The 14-8 Dallas Mavericks travel to the nation’s capital on Thursday on a five-game winning streak and face the 2-17 Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena at 6 p.m. CST. The two teams enter this matchup with very different goals, as the Wizards will look to snap a 15-game losing streak against Dallas, the latest in a long line of formidable opponents during a particularly unforgiving stretch of their schedule. Over the past two and a half weeks, Washington’s list of opponents has included the Knicks, Celtics, Clippers, Bucks and Cavaliers, as well as the Bulls and Pacers, who don’t have winning records but are both on track to qualify for the postseason. The Wizards went 0-0 in November and have only beaten one other team this season, winning both games in back-to-back sets against the Hawks on October 28th and 30th. Their last game, a 118-87 loss at Cleveland, gave the Cavs a win and a chance to rest their starters since no one on their side played more than 31 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks have made great strides of late with contributions from their stars and from further down the depth chart, most recently overcoming a 15-point deficit with a thrilling 121-116 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday to earn a wild card secured a spot in the NBA Cup tournament and rose to third place in the Western Conference standings.

The Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma continues to suffer from a rib injury, and Kyshawn George left the game against the Cavs in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. Forward Naji Marshall has missed the Mavericks’ last two games due to illness but could return on Thursday.

Poor fitting parts

While it’s undoubtedly a challenge for a club that’s regrouping, the schedule can hardly account for all of the Wizards’ problems. The roster is a strange mix of players at very different stages of their careers, with a group of veterans like guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Jonas Valanciunas and forward Kuzma; a group of raw but intriguing youngsters like center Alex Sarr, guards Kyshawn George and Carlton Carrington, and forward Bilal Coulibaly; and in a group alone, sixth-year shooting guard and leading scorer Jordan Poole.

Coulibaly, George and Sarr, Washington’s trio of European projects, have all made their mark as prospects with their defense, but their length and versatility in transition haven’t stopped the Wizards from allowing 119.9 points per 100 possessions. Coulibaly began the season with the impression that his development on the offensive side of the ball would soon match his defensive potential, averaging 19.4 points in his first five games, but has cooled off considerably since the return of Brogdon after one Injury affected his ball contact.

Given the team’s current bleak outlook, perhaps it’s wise that head coach Brian Keefe prioritized Sarr’s development over short-term success, playing in all 19 games with the second overall pick of the 2024 draft. The move has given Sarr room to show encouraging signs of growth, as the big man ranks seventh in the league with 1.8 blocks per game. Although his scoring away from the rim was more inconsistent, he made four of his five 3-point attempts against the Bulls on November 26th. It also came with some time off for Valanciunas, a longtime Mav-killer who averaged 12.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game, doing most of his damage near the basket .

Pivot point

In the middle of the Wizards’ seesaw with youth on one side and experience on the other is Poole, who also acts as the team’s linchpin on the court. The 25-year-old doesn’t exactly fit into the Wizards’ youth movement, nor does he exactly fit into the role of mentor at this point in his career. He’s had a mixed record of late as he battled a hip injury, but this year he shot an impressive 41.6% from distance, a skill that might better serve a playoff contender at the trade deadline.

Just when the Mavericks’ initial perimeter defense seemed to be making further progress against Memphis with the return of Luka Doncic and Klay Thompson, holding Ja Morant to five points in the first half, the dam broke when he poured in 26 points in the second half before the header coach Jason Kidd sent in PJ Washington to get things under control and Quentin Grimes also completed the comeback. Poole could be in for a long night if his young backcourt mates or winger Corey Kispert can’t keep the Mavericks from focusing on him. Carrington, another teenage defensive talent who also leads NBA rookies in assists and steals, should see more action at shooting guard when George sits.

Wishlist

The Mavericks have won nine of their last 10, a streak long enough to outlast Luka’s three-game absence, but one that required high performances from 32-year-old Kyrie Irving over an extended period and during those of Washington, Grimes , Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Spencer Dinwiddie, Marshall, Maxi Kleber, literally everyone in the rotation has either started or been asked to play a few quarters as a starter. While the team wasn’t immune to the curse of disappointment, having to keep starters late only to lose to the Jazz on Nov. 14, the best-case scenario for this game is a chance to get Jaden Hardy bring to keep training It’s strong and a well-deserved burn for Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Jazian Gortman.

As you can see/hear

Channel 29, MAVS TV, radio show 97.1 FM.