OAKLAND – When the Warriors and Mavericks come together Wednesday night at Oracle Arena it will be as much a reunion as a basketball game.
Former Warriors Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, now starting for Dallas, will be returning to the scene of their greatest triumph, as both were members of the Warriors’ 2015 NBA Championship team.
And Warriors star Stephen Curry will go head-to-head with his brother, Seth, who over the summer signed with the Mavericks and has been getting regular minutes off the bench.
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Where as the Warriors (5-2) are coming off a win over the Pelicans on Monday night, the Mavericks opened the season with five consecutive losses before earning a home win over Milwaukee on Sunday.
BETTING LINE
Warriors by 16
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Golden State Warriors
Kevin Durant vs. Harrison Barnes -- The Warriors essentially swapped Barnes for Durant, a win in anybody’s book. Though neither is the type to openly express a desire to make a statement, both have immense competitive pride. Barnes will want to show well for the folks who cheered him during his first four seasons in the NBA.
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: C Damian Jones (R pectoral surgery recovery) is listed as out.
Mavericks: G Deron Williams (L calf strain), F Dirk Nowitzki (R Achilles soreness) and G Devin Harris (R big toe sprain) are listed as out. C Andrew Bogut was a late scratch from the lineup (rest). G J.J. Barea and G/F Wesley Matthews are also out.
SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors have won three in a row and 10 of the last 11, with six of the wins by double digits.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1) Bogut -- One of the internal knocks on the 7-foot center was his inconsistency, his tendency to follow a dynamic game with several mediocre performances. He heard the criticism, and he’ll consider this an opportunity to offer rebuttal.
2) Tired Mavs? -- Dallas is missing a significant portion of its rotation and also on the second night of a back-to-back set. The Warriors always want to run and will try to speed up the game at every opportunity in hopes of wearing down the Mavericks.
3) Jose Juan Barea -- The Warriors lost only nine games last season. One of them was in Dallas, and nobody punished them more than Barea. He scored a game-high 23 points, making 5-of-7 beyond the arc. The Warriors will try to smother him.