The Dallas Mavericks are playing their best basketball with four games remaining in the regular season, and their 22-7 organizational record since February 5th earns them sole possession of the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Not only that, but he also ranked in the top five of NBA.com's power rankings.
The top five teams on this week's power rankings list are: 1) Boston Celtics. 2) Denver Nuggets. 3) Oklahoma City Thunder. 4) Minnesota Timberwolves. 5) Dallas Mavericks.
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“If you like a team that plays well heading into the postseason, the Mavs are the way to go in the Western Conference. Dante Exum (8-of-12 on clutch threes!) will save the Mavs Sunday against the Rockets. “This gives the Mavs 14 wins and a chance to play the remaining 16 games and earn a top-four seed in the Western Conference,” wrote John Shuman.
“The Mavs are the most improved team in the league since the trade deadline, both in winning percentage (20-7 vs. 28-23) and point differential per 100 possessions (+7.2 vs. -0.1). has been ranked 7th on the floor since Deadline.
“Their current starting lineup (frontline of Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford) scored plus-8 points in just under 10 minutes against the Warriors on Tuesday, and has played in 14 games with this lineup. The Mavs' only loss was when they started together, allowing just 97.6 points per 100 possessions in 151 total minutes.
It will be the third time in the last five years that the Mavs will face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, which is almost a certainty at this point, with a rookie roster led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Depending on how you're playing, the results could be very different this time around.
