THE Dallas Mavericks suffered a third straight defeat after falling to the Indiana Pacers, 137-120, on Tuesday at home, continuing the sadness that has been hanging over them of late.
Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic recorded his fourth consecutive 30-point triple-double (39 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds). However, it wasn’t enough to lead his team to victory against the Pacers, who had a balanced result, with nine players finishing with double-digit scoring.
THE loss sent the Mavericks out of the picture for a playoff spot (top 6) and in the play-in phase if the playoffs started today.
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Below is a look at where Dallas stands in the Western Conference playoff race after losing to the Pacers and with 20 games remaining on its regular season schedule.
Dallas Mavericks playoff picture: Rankings
With their loss to the Pacers on Tuesday, the Mavericks fell to a 34-28 record, eighth in the Western Conference. They are two games behind the Phoenix Suns (36-26), who are sixth and currently occupy the final playoff spot.
Dallas is currently grouped in the “bracket” – teams 7 through 10 – with the Sacramento Kings (seventh) at 34-26, the LA Lakers (ninth) at 34-29 and the Golden State Warriors (10th) at 32. -28.
Taking into account the distribution of teams from No. 4 to No. 10, the The Mavericks need to get as many wins as possible in their remaining games to propel their playoff push and secure a favorable position.
Dallas Mavericks Playoff Photo: Schedule
Twelve of the Dallas Mavericks’ remaining 20 games will be played away, including against the OKC Thunder (42-19), on March 14 and April 14. The Thunder are currently second in the Western Conference.
They should also face teams that could give them a hard time, like the defending champions Denver Nuggets (42-20), Golden State, Miami Heat (35-26) and Sacramento.
However, 10 of their remaining games will be against teams with a sub-.500 record. That includes two games each against the league-worst Detroit Pistons (9-52), Houston Rockets (27-34) and Utah Jazz (28-34).
Dallas Mavericks playoff photo: X-Factor
Luka Doncic is already a no-brainer to lead the Mavericks in their playoff campaign. He has been stunning in the 53 games he has played and surely deserves to be considered for MVP.
Kyrie Irving too, was stable when healthywhile the addition of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford strengthened Dallas’ frontcourt.
Tim Hardaway, Jr. is an important player who needs to deliver and can be considered the X-factor for the Mavericks to make the playoffs.
He’s been a viable third option for the team for much of the season, behind Doncic and Irving, but he has a tendency to fade during games at times. A good example of this is his production of six points in 13 minutes of play against the Pacers, which was down from his average of 16.4 points.
If the Dallas Mavericks want to make a serious playoff boostHardaway needs to be involved and engaged to deliver and give the team a much-needed boost from the bench.
