After a strong 98-89 home victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks will try to complete a stretch of three games in four days with their third consecutive win, and get themselves back to .500 for the first time all season, in a road game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Mavericks long-time Southwest Division rivals have started off the season 4-0 at home, but they just lost All-Star SG Manu Ginobili to a broken hand for the next 6-8 weeks.
Without him in the line-up, San Antonio got more scoring from PG Tony Parker as well as a balanced effort from their bench in a 101-95 home victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
For Dallas, Tim Duncan will be the first legitimate low-post threat they have faced all season, which might mean greater playing time for starting C Brendan Haywood, who has struggled against more athletic up-tempo line-ups this season.
The Spurs, meanwhile, start the 6'7 Dejuan Blair next to Duncan on the interior, which could mean a big game for Dirk Nowitzki, as his ability to shoot from the perimeter at 7'0 has long tormented San Antonio.
The 7:30 PM game will be carried regionally on Fox Sports Southwest.
For the latest news and notes on the Mavericks, head on over to Mavs Moneyball, while Pounding The Rock has you covered for everything Spurs related.