3 things to watch as Dirk and the Mavs host Porzingis and the Knicks

A beatable opponent comes to town, as the Knicks face a Mavs team coming off the good end of a record-setting blowout. Dallas was on fire in Sunday’s defeat of the Lakers, but as you may have noticed, this team has an irritating tendency to look unstoppable and useless in the same week.

Dirk v. Kristaps II

Latvian Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis missed the Knicks’ last meeting with Dirk and the Mavs, but is set to play Wednesday, making it the second matchup between the two enormous, talented men. Porzingis has struggled in the few games since his return from injury, but I would be very surprised if Kristaps didn’t glean some extra motivation to perform well in front of his idol. He scored 28 points and led a furious near-comeback in last season’s game.

Injury update for Mavs: If Matthews is out, who steps up?

With Andrew Bogut possibly missing his seventh straight game and J.J. Barea recently joining him on the injured list (where he may stay until after the All Star Break), Wes Matthews has been downgraded to questionable, per Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Matthews is a gamer and an all-around tough S.O.B, but if he does have to sit the game out, one assumes Dorian Finney-Smith will be elevated into the starting lineup, a role he held for a large part of the season.

More burn for Justin, too?

With Finney-Smith or someone else starting, it might be time for Justin Anderson to finally get out of the doghouse and see some minutes in the rotation. Anderson had been buried for a while prior to Sunday’s crushing of the Lakers, where he scored 19 points, including three triples. Injuries may have forced him to see the court either way, but it’s nice that Justin has done something to actually earn that opportunity.

How to watch

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 Central on Fox Sports Southwest or through your NBA League Pass account. Enjoy!