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The Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Pacers in the final minutes on Wednesday night in Cincinnati to remain undefeated this preseason. Tonight, they will host the Dallas Mavericks, who haven't played since Sunday when they got their first win of the preseason against those same Pacers.
Who: Dallas Mavericks (1-2) at Cleveland Cavaliers (4-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
How can I watch?: SporsTime Ohio and/or NBA TV
Music: Jason Derulo: "Undefeated"
The Cavs have won all four of their preseason games, despite not always having their full roster available. Kyrie Irving has missed the last three games, Anderson Varejao missed the Indiana game, and LeBron James and Tristan Thompson sat out the game on Tuesday night. None of their various injuries and ailments are thought to be serious, but there's no official word yet on who will be playing tonight.
This will be Shawn Marion's first game against Dallas since he came to Cleveland as a free agent. He had been with the Mavericks since 2009.
One other thing to keep an eye on tonight, from Chris Haynes, is the battle for the backup point guard spot:
AJ Price is playing like he's not going to be content just making the squad as the team's third point guard. He is proving that he is capable of challenging Matthew Dellavedova for backup duties. Price's play of late has caught the attention of the coaching staff. Both guards have had their moments. It's no longer a one-man race.
The Mavericks lost to the Rockets and Thunder before beating the Pacers on Sunday. All three of those games were in Dallas, so this is their first time venturing away from home this preseason. Dirk Nowitzki missed the team's first two games with a hip injury, but he was back in action on Sunday and scored 16 points in 19 minutes. Their newest additions, Chandler Parsons and Jameer Nelson, also started that game and were big contributors. Monta Ellis has missed their last two games with a knee injury.