The two teams share the longest active winning streak in the NBA heading into the All-Star break.
Six consecutive wins against the No. 1 Boston Celtics, favorites to win the NBA Finals.
And the new and suddenly healthy Dallas Mavericks and their team.
“I'm proud of our players,” Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving said Wednesday night after the team's seventh win in the past 10 games. “We are making little progress.”
That number is creeping up considering the Mavericks' 32-23 ranking, which ranks seventh in the Western Conference. But recent spurts of growth, including recent trade deadline acquisitions and the improved health of the team, give the Mavericks reason to be happy heading into All-Star weekend.
numbers
Since the start of their six-game winning streak, the Mavericks have ranked second overall in the league in net rating (17.3) behind the Celtics. They rank him 6th in offensive rating (119.8) and, most importantly, given the team's slow reinforcement of defense throughout the first half of the season, they rank him 1st in defensive rating (102.5). is.
“We're still making some mistakes,” rookie center Derek Lively II said. “We know that if we clean up those mistakes and wipe out some of the intangibles, we can blow what we've done so far out of proportion. [and] You can get more wins. ”
Yes, I will win. Much more will be needed to ensure postseason relief. Since the Mavericks started their winning streak, he has only moved up one spot in the standings, from 8th place to 7th place.
This, more than anything else, is a testament to the depth of the Western Conference. Like Dallas, the sixth-place New Orleans Pelicans are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The same goes for the fifth-place Phoenix Suns. The same goes for the 9th place Los Angeles Lakers. The same goes for the 10th place Golden State Warriors.
Co-starring MVP candidate Luka Doncic (league-leading 34.2 points per game) and Kyrie Irving (whose 17 points in the second quarter helped the Mavericks win Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs) That's helpful. To compete with the best in the West.
“He should be mentioned more in the MVP conversation for what he did here this month,” coach Jason Kidd said.
new people
It's time to caution about the small sample size, but the additions of Daniel Gafford (via Washington) and PJ Washington (via Charlotte) at last week's trade deadline yielded positive returns.
The Mavericks are 3-0 with both lineups, but only one of those wins has come against a quality opponent, the second-place Oklahoma City Thunder.
In any case, having the league's best defensive rating (an amazing 96.9) and second-best net rating (20.0) is nothing to lose. But perhaps even more important is how Gafford and Washington meshed so quickly.
Washington is plus-17 points in his first three games as a Maverick, despite a slow start offensively (8.7 points per game, 40.7 percent). His defense, which shined against Victor Wembaneyama and the San Antonio Spurs, was the biggest plus.
“I love what P.J. does for us defensively,” Kidd said. “He's guarding everyone and he's guarding at a high level. That gives us the depth to play him on the big wing or the small wing. We saw that right away here. 's defense is above par and we need that.”
Gafford averaged a double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds per game) and shot over 60 percent from the field in his first three games. He gives Doncic a new lob threat and gives the Mavericks another starting caliber to pair with Lively.
“I think he's an amazing fit for this team,” Lively said. “He brings energy. He's always talking. He's a great character. You just got to know that he has high energy and high athleticism. He goes out there. Just having one more person on the team makes it easier for me.”
health
Kidd's pregame media address revealing the Mavericks' injury report was a lengthy and infamous one at many points this season.
But Wednesday's game was refreshing when Doncic, Irving and Lively were announced available for the game against the San Antonio Spurs, with only Dante Exum and Maxi Kleber missing.
That's progress.
“We’re starting to come together and we’re starting to get healthy,” Kidd said. “We're not used to being healthy, so it's going to be a little bit of a change. It's not going to be that long, so the players are going to have to adjust.”
Consider that good news for Doncic, whose 37.4 minutes per game ranks second in the entire league. He battled nagging injuries and was given the heavy burden of keeping the Mavericks afloat in January while key members of the rotation were out of the lineup with injuries.
But look at Dallas' win over San Antonio on Wednesday. Doncic played just 31 minutes, played the entire fourth quarter and was able to get a head start with postgame treatment as the Mavericks staked a sizable lead in the second half.
Doncic and Irving have only played together in 28 of a possible 55 games. When both are in the lineup, the Mavericks are 18-10. Lively appeared in just 37 games. The Mavericks are 23-14 when he's on the court.
On Wednesday, in the first game for the team that acquired Doncic, Irving, Lively, and Gafford and Washington at the trade deadline, the Mavericks gutted the Spurs in the final three quarters of the game.
“Our depth is one of our weapons, and so is our speed to be able to play fast,” Kidd said. “We talked about that at the beginning of this year, but there was a limit to that because of my physical condition. Now that I’m healthy, I think I can play fast, and I think that will help me defensively. Masu.”
In fact, Dallas ranks eighth in the entire league with a 100.91 pace. This statistic is determined by the total number of possessions the team has per 48 minutes with him. In the past six games, he ranks fifth with a score of 101.83.
A fresh and healthy body makes that possible. Kidd said Wednesday that the team expects Exum, who has played in just three games since Jan. 1, to return to the lineup after the All-Star break.
Consider the added depth the Mavericks play with the brand of basketball that has made them one of the best teams in the league over the past two weeks.
“It should be an exciting second half,” Kidd said.
Read more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
