8.5, while the Slovenian is averaging 28.5 points.
Both sides rank in the league's bottom-10 defenses, with the Dallas Mavericks' ranking a lowly 26th. Thus, we can expect both superstars to have a high-scoring night. Doncic will have it all to do without fellow star Kristaps Porzingis, meanwhile Harden has averaged 27.2 points a game over his last four fixtures, a run in which the Brooklyn Nets played both LA franchises.
