DALLAS, TEXAS — The Dallas Mavericks (34-37) have snapped its four-game losing streak, defeating the Detroit Pistons (39-32) 123-117; it’s the first Mavericks win inside the American Airlines Center since Feb. 27 against the Charlotte Hornets.
Five players scored in double digits for the Mavs: Spencer Dinwiddie leading the way with 31 points, P.J. Washington with 27 in his second game back from injury, Klay Thompson with 20, Naji Marshall with 19 and Kai Jones with 10.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was traded last summer to the Pistons. In his first visit to the AAC since, he had to be helped off the court after going down with an injury six minutes left to go in the second quarter, not adding any of his own points to the Pistons’ score.
The last time these two met was in January, a 117-102 Mavericks’ loss, just 24 hours before Luka Doncic was traded. Cade Cunningham dropped 40 points for Detroit in that one, and had 35 points tonight.
Over the last six weeks since that matchup, the Mavericks have gone 8-15 and the Pistons, 16-8—two seasons that have gone in opposite directions, with 11 games left to play.
Despite the loss, the Pistons are still on their way to locking in a guaranteed playoff spot. The 2018-19 season was the last time Detroit made the playoffs was 2018-19–so it’s been a long time coming for Detroit, who are battling for the fourth, fifth and sixth seeds in the Eastern Conference with the Indiana Pacers, who the Mavericks just lost 135-131 to, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Dallas Mavericks are at the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. Tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST.
