Two of the hottest teams in the league tangle Wednesday, as the Dallas Mavericks host the resurgent Detroit Pistons in a matchup of clubs riding six-game winning streaks. The Mavericks' hot streak is no surprise — they're tied for third in the Western Conference and boast one of the most potent offenses in the NBA. The Pistons, meanwhile, have won all six games since waiving free-agent bust Josh Smith after going 5-23 with him on the roster.
Detroit's unlikely turnaround became even more bizarre Tuesday, when the Pistons rallied from an 18-point deficit to win 105-104 on Brandon Jennings' buzzer-beater at San Antonio. The six-game winning streak is the longest for the Pistons since a seven-game run from Dec. 23, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009. The Mavericks matched their season high with a sixth straight victory Monday, earning a 96-88 overtime win at Brooklyn in which Dirk Nowitzki moved into seventh place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Detroit, FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE PISTONS (11-23): Detroit looks like a new team with Smith out of the picture, and big men Greg Monroe (14.4 points. 9.1 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (13 points, 13.2 rebounds) especially have flourished. Jennings (14.1 points, 6.3 assists) also seems more comfortable, but so does everyone else — the Pistons averaged 94.4 points in their first 28 games but have put up 108.4 per game in the past six. Detroit had six players score in double figures against the Spurs, which was rare with Smith averaging nearly 14 field-goal attempts but shooting only 39.1 percent.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (26-10): Dallas leads the league in scoring (109.5) and ranks second in field-goal percentage (47.7). The offense only has become more lethal with the addition of point guard Rajon Rondo, who has averaged 12.7 points, 8.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds in nine games since being acquired from Dallas. Rondo's pass-first mentality is a great complement to Monta Ellis (20.6 points) and Nowitzki (18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds), while big man Tyson Chandler (10.9 points, 12 rebounds) has posted 15 double-doubles.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Dallas has won six straight and 13 of 15 against Detroit as well as six consecutive home games in the series.
2. Drummond has recorded 10 or more rebounds in 13 straight road games; the next-longest active streak in the NBA is four games.
3. The Mavericks are 15-2 when they make at least 10 3-pointers, a figure they've reached in three straight games and four of the last five.