Dallas

Mavs Come Home After Surviving Rigorous Early Schedule

Good news: The surprising Mavs are 13-9.

Better news: Of their first 22 games, 14 have been on the road.

Meaning? Having survived a tough early schedule before their health and chemistry had time to peak, Dallas should be ready to pad its record with an upcoming schedule ready to balance itself out with a plethora of home games at American Airlines Center.

“We're looking forward to being home a little,” Dirk Nowitzki said after Monday night’s win in New York. “Within a week we went from all the way west to all the way east with a stop in the middle and we're home for a bit now. We got to play well at home. Sometimes when you're at home and your family is around, you seem to relax a little. We got to keep the same edge we do on the road, like it's us against the world. And if we do that, I like our chances.”

The Mavs are 8-6 on the road, with only the 23-0 Warriors having more victories away from home. Now – in theory – comes the fun part: Starting tonight against the Hawks they play three in a row and nine of their next 13 at home.

By the time this home-cookin’ stretch ends in January, players such as Chandler Parsons and JaVale McGee should be off their minutes limitations. And, just maybe, the Mavs will have further improved on their surprising season.

“I’m encouraged that our health situation seems to be trending the right direction,” said head coach Rick Carlisle. “This is a long process when we set out at the beginning of the year. We knew it was going to be well into December before we were anywhere close to being fully healthy. We're making strides, but we're not there yet.”
 

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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