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Mavs expecting Noel's debut

The newly-acquired center should have a debut today but he will have a tough task today against the Pens and their top players Cousins and Davis

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There have not been many teams more consistent than Dallas over the past 20 years. They are trying to get Nowitzki into one more playoffs but that will not be an easy task since they are currently in spot 13, three and a half wins short of the Nuggets, who sit in 8. 

That undertaking would have been a bit easier had they not waived Deron Williams, who will have a chance to join one of the teams more likely to get the title. The Mavs are clearly serious about creating a younger team, as the acquisition of Narlens Noel proves. They traded Justin Anderson and the super-protected first round draft pick for him. 

- We hope that will give our team extra energy in the playoff race but these are actually moves we made for the future - CEO Donnie Nelson said.

After winning 8 out of the last 11 games, the Mavs got into a crisis. They recorded the third straight defeat last night in Minneapolis (97-84). It was obvious from the very start that it would not be their day. Carlisle's team had massive problems in offense, especially getting uncontested shots. 

- I think they played with more energy than we did. That simply cannot happen, especially on the road. We need to do the small things better - Carlisle said. His team finished with a lot less points from the paint (48-30).

The defeat ruined Seth Curry's carrier-high record of 31 points (13-for-17). Harrison Barnes recorded 20 points and 6 rebounds. Nowitzki and Matthews haven't had great contribution as they combined 15 points with 6-for-23 shooting from the floor. 

Noel did not even travel to Minneapolis but he is expected to play tonight. Their opponents the Pens are also hoping to reach the playoffs. They are currently three wins short of that. DeMarcus Cousins has not had the best debut since his team got trashed by the Rockets home 129-99 on Thursday. 

- Getting out on the floor was good. We finally got back to basketball. I know everyone waited for the game. No one expected us to look like champions in the first game. We see what we have to work on. We played the Rockets, who are very good. They have identity while we still need to find ours. We have a long road ahead - Cousins said. He recorded 27 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks.

Anthony Davis did well with 29 points and 9 rebounds but no other player apart from Casspi managed to get more than 6 points. To make matters even worse, the Israeli has been waived since he suffered a hand injury which will get him sidelined for a month. That is something the Pens cannot afford. Reggie Williams and Jarret Jack were signed instead of him. They got 10-day contracts and at least one of them might play today.