Wizards at Mavericks
The Washington Wizards are trying to prove they are for real by putting on a good show on a season-high five-game road trip. The Wizards will try to make it four straight wins when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday. The Mavericks proved they could play in a different style in a 112-107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday when Tyson Chandler sat out with back spasms.
Chandler’s absence prompted coach Rick Carlisle to go with a small starting lineup, pushing Dirk Nowitzki to the No. 5 spot and inserting J.J. Barea in the starting lineup as a third guard. “It was a bit of a whimsical thing, but I talked to Dirk about it,” Carlisle told reporters. “He was fine with it, and we just took a shot with it. We wanted to come out and be the more aggressive team, and I thought we set a good tone early.” Chandler is day-to-day as Dallas prepares for Marcin Gortat and Nene in the Washington frontcourt.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (22-8): Washington has not played more than two straight on the road and had yet to play a Western Conference team away from home before beginning the five-game trip with a 104-103 win at the Houston Rockets on Monday. Bradley Beal scored a season-high 33 points in the win while John Wall went for 13 points and 12 assists. The two young stars outperformed the Rockets’ backcourt combination of James Harden and Patrick Beverley and will continue to be tested with Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo waiting in Dallas.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (22-10): Dallas brought in Rondo in a trade with the Boston Celtics to add an All-Star point guard to set up their plethora of scorers but also to help out on the defensive end. Rondo proved his worth in that regard by helping to hold Russell Westbrook to 6-of-23 shooting in the win on Sunday and is up for the challenge of facing the likes of Westbrook and Wall on a nightly basis. "It's what it's all about, being out here in the West," Rondo told reporters. “I love to compete. I love the challenge.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Mavericks have taken nine straight in the series, including a 105-102 victory at the Wizards on Nov. 19.
2. Washington F Paul Pierce is 13-of-18 from the field in the last two games.
3. Dallas F Chandler Parsons went 5-of-9 from 3-point range on Sunday after hitting 2-of-14 from beyond the arc in the previous four games.