The pieces are starting to come together, with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks rapidly climbing the Western Conference standings.
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Have the Dallas Mavericks unleashed their potential to set themselves up for a playoff berth?
Their recent winning streak definitely puts them in a good position. But before proving themselves in the playoffs, they will look to continue their current five-game winning streak that gives them a chance to win the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.
Dallas, who have won nine of their past 10 games, will play the second game of the back-to-back against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. The Mavs moved into sixth place in the West Division with wins in the first leg of back-to-back games in California's capital, a narrow half-game behind the seventh-place Phoenix Suns.
The improved defensive presence and interior production that comes with a star-studded backcourt has increased confidence and a new identity, giving Dallas the kind of fully formed team that teams want to avoid in their playoff seeding run. It's starting to look like an old roster.
However, the Mavs need to get the first score.
This hot streak was in stark contrast to some previous weaknesses, where the team relied on inconsistent 3-point streaks. Instead, Dallas has adopted a team personality that can beat them in the paint to stop Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on both sides of the court.
The best thing for Dallas is that they didn't have to sacrifice their superstar ability to adapt to this new style. Having a functioning frontcourt only highlighted the play of Luka and Kyrie.
Doncic, in particular, averaged 31.8 points, 10.2 assists, and 10.1 rebounds in March, while Irving added 23 points per game.
Throughout March, the Mavs averaged 21.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game from the center position thanks to the combined efforts of Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II. The two players with the most minutes at the position have more than doubled their minutes from just a year ago. Dallas was clearly out of playoff contention and went to the lottery and selected Lively.
Offensive outbursts like Gafford's 24-point effort against the Utah Jazz last Friday certainly help, but the mere presence of Gafford and Lively as rim finishers allows Luka and Kyrie to free up opposing defenses. Now you can tear it apart.
The impact seen on defense has already made the mid-season trade for Gafford and forward P.J. Washington a success, and the benefits could be huge if Dallas finds another gear during its playoff run. There is. In addition to Lively's pitching, it was the efforts of Gafford and Washington that helped the Mavs shut down the Kings' offensive star center Domantas Sabonis and earn a 132-96 victory on Tuesday night.
You only need to look at opposing benches on Tuesday to realize how much Dallas has improved in just one calendar year.
JaVale McGee, the Mavs' center solution for the 2022-2023 season, played five minutes in Sacramento, and the combination of Lively and Gafford cooked the Kings all over the court, suffocating their offensive playmakers.
The battle royale for 5th to 10th place in the West will create some great drama in the final two weeks of the season. Dallas is aiming for the top spot in the division by overwhelming New Orleans, and at the same time defeating Phoenix and Sacramento for the top spot in the division. A guaranteed playoff berth.
Dallas will be tested again Friday night in Sacramento in a rematch between Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox. The Mavericks will then travel to Houston on Sunday to face the Rockets, who have won 10 straight and are back in contention for a spot in the play-in tournament.
There's still time for a big swing in the standings, and Dallas still has games against its Southwest rivals on its schedule. But with only 10 games left in the regular season, the Mavs' recent run has made them look like a true playoff contender.
Even better? A 50-win season is a realistic goal for the Mavericks for the first time since the 2021-2022 season, when the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
Do you think the Mavericks will reach the 50-win mark? Share your thoughts with Irvin on Twitter @Twittirv.
