https://youtu.be/fGi4hMqA320
Mavericks have played Sacramento Kings only once this season with both Luka and Kyrie on the floor:
Kyrie:
23 points
2 rebounds
1 assists
Luka:
25 points
10 rebounds
7 assists
Kyrie had a disappointing performance. Mavs need Kyrie to be engaged more and to be more on the ball and to push towards 6-7 assists per game.
DJJ was used on Fox at the outset and Lively on Sabonis. Now Mavs have PJ to throw at Fox, while Lively has gained a lot of experience since November when that game was played.
And there is now Gafford too who might be an even better option on Sabonis. That will be interesting to see who is a better option on Sabonis. Sabonis is a technically very sound, mobile big that moves very, very well. And that can also shoot from the outside but apparently doesn't do it often. Gafford could struggle with Sabonis, while Lively is inexperienced.
Look at this play, for example:
https://youtu.be/fGi4hMqA320?t=495 Sabonis did that to Lively who is bigger and lengthier than him. And Lively moves better than Gafford. But Gafford has greater length and size. In these situations it will be essential for both Gafford and Lively NOT TO JUMP and not to fall for fakes and pump fakes.
Dallas lost that game at home. And both of the upcoming games are in Sacramento. If Mavs were to win both games they would make a little bit of a statement in the Western conference. Not winning one would be a major disappointment for this team. This is a nice test for the Mavs.