\n<\/p>\n
Venue:<\/strong> American Airlines Center, Texas <\/span>Date:<\/strong> 22 March<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n| Coverage:<\/strong> Live coverage from 23:30 GMT on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n | NBA champions the Golden State Warriors must show “urgency” if they are to make the play-offs, says Klay Thompson.<\/span><\/p>\n The Warriors ended an 11-game losing streak on the road with victory at the Houston Rockets on Monday, and with nine games left are in the final play-off position in the Western Conference.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Five-time NBA All-Star Thompson said they must “take every game seriously”.<\/span><\/p>\n The Warriors visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in a match that will be shown live on BBC One at 23:30 GMT.<\/span><\/p>\n The Warriors lie sixth in the Western Conference, with the Mavericks, having played one game fewer, in eighth.<\/span><\/p>\n “As a competitor, you relish in the moments of the most important games, and we’re coming down to the stretch and every game is vital for our play-off stakes, it’s exciting times,” added Thompson.<\/span><\/p>\n “You always play 82 games and it’s tough to be great in all of them. With nine [games] left, we have got to treat these like a play-off buffer and I know we will.”<\/span><\/p>\n In a replay of last season’s Western Conference Final, some of the biggest NBA stars will be in action.<\/span><\/p>\n For the Warriors, four-time NBA champions Stephen Curry and Thompson will be on the court.<\/span><\/p>\n Representing the Mavericks, eight-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving played on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies but after the match, was seen wearing a protective walking boot after re-aggravating a toe injury. <\/span><\/p>\n However, Irving says that this was just a precaution and that he will “exhaust all options possible to play”.<\/span><\/p>\n Irving <\/span>signed for the Mavericks from the Brooklyn Nets in February<\/span><\/a>, where his three and-a-half-year spell was tainted with controversy.<\/span><\/p>\n He chose not to be vaccinated against Covid-19, which meant he was unable to play home games until March 2022 because of New York’s ban on unvaccinated people in indoor venues. <\/span><\/p>\n |