Washington vs Dallas Prediction: Stars Versus Their Main Clubs

The matchup between the Mavericks and the Wizards promises to be particularly crucial: Kristaps Porzingis and Spencer Dinwiddie were traded by the teams and will now play against their former clubs. Who will win?

Washington

The Wizards are just 25th in the NBA Offensive Efficiency, though they have had a much brighter game in the past. Bradley Beal lost his status as a superstar being just 34th efficient among all players in the league. But it's not even about him, and not about Kuzma and Porzingis, who are almost as involved in the offense as Beal. Washington is hitting only 30.6 percent of their three-pointers, worse than the Lakers and Oklahoma City. No players on the team make at least 36% of their shots on at least two attempts, and Jordan Shackel, who is not in the rotation, does not count. Will Barton has given up after a nice start, and Corey Kispert, who recently returned after an injury, has only hit one three-pointer in 3 games.

Delon Wright and Bradley Beal will not play against Dallas. In their absence, Washington defeated Charlotte 100-108 on the road. Porzingis shot a lot from midrange and didn't have much at all from beyond the arc. Rui Hachimura also missed a lot but was much more efficient under the basket. The team sent three-pointers rarely and made only 5 of 19 attempts. The surprise was reserve Jordan Goodwin who got 17 points, five assists, and two blocked shots. The win over the Hornets was the Capitals' 2nd in their last five games, and the Wizards now share 7th place in the East with three other teams.

Dallas

Luka Doncic ended a nine-game winning streak with 30+ points, but he still leads the NBA in scoring average. There's a lot of talk about his offensive prowess but not nearly as much about his top-5 steals in the league. Dallas has a chance to rebuild its defense only because of Doncic's tenacity, and the last two games have been encouraging in that regard. Jason Kidd finally got JaVale McGee benched - he had been the weak link on defense. Christian Wood is out due to injury, but he made up for his defensive lapses with his scoring and three-point shooting skills. Josh Green has surprised the most out of the role players, shooting 71% from the field, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock have been mostly disappointing.

In the recent game against Orlando, Jason Kidd's team won the 1st half but lost 87-94. Three of Dallas' starting five players scored a combined 10 points, and Doncic was terrible on his shots that night. 26.2% shooting from beyond the arc is not enough to win a game when your biggest and only star is out of sync. Hardaway, Bullock, and Green didn't help. Luca made only 9 of his 29 field-goal attempts, and Spencer Dinwiddie was suddenly the Mavericks' most productive player with 29 points.

Expert Betting Tips

The Wizards have one of the worst defenses at the arc in the league, and this is a chance for Dallas' sharpshooters to prove themselves. The Mavericks don't have Christian Wood, but the Wizards won't have Bradley Beal, either. Doncic takes difficult shots from under the basket. Indeed after the loss to Orlando, one of the top MVP contenders will be determined to improve.