The Dallas Mavericks are officially not making the playoffs. The team is out of contention after an eight game skid left them on the outside of the rankings looking in. That will not stop Dirk Nowitzki and company from trying to get one more win over their long-time rivals, the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Dallas' playoff dreams were crushed by Memphis and Oklahoma City. The Grizzlies beat Miami and the Thunder beat the Clippers therefore eliminating Dallas from contention. Had both teams lost, Dallas was walking into a Western Conference playoff berth and would have likely rested starters in this game against San Antonio. Now the Spurs are the ones resting as the Mavericks plan to go home soon.
Those wins also played a factor for the Spurs. The team will now not likely earn the Western Conference top spot or have the best record in the league. Now, they just hope to sweep the Mavericks for the first time since 1994. Dallas is on an eight game losing streak to the Spurs. Nowitzki has averaged 15.4 points on 40.2 percent shooting in each of those games. Tony Parker has put up 22.0 points on 55.6 percent shooting. He is not expected to play this game, resting a back injury for the playoffs.
Nowitzki has been clearly frustrated with the team lately. In his last matchup with the Spurs, he faced ejection for yelling at officials over missed calls. He has gotten very hot this month, getting him to 10th on career scoring. He is averaging 24.4 points on 59.3 percent shooting, He is the reason Dallas is coming off a 4-0 road trip. Sadly it was not enough for the playoffs.
The Spurs are banged up. Parker will sit and Manu Ginobili might as well. He left the last game with a calf injury. Tim Duncan is expected to play.
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