Take the points and Washington tonight when the Wizards host the red-hot Dallas Mavericks in NBA action.
This one is pretty obvious. Dallas has won 12 straight games and it looks completely unbeatable right now while Washington is struggling with a 6-10 record following a blowout loss at Chicago on Saturday night. Dallas has won six straight meetings in this series and, for the most part, the games have not been close. The Mavericks have averaged 114.6 ppg in the last five meetings while shooting 49.0 percent on 3-pointers. These are the reasons Washington is the play.
Dallas hasn't even trailed in its last four games and is two wins shy of its franchise-record winning streak set when it started the 2002-03 season with 14 straight victories. If there is one game that can turn a season around for a team that is struggling, it is one like this. A victory over the league’s hottest team can go a long way and it’s not as though the Wizards are struggling at home. They are 0-8 on the road but are a solid 6-2 at home with one of those losses coming on overtime and the other coming by just four points against the Pistons.
In the first meeting this season, Washington outscored the Mavericks in the paint and with the fast break but still lost by 27 points. That was due to Dallas making 14 of its 34 three-point shots while Washington was just 2-16 behind the arc which was obviously the difference. Dallas is not nearly as good from long range on the road while the Wizards are shooting 39.1 percent from three-point land at home. There is one player who is going to step it up tonight for Washington.
Gilbert Arenas has shined at home and struggled on the road. Arenas is averaging 33.1 ppg on 49.2 percent shooting in the Verizon Center compared to 17.6 ppg on 25.6 percent shooting on the road. He is coming off a dreadful performance against the Bulls and is ready for a bounce back. The Wizards, despite the recent history problems in this series, matchup very well and the home court will be the difference on Monday.
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Matt Fargo: Wizards +3½ vs Mavs
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