Mavericks by the Numbers:

On the defensive side of the basketball, the Mavericks are a bit more of a grab bag. They're 15th in the league in opponent points per game, 19th in defensive rating, and don't tend to get many steals or blocks, being 25th and 29th in the league, respectively. They also give up the third most three point attempts in the NBA, and are 22nd in three pointers made against them, however, the Mavs hold their opponents to a tick under 34% from beyond the arc, 6th in entire NBA in that category. Dallas also seems to have a rebounding issue, in that they're the second worst in the league in giving up rebounds to their opponents. They also tend to have a problem fouling on the defensive end, committing the 3rd most fouls in the NBA.

Odds and Ends:

-The Kings haven't won a regular season game in Dallas since February 27th, 2003.

Prediction: The Kings za-za-zoom out of the gate, by Dallas plays Lucy to the Kings' Charlie Brown and pull the game out from under the Kings control. Late in the fourth, DeMarcus finds the strength to go beast mode, and the Kings hit a couple of timely shots, just in time to eek out a victory: Kings 109, Dallas 104.

For the other side of things, please see our friends at Mavs Moneyball.