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Mavericks look to bounce back vs. Pistons

Feb 3, 2008 - 2:25 PM Dallas (31-14) at Detroit (33-13) 2:30 pm EST

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- With trade rumors swirling and injuries mounting, the Dallas Mavericks have to find a way to complete a tough road trip.

The Mavericks will look to bounce back from a rare setback when they visit the Detroit Pistons in a matchup of two of the NBA's top teams on Sunday.

After Jason Kidd asked to be traded from the New Jersey Nets last week, Dallas emerged as a frontrunner for the veteran point guard's services.

Unfortunately, the player it will most likely have to part with in any deal is promising young guard Devin Harris.

A third-year point guard - averaging a career-best 14.4 points and 5.3 assists - Harris has been out since Monday with a bone bruise in his left ankle is expected to sit another two weeks.

Veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, whose name also has been mentioned in trade rumors recently, has been out the past week with a mild hamstring strain for Dallas.

With the two key pieces sitting out on Thursday, the Mavericks dropped a 96-90 decision to the Boston Celtics in the second game of four-game road trip. Three of those contests are against tough Eastern Conference opponents, ending in Orlando on Monday.

Conversely, the Pistons will be looking to push their winning streak to five games. They earned a 90-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday behind 22 points from Tayshaun Prince.

Detroit owns a 16-4 record at the Palace and is 10-7 against teams from the Western Conference.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points on January 9 at home for the Mavericks, who cruised to an easy 102-86 victory over the Pistons.