Five Questions Ahead of Mavericks vs. Wizards

The Washington Wizards are facing the red-hot Dallas Mavericks.

Feb 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber (42) is fouled as he dunks the ball past Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are getting ready to start a three-game stretch at home by taking on the Dallas Mavericks.

To learn more about the Mavs' current state of affairs, we spoke with Dallas Mavericks On SI contributor Austin Veazey.

The Mavs are winners of five straight games. What’s the secret behind their success?

The depth has been incredible. Dallas has dealt with injuries plaguing the team with Luka Doncic missing five games before returning on Sunday, a massive illness sweeping through the locker room, Klay Thompson missing games… But the next men up have stepped up admirably. Quentin Grimes had three straight 20-point games recently, Naji Marshall had four straight 20-point games before he came down with an illness, former Wizard Spencer Dinwiddie has been great after a really bad game at Miami last week… Just a lot of players stepping up when they’re needed and that’s why they’ve won nine of their last ten games.

What’s one thing people should know about the Mavericks that can’t be found in a box score?

This team really enjoys playing with each other. That can seem like such a non-factor, but a team that enjoys being around each other is going to hit that extra pass when they might have a good shot but could get a great one, they’ll hustle a little harder for a loose ball, they’ll pick each other up after mistakes instead of berating them. The culture in the Dallas locker room hasn’t been this great since Dirk Nowitzki retired.

Who is the Mavs’ X Factor?

PJ Washington. Since acquiring him at last year’s trade deadline, the Mavs are 34-12 in the regular season when he plays, and 1-5 when he doesn’t. He’s an elite defender and rebounder, and he’s shooting 52.9% from three in the ten games since returning from a knee injury. It’s unrealistic to expect it to stay that high, but him shooting the ball this well just continues to open space for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. You can also expect him to get a post touch in the first possession or two.

If the Mavericks were to lose against the Wizards, what would be the reason why?

Jason Kidd has a penchant for unnecessarily tinkering with lineups against “weaker” teams. Maybe the depth finally has a bad game after playing so well recently but Kidd doesn’t want to overuse Doncic and Kyrie. Given how poorly Kyrie played on Tuesday against Memphis though (10 pts, 3/14 shooting, 4 TOs), and the team turning it over 25 times, I imagine they’ll be a little noticed to right those wrong despite winning on Tuesday.

What’s your prediction for the game?

Washington has lost 15 straight for a reason. Dallas has a massive talent advantage, and we also get a little Kuzma/Dinwiddie rivalry game. Love it. This is a game that would be unnecessarily close and one the Mavs might even drop in years past, but the team is playing too well right now. Dallas should win handily.

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