ALERT: Mavs Make Lineup Change: GAMEDAY vs. Pistons

The Mavs have lost five of their last seven games. Is change afoot?

DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks have lost four straight home games and look to bounce back when hosting the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. The seventh-place Mavs have only 16 regular-season games left to try to pass the Portland Trail Blazers for the sixth seed in the Western Conference, which avoids the NBA Playoffs play-in tournament.

Are lineup changes the way to kick-start things?

Said coach Rick Carlisle: "Everything's on the table at this point.''

And now we know: it’s Dwight Powell who will move into the starting lineup, joining Doncic, Richardson, Finney-Smith and Porzingis.

Against the Pistons, who are last in the Eastern Conference, the Mavs must get right on defense. Over the past five games, Dallas is allowing an average of 116.6 points per game. 

The young Pistons, meanwhile, have won two of their past three games. 

The Mavs have lost five of their last seven games and developed a bad habit of getting behind early in games. Dallas had a disastrous start in the loss vs. the lowly Sacramento Kings on Sunday, missing 11 of their first 12 shots to fall into a quick 20-8 hole.

In order to be successful over the next tough and final stretch, 16 games in 26 days, Dallas must find its focus. 

COMING SOON: The Mavs end this home stand with a pair of games against the defending NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and on April 24.

[READ MORE: Will The Mavs Lose Jalen Brunson? - Podcast]

ODDS: The Mavs entered the day as 8.5-point favorites to the Knicks, and the total over/under is 223.5 points.

RECORDS: DALLAS MAVERICKS (30-26) VS. DETROIT PISTONS (18-40)

WHEN: Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. CT

LOCATION: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)

TV/RADIO: Bally Sports Southwest, NBA League pass, ESPN 103.3 FM, Univision 1270 AM

FINAL WORD: Coach Carlisle after the Mavs' lack of energy and urgency on Sunday night:

“We've got to reach down and do a hell of a lot better. Every game must be treated as a playoff game. All of these teams are playing their butts off. Even teams that are out of it are going to be playing hard.”

[CONTINUE READING: Mavs Talk: Time For ‘Soul-Searching’]