Kings-Mavericks Position-by-Position Breakdown

The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are set to face off in the first round of the Play-In tournament on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM PST. While the Kings swept the season series 3-0, both teams underwent major changes since they faced off during the regular season.

So how do they match up right now? Let's take a look, position by position.

Point Guard: Keon Ellis vs Spencer Dinwiddie

Both of these teams come into the game with question marks as to the true point guard in the lineup. The Mavericks have been shifting their starting lineup around, with Dinwiddie coming off the bench in his last two games played, but he started the previous ten, giving him the slot for this assignment.

Dinwiddie isn't the most consistent scorer, but he can get the job done on any given night. The Mavericks were 6-1 this season when he scored over 20 points, so the Kings would do well to put more emphasis on slowing him down if he gets going early.

Keon Ellis may have only averaged 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this season, but his productivity goes beyond the counting stats with his defense and shooting. With a 43.3% clip from beyond the arc, Ellis has rounded into one of the best 3&D players in the league.

Advantage: Kings, Keon Ellis

Shooting Guard: Zach LaVine vs Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson is one of the most prolific scorers and shooters in NBA history but averaged just 14.0 points this season, the fewest since his rookie year. Even with the down year, Thompson is one of the most terrifying players to face in the postseason. It's telling that Thompson shooting 39.1% from three this season can be seen as a 'down' year.

Zach LaVine meanwhile will be looking to shed the notion that he doesn't show up in big games. The Kings will need him to be aggressive and look for his shot, something he did well to finish the season. Over the final six games, he averaged 29 points on 20.3 field goal attempts per game, and shot a staggering 56.4% from three.

Advantage: Kings, Zach LaVine

Small Forward: DeMar DeRozan vs P.J. Washington

While Zach LaVine needs to be prompted to shoot at times, DeMar DeRozan never struggles to get his shots up. He didn't get to 26th place on the all-time NBA scoring list by accident. In his 16th season, DeRozan notched another strong season with 22.2 points per contest. Expect him to be among the game leaders in FGAs on Wednesday.

P.J. Washington may be one of the game's biggest X-Factors. In an era of wing depth being king, Washington just continues to get better. With 14.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest and 38.1% from three, he put together one of his best seasons to date. That along with his defense makes him one of the biggest swing players to watch in this contest.

Advantage: Kings, DeMar DeRozan

Power Forward: Keegan Murray vs Anthony Davis

With the trade from the Lakers to the Mavericks, Anthony Davis was able to shift back down to power forward. While it's likely that Domantas Sabonis will be the Kings player to guard Davis, for the purposes of this, we'll stick with the Keegan Murray vs Davis matchup.

Davis has only played nine games since being traded to the Mavericks, but he averaged 20.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.2 blocks across the nine contests. Much like Klay Thompson, he brings a fear factor that he can score 40+ with ease if he gets rolling. His combination of offense and defense easily makes Davis the best player to suit up for Wednesday's matchup.

Keegan Murray meanwhile, assumes the X-Factor role for the Kings. In his two games after returning from injury, Murray made just one of his nine three-point attempts, but if he gets hot he can single-handedly carry Sacramento to victory.

Advantage: Mavericks, Anthony Davis

Center: Domantas Sabonis vs Dereck Lively II

Domantas Sabonis has looked like a man on a mission in the last handful of games for the Kings. He finished the season with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in just 23:43 minutes against the Phoenix Suns. Most importantly, he hit all four of his three-point attempts. Sabonis taking and making the three would be huge to draw both Lively and Davis out of the paint.

Lively built on his strong rookie season and followed it up with another productive year. He only averaged 8.7 points, but on a hyper-efficient 70.2% from the field. That along with his 7.5 rebounds make him a key role player for the Mavs. The Kings have struggled with athletic bigs in the past, and will need to make sure they don't let Lively get alley-oops or easy buckets while they focus on the stars.

Advantage: Kings, Domantas Sabonis

Bench Battle: Trey Lyles, Jonas Valančiūnas, Devin Carter vs Max Christie, Naji Marshall, Daniel Gafford

While the Mavericks are limited in star power, they are flush with role players and bench depth. Between Christie, Marshall, Gafford, and even Caleb Martin, they have a number of players who can contribute off the bench. With strong defense, athleticism, and length, Dallas' bench brings attributes that have plagued the Kings throughout the season.

For Sacramento, they have a very top-heavy bench with both Malik Monk and Jake LaRavia being out with injury, but Lyles and Valančiūnas have both been playing well of late, and Carter is finding his stride as a defensive disruptor. But with the Kings likely leaning heavily on their starters, the Mavs get the slight edge in the bench battle.

Advantage: Mavericks