Mavs have a tough road ahead

DALLAS -- In their quest just to get into the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks have a tough road ahead.

Literally.

Of the Mavs' remaining nine games, six of them are on the road. That includes games at Golden State, Portland, the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah, Chicago and Atlanta.

The Mavs have a 1-3 record on the road against those teams, with the lone victory coming Jan. 19 in Utah (94-91).

And since the Mavs are only 11-16 on the road this season, playing games away from American Airlines Center hasn't exactly been a comforting site.

Overall, the Mavs are 7-6 against the teams still remaining on their schedule. The results:

Tuesday vs. Sacramento 1-1

Thursday at Golden State 0-1

Friday at Portland 1-1

Sunday at LA Lakers 0-3

Apr. 16 at Utah 3-0

Apr. 18 vs. Houston 2-0

Apr. 20 vs. Golden State 0-1

Apr. 21 at Chicago 0-0

Apr. 26 at Atlanta 0-0

Of the nine Mavs games left, five are against teams with winning records, with four of those coming on the road against the Lakers, Jazz, Bulls and Hawks.

In short, the Mavs have a very tough road ahead if they have designs on successfully defending their NBA title.

-- Dwain Price

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@dwainprice