The last two teams to win the Western Conference meet for the second time in three days when the Dallas Mavericks host the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, January 14 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The game is scheduled to begin at 9:30 PM EST and will be broadcast TNT and truTV. Fans who want to watch this NBA game can do so for free by using DirecTV Stream, that offers a free trial or with SlingTV, which doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available. Max has plans starting at just $9.99/monthand includes movies, original series and more.
Last time out, the Nuggets overcame a 19-point deficit to win 112-101 and take a 2-1 lead in the season series. With these teams so close to each other in the standings, the Nuggets winning the season series could be crucial to a playoff berth later in the season. The Mavericks are 22-17 and 12-7 at home after the last game with Denver, while the Nuggets are 23-15 and 11-8 away from home.
WHO: Denver Nuggets vs. Dallas Mavericks
When: Tuesday, January 14th at 9:30pm EST
Where: American Airlines Center in Dallas
Transmission: Sling; DirecTV Stream; MAX
What is DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream it offers pretty much everything that DirecTV offers, except for a remote control and a streaming device to connect to your TV. Sign up now and enjoy three free months of premium channels included MAX, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and Starz.
What is SlingTV?
SlingTV offers a variety of live programs ranging from news and sports and from as little as $20 per month for the first month. Subscribers also get a free month of DVR Plus if they sign up now. Choose from a variety of sports packages with no long-term contracts and easy cancellation.
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The Pistons — yes, the Pistons — are emerging as a serious surprise story in the NBA this season
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer
They lead the NBA in wins so far in January. They will have a winning record halfway through the season. They have won five of their last six games at home, and have also won five of their last six away games.
And you probably won’t guess which team fits that billing.
They are the Detroit Pistons. Yes, the Pistons.
No longer the doormats or the punchlines, the Pistons are adding to the list of big surprises in the NBA this season. They are now 21-19 after Monday night’s win against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, meaning they will reach the midpoint of the season with a winning record for the first time since 2017-18.
“We think we can beat anybody,” Pistons center Isaiah Stewart said. “That’s our belief. We’re good enough to beat any team in this league. That’s the belief we have and we believe in each other. We’re always putting confidence in each other to come out and be the best versions of ourselves. themselves. When we have it collectively as a group, there’s a lot of energy, a lot of positive energy that we’re putting out there.”
The notion that the Pistons beat anyone, literally anyone, a year ago would have been laughable. This was the team that lost a record 28 consecutive games, the worst single-season stretch in NBA history. They went 4-37 in 41 games, tied for the sixth-worst start to a season. They were so bad that Pistons owner Tom Gores had to do the unthinkable and fire a coach in Monty Williams with five years and roughly $65 million left on his contract.
This year’s Pistons started 0-4 under new coach JB Bickerstaff. Preseason expectations of being bad once again seemed pretty safe. But they have now won 10 of their last 12 games and lead the NBA with seven wins through January. They could be a play team. They could be a playoff team. They could have an All-Star in Cade Cunningham. The way he’s playing right now, Cunningham, who is pushing to be Detroit’s first All-Star since Blake Griffin in 2019, might want to go ahead and make plans for a trip to San Francisco next month for that very reason.
“I’m thankful for my team, thankful for this coaching staff,” Cunningham said. “We have to continue. We have a lot more work to do.”
The Pistons have already crushed last season’s win total of 14. They may be a couple of weeks away from rewarding bettors who topped their all-season win total which was set at 25, 5 for BetMGM Sportsbook. It’s happening with Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, who now looks like a bona fide rising star, with season averages of 24.5 points, 9.4 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game.
“Our job is to put him in a position to succeed. And then he’s got to go out there and do it,” Bickerstaff said. “Over those 40 games now, he and I and his teammates have learned a lot about each other and how we can help each other better. And that’s what it’s all about: each of us doing our part and doing what we’re supposed to do together and collectively to help each other, make this team as good as it can be. Cade knows his role and what this team needs, and he executed it perfectly.”
It seems fitting that Bickerstaff is getting to be a part of something good, as he was fired by a good team in Cleveland after last season. The Cavaliers were 48.5-plus wins entering the season; they are an NBA best 33-5 right now.
Oklahoma City, Houston, Chicago, Portland, Brooklyn and Atlanta are also among the teams on pace to exceed their projected win total for the season. But they won’t get there in January, like the Pistons might. If that’s the metric for measuring surprises, then the Pistons might be the most surprising so far this season.
“The best part about this team is finding different ways to win the game,” Bickerstaff said.
It has been a long time coming. It’s not time to start selling playoff tickets yet, Detroit. But before now, the last time the Pistons were even two games above .500, barely above mediocre, was March 2019, nearly six years ago.
These are good signs. Signs of progress. Signs of belief. For a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in 17 years — that’s 173 players, 10 coaches and two arenas — this time there might be real hope.
The Associated Press contributed to this article