Two of the best power forwards in the NBA will battle it out, as Blake Griffin's Los Angeles Clippers will try their best to secure home-court advantage come Playoff time while Dirk Nowitzki's Dallas Mavericks are trying to secure their playoff spot in a highly competitive Western Conference.
The Mavericks can no longer afford a slip since only two weeks remain before the playoffs and every win would count to prolong their 2014 campaign.
"It's pretty clear,'' forward Dirk Nowitzki said. ''Win the next game, leave it all out there.''
Dallas (44-31) is tied with both Memphis and Phoenix after going 4-4 on a homestand that featured three overtime losses, the latest a 122-120 heartbreaker on Tuesday to Golden State as Stephen Curry hit a long jumper just before time expired.
The Mavericks close their season with games against the Suns and Grizzlies, but they'll get a sigh of relief after Thursday as they complete this trip against the Los Angles Lakers, Sacramento and Utah - the West's three worst teams.
Coach Rick Carlisle is focused on how his team will react after Tuesday's defeat, which earned Dallas an apology from the league Wednesday. NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said Monta Ellis' shot with 16 seconds left - at the time ruled a clean block by Warriors center Jermaine O'Neal - was on the way down and should have been called goaltending.
"It's disappointing, but we've got to get ready for the (Clippers) game now," Carlisle told the team's official website. "I'm not big on analyzing how disappointing it is."
Meanwhile, Los Angeles (54-22) is safely in the playoffs, having clinched the Pacific for the second straight season with Wednesday's 112-108 win at Phoenix. Blake Griffin returned to the lineup after being out with back spasms, and he and Darren Collison each scored 23 points as the Clippers rallied from 17 down.
"It's nice but it doesn't really mean much," Chris Paul said of winning the Pacific. "We won the division title last year and lost in the first round. Last year we would have gone into the (Phoenix) game knowing we had a chance to win the division. Now we don't care, it's all about the bigger picture."
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