Last week was a rough week for the Dallas Mavericks.
On Friday, the Mavs suffered a 28-point loss to the Boston Celtics. Two days later, the team lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without star center Joel Embiid.
Just over a week ago, things weren't even better. Dallas suffered losses to the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Simply put, the Mavs are 1-4 in their last five games.
So what's going on in Dallas? Does the problem have to do with the team's shooting struggles? How is the play of their role players? Will a player over Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving be able to step up?
But one of the biggest problems may be the Mavs' defense.
The team is on a seven-game winning streak, and their defense has improved slightly. Still, the last few games have brought them back down to earth.
Worst defensive rating since NBA All-Star break:
30. Dallas Mavericks: 124.4
29. Washington Wizards: 122.9
28. Los Angeles Lakers: 121.5
27. Sacramento Kings: 119.1
26. Philadelphia 76ers: 117.7— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) March 4, 2024
During the winning streak, Dallas got lucky as the teams they faced struggled to shoot the ball. For example, on February 10th, the Mavs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by 35 points. reason? OKC shot 38.8 percent from the field compared to Dallas' 58.2 percent.
Two days later, Dallas defeated the Washington Wizards. why? Probably because the Wizards went 7-32 from behind the 3-point line.
Fast forward to today, and while the Mavs are struggling with attempts, the team is shooting better against Dallas. For example, let's look back at Friday's game against the Celtics. During the game, Boston knocked down 48.8 percent of its long-range shots and had a shooting percentage of 55.3 percent.
It also doesn't help if a team's defensive rating was already low before the trade deadline. Dallas currently has the 22nd worst defensive rating in the league. The Mavs also rank in the bottom 10 in steals, blocks and defensive rebounds.
One of the biggest concerns is defensive rebounding. Dallas ranks 22nd in the league in defensive boards. Doncic is the team's top board getter, averaging 8.1 defensive rebounds per game. After that, rookie Derek Lively II is the next guy with his 4.6 defensive boards.
On top of that, Dallas also struggles to contain players in the paint. He averages 52.7 points allowed inside. Just look back at the last two losses. Against Boston, the Mavs allowed 62 points in the paint. The same trend was seen on Sunday when the 76ers dropped 52 points.
Without Lively II or Daniel Gafford on the floor, the Mavs don't have a true rim protector. Maxi Kleber has been solid defensively this season, but the Mavs' small-ball lineup hasn't performed as well as it should.
So what's next for the Mavs?
First, your team needs to get everyone involved. One player who could help is Gafford. The Dallas newcomer has trouble telling time. Over the past four games, he has played an average of 10.25 minutes per game. Compare this to his first three games with Dallas, where he played about 21 minutes. During that time, he also averaged 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Either way, the Mavs' defense was flat. The team needs to improve defensively in order to advance in the final stages of this season.
The Dallas Mavericks will look to bounce back against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.
Check out the latest information on Luka Doncic, Daniel Gafford, Derek Lively II, and the Dallas Mavericks.
