Preview: The Mavericks (38-38) have won three consecutive games after Friday's 98-89 victory at Detroit. They're battling Utah and Houston for the West's final two playoff spots. … Former Wolves guard J.J. Barea started in place of injured point guard Deron Williams in Detroit and scored 29 points on 13-for-23 shooting. … This is the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. Dallas has won the first three. Its 128-101 victory in Dallas on Feb. 28 remains the Wolves' largest margin of defeat this season.
Players to watch: The Mavericks are 4-0 when Barea scores at least 25 points, 5-2 when he scores at least 20 and 7-2 when he has at least seven assists. … Good ol' Dirk Nowitzki just keeps on going, and scoring: He had 19 points on 8-for-18 shooting Friday. He has had one 40-point game this season, six 30-point games and 27 with at least 20 points. Last month, he became the sixth player to surpass 29,000 points in his career.
Injuries: Williams has missed the last five games because of an abdominal strain and is questionable; F Chandler Parsons (knee surgery) and F Jeremy Evans (shoulder surgery) are out; G Raymond Felton (groin) missed Friday's game and is questionable. Wolves F Kevin Garnett (sore knee) and C Nikola Pekovic (sore ankle) remain out indefinitely.
JERRY ZGODA
