The Los Angeles Lakers (2-2) visit the Dallas Mavericks (2-1) tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET at the American Airlines Center in an interesting early-season matchup. Both teams are recent NBA champions from the West that have since regressed toward mediocrity. Both have an aging franchise player in the Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Let's take a look at the keys to the game.
Xavier Henry's increasing role
According to Serena Winters of Lakers Nation, head coach Mike D'Antoni will start Henry tonight:
And why not? The former first-round pick is averaging 14.3 points per game.
"He’s played as well, if not better, than anybody so there is no reason not to go ahead and do this," D'Antoni said, according to ESPN.com.
Henry has replaced Nick Young as the team's starting shooting guard for the moment. How the two perform during their split minutes tonight could be an early indicator of who will hold the position down until Bryant returns.
Monta Ellis' shot selection ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Walker Harrison
Lakers vs. Mavericks: What to Watch for in Early Western Conference Showdown
November 5th, 2013 by Walker Harrison Leave a reply »
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