Preview: All-Star power on full display when Mavs face Nets Feb 27, 2021 Dwain Price PREVIEW Time: 7:30 p.m. Radio: ESPN 103.3 FM; Univision 1270 AM (Spanish) About the Mavericks: After playing the best team in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night in the Philadelphia 76ers, the Mavs will now match wits with the second-best team out East in the Nets. . .This is the middle of a three-game road trip for the Mavs, who opened the trip with Thursday’s 111-97 loss to the Sixers. The Mavs will complete the trip Monday in Orlando prior to returning home for their final game before the All-Star break – Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. . .The Mavs have won seven of their last 10 games and, overall are 7-8 on the road and 7-6 against the Eastern Conference. . .Forward/center Kristaps Porzingis went through a full practice on Friday and is expected to play tonight after missing the past three games with lower back tightness. In his last game before suffering the back ailment, Porzingis collected 18 points, eight rebounds and two blocks during a 121-118 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 14. “What I’m working towards is making sure my body is strong and durable that I can just play without thinking about anything, without worrying or just being free out there and just playing and enjoying the game that I love, and that’s it,” Porzingis said. “I’m striving towards that, and that’s my mindset.” Porzingis made the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 2018 when he was playing for the New York Knicks. . .A starter in this year’s All-Star game for the second consecutive season, Luka Doncic is averaging 28.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 9.0 apg and is tied for second in the NBA in triple-doubles with seven. . .The Mavs are 6-3 when Josh Richardson scores 15 or more points. Richardson, who is averaging 12.9 ppg, tallied 13 points on 5-of-11 shots during Thursday’s 14-point loss to the Sixers. . .The Mavs have been receiving major contributions off the bench from backup guard Jalen Brunson, who is averaging 12.3 ppg and shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from 3-point range while also frequently finding himself on the court during the critical late stages of a game. “Brunson’s been terrific,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “The decision on whether to finish (the game) with him, sometimes it becomes a gut call. Sometimes it’s a thing where if you have to decide between him and J-Rich, J-Rich is bigger and has more length, so if you’re playing from in front it may be a situation where we go with him. A lot of these decisions aren’t clear cut. But it isn’t necessarily an automatic that (Brunson is) going to finish games.”