Heading into Sunday's matchup with the Utah Jazz, the Dallas Mavericks are 41-29 on the year and have won seven of their past eight games.
Dallas has come together this season, focused on defense, and is playing with an energy we haven't seen from this team before. Thursday night's win over the Jazz was high-energy as the Mavs broke the franchise record for most dunks in a single game.
No one would have thought that was possible with their roster at the beginning of the season, and they are showing the rest of the league that they are a true contender.
With the playoffs still a few weeks away, people are still focused on potential matchups. Dallas will likely land somewhere between the 5th and 8th seeds, but even a 4th seed isn't out of the question.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz recently gave the top eight teams in each conference their “nightmare matchups” in the first round of the playoffs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder's “nightmare matchup” was the Mavs. This is the series every fan wants to watch, especially with fans talking about who is better between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, and the Mavs bringing the Thunder home sooner than expected. They may have a team ready to send to.
Swartz believes the Mavs are a bad opponent for the Thunder due to Doncic's individual dominance against Oklahoma City this season and Dallas additions Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. . Against the Thunder this season, Doncic is averaging 34 points, 11.5 rebounds and 13.5 assists per game while shooting 42.9 percent from downtown.
Doncic has taken his game to the next level playing with the Thunder and missed the Mavs' most recent game against Dallas, a 126-119 road loss. If Doncic had played in that game, his outcome could have been much different.
Swartz also talked about how the Mavs are 1-2 against the Thunder this season, with either Doncic or Kyrie Irving missing in each loss. In the one game against the Thunder when both Doncic and Irving were healthy, the Mavs won by 35 points.
Gafford has played particularly well against the Thunder since joining the Mavs, dropping 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the most recent matchup. Chet Holmgren is the only elite rim protector on their roster, and the Mavs may just have the interior presence to give the Thunder a tough series.
Only time will tell who Dallas' first-round opponent will be, but it's a great compliment that the Thunder, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, have been described as a “nightmare opponent.”
Check out the latest information on Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and the Dallas Mavericks this season.
