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BPo001 · 12-06-2015, 04:29 PM

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Coming up short on their home floor against a Southwest Division rival Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks hope to get back on track two days later versus a team they’ve dominated in recent years.

Looking to build on their 115-112 overtime win Tuesday on the road in Portland, the Mavericks (11-9) returned to American Airlines Center and tried to move to 2-0 on the season against the in-state rival Houston Rockets. Instead, the Mavs would admittedly come out sluggishly in front of their hometown fans before failing to execute down the stretch, falling to a 100-96 defeat in the process.

Coming off Friday’s loss, the Mavs will now attempt to continue a trend of dominating the Washington Wizards in recent memory, beginning a back-to-back on the road that concludes Monday in New York.

“It’s frustrating,” three-time All-Star point guard Deron Williams said after Friday’s loss. “We’ve got to be a little bit more consistent. You know, this was an important game for us against a division foe. Coming off the big win in Portland and coming back home, we wanted to come and get a win.”

The Mavs have won 10 in a row over the Wizards (8-9) in the head-to-head series and six straight on the road. The Mavericks haven’t lost to the Wizards since Oct. 27, 2009, and Dallas hasn’t tasted defeat in the nation’s capital since Jan. 21, 2008.

However, after being outshot by the Rockets, 46.4 percent to 45.7 percent, in addition to losing a 45-42 rebounding battle while giving up 24 points off their 18 turnovers, the Mavs know they must be better offensively against a Washington defense that ranks 24th in the league while giving up 104.2 points per game.

“We’ve had some rough luck as a team with shotmaking up to this point,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle confessed. “Our defense has held us in some games. (Friday) we played a very gritty second half. I wish we played with the same kind of grit in the first half. We just didn’t do that, and it got us in the hole. The shotmaking I’m not concerned about. We’ve got to be a grit-and-guts team, and we’ve got to put 48 minutes worth of it out there.”

Note: The Mavericks will now head back out on the road, traveling to the nation’s capital for Sunday’s showdown against the Washington Wizards. The game will tip off at 5 p.m. CT and will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest.

The Mavs return to American Airlines Center on Wednesday, hosting the Atlanta Hawks. That game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT, airing nationally on ESPN and locally on Fox Sports Southwest. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting Mavs.com, or by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

12-06-2015, 04:29 PM	#1
BPo001 Diamond Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 7,245	GDT: Mavs @ Wizards 5PM CST WASHINGTON, D.C. — Coming up short on their home floor against a Southwest Division rival Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks hope to get back on track two days later versus a team they’ve dominated in recent years. Looking to build on their 115-112 overtime win Tuesday on the road in Portland, the Mavericks (11-9) returned to American Airlines Center and tried to move to 2-0 on the season against the in-state rival Houston Rockets. Instead, the Mavs would admittedly come out sluggishly in front of their hometown fans before failing to execute down the stretch, falling to a 100-96 defeat in the process. Coming off Friday’s loss, the Mavs will now attempt to continue a trend of dominating the Washington Wizards in recent memory, beginning a back-to-back on the road that concludes Monday in New York. “It’s frustrating,” three-time All-Star point guard Deron Williams said after Friday’s loss. “We’ve got to be a little bit more consistent. You know, this was an important game for us against a division foe. Coming off the big win in Portland and coming back home, we wanted to come and get a win.” The Mavs have won 10 in a row over the Wizards (8-9) in the head-to-head series and six straight on the road. The Mavericks haven’t lost to the Wizards since Oct. 27, 2009, and Dallas hasn’t tasted defeat in the nation’s capital since Jan. 21, 2008. However, after being outshot by the Rockets, 46.4 percent to 45.7 percent, in addition to losing a 45-42 rebounding battle while giving up 24 points off their 18 turnovers, the Mavs know they must be better offensively against a Washington defense that ranks 24th in the league while giving up 104.2 points per game. “We’ve had some rough luck as a team with shotmaking up to this point,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle confessed. “Our defense has held us in some games. (Friday) we played a very gritty second half. I wish we played with the same kind of grit in the first half. We just didn’t do that, and it got us in the hole. The shotmaking I’m not concerned about. We’ve got to be a grit-and-guts team, and we’ve got to put 48 minutes worth of it out there.” Note: The Mavericks will now head back out on the road, traveling to the nation’s capital for Sunday’s showdown against the Washington Wizards. The game will tip off at 5 p.m. CT and will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest. The Mavs return to American Airlines Center on Wednesday, hosting the Atlanta Hawks. That game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. CT, airing nationally on ESPN and locally on Fox Sports Southwest. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting Mavs.com, or by calling (214) 747-MAVS.