The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Sacramento Kings at American Airlines Center on Wednesday.

The Kings (47-32) have been the biggest surprise in the NBA. This team hasn't made the postseason in nearly 20 years, and they snapped that streak in glorious fashion. The Kings have the third-best record in the Western Conference and have earned homecourt through the opening round of the playoffs. These dedicated Sacramento fans deserve that, but it'll be a tough task no matter who they face. What's made Sacramento so dangerous is their offense, scoring over 120 points per game. They've done that damage thanks to Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, one of the best duos in the league. Many people will make them underdogs in the first round, but that's right where this Kings team has been all season.

The Mavericks (37-42) are developing into one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA. They come into this matchup losing seven of their last eight games. That ugly run has dropped Dallas down to 11th in the west, and they're just two losses away from missing the postseason altogether. It's hard to understand how a team with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving can play so poorly, but the defense has been embarrassing since that big trade. The Mavericks have the worst defensive rating in the NBA since the blockbuster deal, regularly allowing 130 points per game. It would be tough to imagine that Irving hangs around if this team misses the postseason, and it'll put this franchise in an interesting spot going forward.

This is the third and final meeting between these teams, splitting those two matchups. With that said, Dallas has won three of their last four games in this series.