For the past week or so, things have been dark surrounding the Dallas Mavericks. At times they looked so incompetent and uninteresting defensively that I would be surprised if they held a high school team to fewer than 100 points. During this period, there were no health problems to note. Dante Exum is limited to within a few minutes of his return, but the team is essentially complete from a roster standpoint.
But Thursday's home win against the Miami Heat was at least a reminder of how excited the fan base was less than a month ago. Jason Kidd is toying with the lineup and moving pieces around in the rotation. And his dynamic play in the backcourt will continue to be a threat to anyone. The question is whether the complete machine will work. This week's Power Rankings Watch leaves that possibility open. The Mavericks are bad, but perhaps not as bad as we all feel.
ESPN
Rank: 13
Last week: 10
Dallas has been the worst defensive team in the league since the All-Star break, allowing 124.4 points per 100 possessions through six games entering Tuesday's matchup with the Pacers. The return of winger Dante Exum, one of the Mavs' best on-ball defenders, should help, but coach Jason Kidd has been waiting for Exum, who has missed most of the past two months with foot and knee injuries. I'm hesitant to give him playing time. The 28-year-old guard had earned a starting role before being injured on Jan. 1, but Kidd said that is no longer the plan.— McMahon
bleacher report
Rank: 11
Last week: 9
The post-All-Star portion of the season isn't that far away, but the Dallas Mavericks are an early contender for the most disappointing team since then.
Just when it looked like Dallas might be surging out of play-in range and possibly heading for home-court advantage in the first round, Dallas began scoring on defense at a rate worse than the Wizards.
Unable to stop anyone, the Mavs gave up over 130 points in losses to the Indiana Pacers (twice) and Boston Celtics. Perhaps most worryingly, they lost the game at home to the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving give this team an absurd offensive ceiling, but if no one on the opposing team can slow them down, this campaign could end after the play-in tournament. Missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons would be a disaster for a roster with Luka in it.
On the bright side, they closed out the week with a home win against the Miami Heat in which they allowed just 108 points, but they will need to show some improvement defensively in a few more games to regain confidence.
NBA
Rank: 9
Last week: 7
The Mavs have played Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving together for 12 consecutive games, the longest such streak since Irving arrived in Dallas 13 months ago. They won their first seven games, but lost four of the next five, dropping to eighth place in the West Division.
3 points
In their final five games before the All-Star break, the Mavs allowed 101.9 points per 100 possessions, their best defense this season. And in their first six games since the hiatus, they allowed a league-worst 124.4 points per 100. Four of their opponents rank in the top 11 offensively, but the Sixers' 120 points on 98 possessions on Sunday was their fifth-most efficient performance. In 26 games without Joel Embiid.
The decline in defense was primarily on the perimeter, with opponents shooting 52 percent from mid-range and 41 percent from 3-point range since the suspension. The Mavs will allow some corner 3s, but both Boston and Philadelphia made seven of them this weekend (with only nine turnovers each).
Doncic (averaging a triple-double) and Irving have combined to average 60.5 points and shoot 64 percent true shooting over the last 12 games. Unsurprisingly, the Mavs ranked last in assist percentage in that stretch, recording an assist on only 55.5% of their buckets. Doncic's assisted bucket percentage (19.6%) this season was the highest since his rookie year, but it was still the lowest of the 262 players with at least 100 total field goals (by a healthy margin). ).
The Mavs have played five of nine Eastern Conference games, losing by 22 points at Indiana, and will face the league's second-ranked offense for the second time in the last 10 days.
The Athletic
Rank: 9 (Tier 2: On the Brink of Conflict)
Last week: 8
1st quarter school year B+ | 10th place
2nd quarter school year B | 15th place
3rd semester academic year B+
It's been a tough week, but I really like where the Mavs are. They overcame injuries in the first half of the season, strengthened their roster at the trade deadline, and look to be very dangerous in the playoffs. Doncic has generated legitimate MVP buzz. Kyrie Irving was phenomenal and comfortable when he was available. The Mavs can't play defense, but he needs to get a timely stop. Can he improve his defense to average level by the end of the season?
