Off the back of contrasting results, Western Conference playoff hopefuls Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings will do battle at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday.
The home side were comprehensively beaten by the Milwaukee Bucks last time out, while their visitors made it three straight victories by defeating the Houston Rockets.
Match preview
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Having returned to winning ways against the Charlotte Hornets, the Mavericks headed into their clash against the Bucks feeling better about themselves as they sought consecutive wins for the first time since returning from the All-Star break.
Jason Kidd's men flew out of the blocks to lead by five after the opening 12 minutes, but a disastrous showing in the subsequent two quarters left them down 22 heading into the final quarter, where they could only reduce the deficit by a third.
Needing to be at his best given how handicapped the Mavericks currently are offensively, Kyrie Irving racked up a game-high 31 points to take his tally over the last three games to 91.
Now 1-3 across their last four games, the Mavericks have dropped down to 10th in the West, and their current struggles suggest it will be an uphill battle to secure an automatic playoff spot over the final 20+ games of the regular season.
A clash against one of the teams higher in the standings gives the Mavericks a fantastic chance of making up the gap, but they have been beaten in both of their clashes against the Kings this season, including a nail-biting 129-128 overtime loss in February.
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The Sacramento Kings have blown hot and cold for large spells of the current campaign, but their renaissance seems to have come at the perfect time with the season now approaching its crucial stages.
Since losing to the Golden State Warriors in their first outing back from the break, Doug Christie's men have beaten the Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and most recently, the Houston Rockets, following Sunday's 113-103 triumph at the Toyota Center.
A 15-0 run early in the first quarter put the Kings in the driving seat, but they found themselves trailing 90 seconds before the interval before going on to outscore their opponents 58-47 over the remainder of the contest.
Scoring 21 and 20 respectively, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 41 points to lead the onslaught for the Kings against a Rockets outfit seeking to win a third straight game in front of their fans.
Now eighth in the Western Conference standings with a 31-28 record, the Kings are increasingly bearing down on the Los Angeles Clippers in the race for sixth place, which is set to go down to the wire.
In the third of a four-game road trip, Tuesday's visitors will now set out to secure a third away win on the bounce two days before they head to the Ball Arena to face off against the Denver Nuggets.
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Team News
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Anthony Davis and Caleb Martin are unavailable with groin and hip injuries respectively, with the latter still awaiting his debut since joining from the Philadelphia 76ers.
The home side will also be without the services of 26-year-old Daniel Gafford (MCL sprain) and 21-year-old Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture).
Returning from a brief injury layoff, PJ Washington came off with an ankle problem against the Bucks last time out and is a major doubt for this one.
Domantas Sabonis is the Kings' only injury concern here after lasting just one minute in his side's clash against the Rockets, after which he was hauled off due to an issue with his hamstring.
Should Sabonis be deemed unfit to participate, fellow Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas is expected to be handed a starting role at the center position for the away side.
Dallas Mavericks possible starting five:
Irving, Christie; Thompson, Marshall; Brown
Sacramento Kings possible starting five:
Monk, LaVine; DeRozan, Murray; Valanciunas
We say: Mavericks to win by 5+ points
The Mavericks could really do with a victory here with their playoff hopes currently hanging in the balance.
The Kings, meanwhile, are the more in-form side heading into this one, but we are backing the hosts to come out on top at the end of the 48 minutes of play.
Adepoju Marvellous
