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The Brooklyn Nets look to continue their dominance as they host the Dallas Mavericks at the Barclays Center tonight. They are on an eight-game winning streak in the 2020-21 NBA season which includes wins over teams like the Clippers, Lakers, Warriors, and Suns.
The Brooklyn Nets became the first team since 1973 to sweep the Pacific Division on a road trip. They aren't showing signs of slowing down and it appears as though the absence of Kevin Durant hasn't hurt the team at all.
On the other hand, the Dallas Mavericks aren't where people expected them to be. Injury issues have cost them and Luka Doncic is unable to carry this team by himself.
Dallas Mavericks vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction - February 27th, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets are comfortably the superior team in this matchup. Analysts and pundits expect the Nets to make the NBA Finals this season while the Dallas Mavericks are struggling to grab a decent playoff seed.
The backcourt of Kyrie Irving and James Harden is flourishing in Brooklyn and they have the Mavericks outmatched offensively. The Brooklyn Nets' approach of outscoring the opponent can only be stopped by an elite defensive roster.
However, the Dallas Mavericks are ranked 23rd in the league in defense which makes this matchup even more lopsided.
Speaking of defense, it doesn't get much worse than the Brooklyn Nets. They are last in the league in field goals allowed and 28th in the league in overall defense.
The Nets have lost games to inferior opponents this season as their lack of defense has cost them down the stretch. If Luka Doncic and co. start the game all guns blazing and maintain their rhythm, it isn't far-fetched to imagine a Dallas Mavericks victory.
Dallas Mavericks vs Brooklyn Nets: Combined starting 5
There will be incredible talent on display in Brooklyn tonight and the full-strength combined starting 5 from these two sides would be spectacular. However, this particular combined lineup is far from perfect as Kevin Durant and Kristaps Porzingis will not suit up for tonight's game due to injury.
James Harden is the perfect point guard for any starting 5 right now. His superior playmaking skills and ability to break down any defender are ideal for this position. Kyrie Irving recently stated that Harden is the official point guard of the Brooklyn Nets and the former MVP has been flourishing in that spot ever since.
Speaking of Kyrie Irving, he is excelling at the two-guard position himself. This is the first time Irving is not playing the point guard role, which enables him to devote his energy solely to getting the team buckets. He doesn't have to worry about playmaking and facilitating the ball and given Harden's expert passing ability, Irving is happy in his new role.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic will be starting as the small forward in this combined starting 5. Although Doncic plays the point guard, many analysts have given him a tag of "point-forward" given his versatile set of skills. He is leading the league in triple-doubles at the age of 21 and is also nicknamed the "swiss army knife", given how he contributes in various ways.
Kevin Durant would have been the ideal power forward for this star-studded lineup. However, due to his hamstring injury, we are taking Joe Harris as his replacement. Joe Harris often plays the power forward role on the Brooklyn Nets and his sharpshooting ability can benefit any lineup.
Finally, the absence of Kristaps Porzingis means we have to go with veteran center DeAndre Jordan for the center position. He has been averaging double-digit rebounds over the last ten years and is also a two-time rebounding leader. Jordan is a beast in the paint and his shot-blocking ability remains sharp.
Guess the Lakers players!
