Before his team plays the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in a crucial game in the race for the Western Conference playoffs, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd will probably have to make two important decisions regarding the start of the game.
Warriors (37-36) and Mavericks (36-36) are on opposite ends of the play-in line heading into their third and final regular-season meeting, with Golden State currently in sixth place and Dallas in seventh.
Before the Warriors won 121-108 at Houston on Monday night to end an 11-game road losing streak, they were the other way around. Meanwhile, the Mavericks lost 112-108 at Memphis.
The tie-breaker for the season series is also at stake on Wednesday, with each team having started the three-game set with a win on its home court earlier this season.
Dallas did not have Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic together for either of the previous meetings, and it may not have this time around either.
Doncic has been listed as “questionable” for Wednesday’s game, despite the fact that he has missed the Mavericks’ last five games due to a strained left thigh.
With pain in his right big toe, Irving missed three games last week. However, he has returned and scored 38 points in a road win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday before scoring 28 in a Memphis loss.
After appearing to aggravate the injury during Monday’s game, Irving was observed wearing a walking boot, but he cautioned against drawing too much conclusion before receiving a more in-depth medical examination.
Irving, like Doncic, is considered questionable for his second matchup with Warriors star Stephen Curry this season.
While playing for the Brooklyn Nets, Irving defeated his rival in a January duel in San Francisco. With 38 points, Irving led the guests to a victory of 120-116.
In the loss, Curry scored 26 points, which coincidentally brought his career average for regular-season games against Irving, who has averaged 23.8 points in those 17 games.
On Monday, the Warriors defeated Houston for the first time in a five-game road trip that ends in Dallas with Klay Thompson scoring 29 points and Curry scoring 30.
After the victory, Thompson said that it could help the Warriors climb the standings over the next nine games, four of which will be played at home after they leave Dallas.
