Dallas Mavericks' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for February
The Dallas Mavericks started the 2014-15 regular season facing very soft opposition, which only got tougher in January. They encountered plenty of tricky spots in their schedule during the last month and went 9-7 in that period.
February will offer the Mavs a little more time off, as the team will play 12 games in 28 days. Dallas will also enjoy lengthy homestands, hosting eight of its opponents at American Airlines Center this month.
The All-Star weekend will allow Dallas players to recover over seven days, but the team's schedule for February is still deceptively tough.
The Mavericks will have extremely hard back-to-back games on three occasions and no more than one day of rest between games (excluding a two-day gap late in the month).
The competition will generally be a mix of elite and bottom-ranked teams. The Mavs' 12 February opponents currently combine for a 0.509 winning percentage.
Dallas has recently been hit by unfortunate injuries and illnesses. Chandler Parsons has missed a couple of games, while Rajon Rondo has been ruled out of the Mavericks' next game due to a facial injury, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
The All-Star break will allow the Mavericks to lick their wounds, and they will need to be very sharp to keep up with the frantic pace in the Western Conference.
Here is the week-by-week breakdown of Dallas' February schedule.
Feb. 2-8
1 of 5
The Mavericks started the month off by facing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 2. The Wolves, who had a lot of their key players back from injury, put up a valiant effort, but ultimately fell do Dallas in a close contest
Following one day of rest, Dallas will go on the road and start off a back-to-back against the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors have arguably been the best team in the league this season and will pose the most difficult challenge of the week for Dallas. To make matters worse, Golden State has gone 22-2 at home, so snatching a win in its building is a tall task.
In their previous 105-98 loss to the Dubs on Dec. 13, the Mavs couldn't contain the Warriors' backcourt, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 54 points. Dallas has improved its perimeter defense since adding Rondo, and there is no better challenge to test it against than the Splash Brothers. However, Rondo's injury will keep him out of the game, which will make the task at hand a lot harder.
Following the game against the Warriors, Dallas will continue traveling to take on the Sacramento Kings. The Mavs have already managed to beat Sacramento twice this season, but the games have been competitive.
To finish the week off, Dallas will host the Portland Trail Blazers in a game that could have serious implications in the Western standings.
Overall, the opening week is a pretty tough one for Dallas. With the Timberwolves taken care of, the rest of the games could really go either way.
Week 1 prediction: 2-2
Feb. 9-15
2 of 5
Dallas will only play two games in the second week of February before taking a week off. Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge will be the Los Angeles Clippers.
The two teams first met on Jan. 10 this season, and the Clippers wrecked Dallas in a 120-100 blowout. Rondo shot just 1-of-11 in that particular game, and Chandler Parsons had minimal impact as well. Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki combined for an efficient 48 points, but it was simply not enough.
The Mavs were in a bit of a funk last time around, but they certainly have the tools to compete with the Clippers. The game will be played in Dallas, and it's yet another contest that could go either way.
Following that game, the Mavericks will stay at home and take on the Utah Jazz. The two teams met twice this season, and Dallas won by a combined 41 points across both games.
If the Mavs manage to beat the Clippers, they should go into the All-Star break with two more wins.
Week 2 prediction: 2-0
Feb. 16-22
3 of 5
Following the All-Star weekend, Dallas will jump right back into things with a back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets. While the Thunder have looked solid when both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are healthy, the game against the Rockets will carry more direct postseason implications.
Dallas is currently 1.5 games behind its division rivals, and every meeting between the two teams is crucial.
The Rockets have already beaten Dallas twice this season in two very close games. However, Dwight Howard will likely miss the game due to persistent knee troubles that will sideline him for at least a month, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Even without Howard, Houston has managed to stay afloat in the West and beat quality teams. Its bench is deep, and the scoring combination of Donatas Motiejunas and James Harden has functioned well.
Whenever the Thunder and Rockets are your scheduled opponents on a back-to-back, going 1-1 is more than acceptable. The Mavericks will also play Houston at home, so it's not an impossible task for them to grab two big wins either.
The Mavericks will end the week hosting the Charlotte Hornets, whom they already dismantled earlier in the season.
This is a tricky week for Dallas, but winning at least two of the games should be feasible.
Week 3 prediction: 2-1
Feb. 23-28
4 of 5
Dallas meets the Atlanta Hawks in the most intriguing matchup of the month's final week.
The Hawks are 33-2 in their last 35 games, and a victory over the Mavericks is included in that impressive streak. Last time the two teams met, Jeff Teague missed the game, but Atlanta still managed to come out with a 105-102 victory on Dec. 22.
Dennis Schroder had a career-high 22 points in Teague's absence. The game took place shortly after Dallas acquired Rondo, and it certainly wasn't one of his best defensive showings.
Even though the Hawks are on a sensational roll, it's hard to predict where both teams will be in a couple of weeks. It's possible that Atlanta could run out of gas and go on a bit of a cold streak.
Either way, the Hawks have all the right tools to terrorize Dallas' defense. They have plenty of perimeter shooters to punish the Mavericks' zone schemes, and the duo of Paul Millsap and Al Horford is incredibly tough to deal with.
To make matters worse, Dallas will fly to Atlanta on the second night of a back-to-back, right after hosting the feisty Toronto Raptors.
The Mavericks will then have two days off before taking on a mediocre Brooklyn Nets team.
It's another tricky week that is hard to call. The Hawks should still be favorites for the late-February clash, but Dallas is capable of taking care of business against the Nets and Raptors at home.
Week 4 prediction: 2-1
February Summary
5 of 5
Compared to how soft Dallas' schedule was to start the year, things will certainly not get easier. January was a difficult month with a lot of games against elite teams. February will provide a healthy mix of opponents and some much-needed rest.
The Mavericks have had no trouble beating up on teams with losing records, and their solid core should allow them to continue on the same track. The games against top contenders are more open and could mostly go either way, which makes it that much harder to accurately predict how the month will play out.
As the playoffs near, the Mavs will have to start performing at a higher level against elite oppossition. February's slate of games will provide them with plenty of opportunities to measure their progress.
Total February record prediction: 8-4
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