With the NBA season reaching the critical Christmas juncture, the Dallas Mavericks are in the mix among the best in the Western Conference.
DALLAS — As the NBA makes its way to its unofficial true start of the season on Christmas Day, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves at the top of the heap in their conference thanks to a deep rotation that has helped them weather injuries.
The depth was tested again as the Mavs were without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Spencer Dinwiddie was the benefactor, clocking in nearly 38 minutes of floor time. Unfortunately for Dallas, he went 0-for-6 on deep shots.
Klay Thompson pulled in an efficient shooting night inside the arc, but also went 2-of-9 from outside as the depleted Mavs lost by 23. It’s clear that it would be tough sledding without their two All-Star facilitators, but Dallas is at least better prepared for missed time than they have been throughout Doncic’s time in the league.
The Mavericks’ offense fought but couldn’t match the firepower of L.A. with Norman Powell going 50% from deep on his way to 29 points and James Harden + Ivica Zubac also reaching the 20-point marker. Doncic’s absence came following a 45-point banger in which Dallas pinned 143 points on Golden State.
Coming down from reaching the NBA Emirates Cup playoffs, Dallas finally reached double-digit losses for the season but they remain a fingertip out of second in the West, trailing third place Houston by half a game, and second place Memphis by a game and a half. The roadmap to more summer glory remains for the team so long as they find themselves in good health for the majority of the season.
The Clippers will remain in town for round two on Saturday night, which is another weird scheduling wrinkle thanks to the NBA Cup. Following the back-to-back with L.A., Dallas stays home for the holidays with the Portland Trailblazers and Minnesota Timberwolves coming to town.
The clash against the T-Wolves will be a nationally televised Christmas Day affair that serves as a Western Conference Finals rematch. In an early Christmas present from the schedule-makers, the four home games in six days mark the first time that Dallas has had more than one home game together since early November.
Dallas beat the Trailblazers in Portland to open the month behind a 36-point, 13-assist night from Doncic in his first game back after missing five contests in November. Treading at the back of the West, the rebuilding Blazers are already shopping players like Jerami Grant. Dallas has a chance to feed on the momentum of beating up on teams like Portland as they gear up for a Minnesota team with an axe to grind.
Dallas has surged up the Western Conference standings after a slow start to their campaign despite dealing with injuries to key contributors, but they must hope that Doncic and Irving will be under their tree for the Wolves game. Dallas is deep enough to compete regardless of injury, but they only look like a legitimate contender for a return trip to the Finals at full strength.
The Mavs packed up Minnesota in embarrassing fashion on their way to the Finals and beat them at the Target Center at the beginning of the season. You can bet on Anthony Edwards having a receipt ready to hand out, an opportunity that Doncic never backs down from as long as he’s healthy enough to take the court.
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