No Dak, no KP, and no wins by the Stars made for an up-and-down week in Dallas sports. Will this one be smoother? Here’s what I’m watching:
Tuesday, 11/2: Mavericks versus Heat — 6:30 p.m., TNT
Why this Mavs game instead of Wednesday’s tilt against old foe San Antonio or Saturday night against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics? Because it’s the first one of the week, which means it’s the next time we’ll ask “Is Kristaps Porzingis playing tonight?” Sunday marked the third consecutive game the Latvian big man has missed due to lower back tightness, which also matches his number of games played this season.
We’re still sussing out what, exactly, Jason Kidd wants these Mavericks to look like, but Porzingis’ unique game and body type mean that a lot of whatever it is must be calibrated around his skill set. The sooner Porzingis can get into a flow of healthy games, the better Dallas’ chances of jelling before they get too deep into the schedule.
Tuesday, 11/2: Stars at Jets — 6:30 p.m., Bally Sports Southwest
The Stars need to get on track sooner than later — hopefully before the brutal second half of November:
Stars November schedule:
@ *Winnipeg (4-2-2)
@ Calgary, have won six straight
@ Vancouver (3-5-1)
vs *Preds (4-4-0)
vs Flyers (4-2-1)
vs Red Wings (4-3-2)
@ *Wild (5-3-0)
vs *Blues (6-1-0)
vs Oilers (6-1-0)
vs *Avs (4-4-0)
@ *Coyotes (0-7-1)
vs Canes (7-0-0)*division game
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) October 31, 2021
That begins Tuesday with Dallas’ second division game of the season. As our David Castillo wrote Friday, no team with serious Stanley Cup aspirations finishes lower than third in their division, and that won’t come easy in the Central. Tuesday would be a great win to bank in the early going.
Sunday, 11/7: Will Dak Prescott play against the Broncos? — 12:00 p.m., FOX
Sometimes it truly is this simple. Sunday gave us a glimpse of what this offense looks like without QB1, and while it was a hell of a win, this team fires on a different set of cylinders with Prescott in charge. If he plays, Dallas should beat a Denver team that has talent but has underperformed, with Teddy Bridgewater being one of the league’s more limited starting quarterbacks and Denver refusing to turn talented rookie Javonte Williams loose at tailback. If Prescott doesn’t play, Dallas’ defense will have to carry a heavy load for the second week in a row to stretch the win streak to seven games.
