DALLAS — With a mild Texas winter seemingly running its course, and crawfish season soon approaching, the real NBA stretch run now begins as spring kicks off the jockeying for playoff seeding.
The Dallas Mavericks coasted into the All-Star break on a six-game winning streak, but saw little upward mobility thanks to a loaded conference where a game in the loss column separates fifth through eighth. After an injury-filled first half, Dallas sits in the precarious seventh spot, which is the top seed in the NBA’s play-in tournament.
The Mavericks will be eyeing a move into the top 6 to guarantee their spot, which means they will need a fully-engaged Luka Doncic fresh off his fifth All-Star appearance, another notch on the career tally, numbers to admire when his career is complete.
For now, the biggest development from All-Star game No. 5 for the 24-year-old was his budding friendship with NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and a trivial argument on the level of effort displayed by basketball’s best in the exhibition. For a player that’s averaging nearly 38 minutes per game, a show match at half-speed isn’t the end of the world.
After a brief respite, the attention of Doncic and company is diverted back to climbing the standings and maintaining a playoff berth by season’s end. Dallas (32-23) has just four games left in February and 27 games left overall, as the season’s finish line quietly comes into view.
Of their remaining schedule, 14 games will be against a Western Conference franchise, though none remain against a New Orleans Pelicans team that sits a game ahead of Dallas in Southwest division.
Thankfully for Mavericks, the roster finishing out the 2023-2024 season is seemingly the most complete it’s been in the Doncic era. With the return of a healthy Kyrie Irving and an opportunistic front office that added at the trade deadline a couple of weeks ago, the ability to leapfrog up the standings is realistically there for the taking if they can continue their recent success and avoid further injuries.
Doncic was quick to praise the trade deadline additions of center Daniel Gafford and forward P.J Washington, and for good reason. Gafford has been absolutely scorching while anchoring the frontcourt while rookie Dereck Lively II rehabilitates. Since debuting with Dallas, Gafford is averaging 15 points per contest while playing commendable defense. Washington has looked like a defensive linchpin in his own right, and the reinforcements have instilled confidence to ease Lively back into the rotation slowly.
The promising rookie returned for limited minutes in the win over the San Antonio Spurs ahead of All-Star weekend and then the Duke product participated in the All-Star festivities as part of the league’s rising stars. Coach Jason Kidd will surely be glad to have Lively back in the mix for the challenges on the horizon.
The Dallas defense will be tested by Kevin Durant & Devin Booker’s Suns on Thursday in their first game back from extended vacation, but Phoenix will also need to take account of a Mavericks team that now goes beyond their superstar backcourt.
It’s hard to find a bigger matchup for the newly refortified Maverick rotation than Phoenix. Throughout the different incarnations of the rosters during the Doncic era, the one constant has remained the on-court hatred between these two teams and especially the star guards.
Both teams are 7-3 in their last ten games, with the Suns occupying fifth place in the conference for now. Booker’s a talker, and Doncic has never been one to shy away from doing a little trolling himself. Thursday’s game is the last matchup for the rivals in the regular season, which may add unneeded gasoline to a burning fire.
The Mavs will then close out the week with Doncic and Lively heading back to the site of the All-Star game to face off with Rick Carlisle’s Indianapolis Pacers, led by Tyrese Haliburton and Euless Trinity product Myles Turner.
That’s only the start of a grueling sprint for Dallas. After the Suns game, the Mavs will play seemingly every other day through mid-March, including games against the top Eastern Conference contenders in a stretch that will likely decide their playoff standing as the end of the regular season in April looms on the horizon.
Do you think the Mavericks will rise up the rankings in the west? Share your thoughts with Irvin on Twitter @Twittirv.
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