The Mavericks bring the stronger record and home numbers, but Brooklyn’s leading scorers could make this a test of Dallas’ defense.
Dallas gets the home floor Sunday with a 5-4 record, a 3-2 home mark and the No. 16 power-index spot; Brooklyn arrives 2-7, 1-4 on the road and No. 23. The Mavericks have averaged 112.1 points and allowed 110.9, while the Nets have averaged 108.2 points and allowed 114.1. Cooper Flagg has supplied 191 points and 51 assists in eight games for Dallas, while Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. has 196 points and Julius Randle has 187 points and 46 assists. Mikel Brown is out after Brooklyn’s Saturday loss, leaving the Nets without a guard who had scored in double figures in five straight; Dallas must pressure that backcourt while containing Porter and Randle to turn its statistical edge into control.