Looking to land a punch in Game 1

Game 1 is as good a time as any to steal homecourt advantage. If the Mavs are going to advance, they’ll have to win at least once in New Orleans.

“We’ve got to come out here and try to take a hard swing,” Avery Johnson said. “The first game on the road is always a game that’s up for grabs. A lot of times there’s a lot of pressure on the home team to try to get that game.

“We’re the seventh seed. They’re the team that’s been pretty consistent all year and they’ve had their same team together all year. We haven’t, so this game would be a good game to try to come out and take a hard swing and hopefully we’ll finish with one more point.”