NBA Power Rankings roundup: Where do Dallas Mavericks place among leagues best?
The Dallas Mavericks (17-9) have been one of the NBA’s best teams to start the season, and most NBA power ranking polls place them among the league’s top five teams.
Why are the Mavs so highly ranked?
John Schuhmann, NBA.com
P.J. Washington missed the loss in Oklahoma City but returned on Sunday when the Mavs’ current starting lineup (with Dereck Lively II at the five) eclipsed the 100-minute mark. It was a plus-20 in the 10-point win at Golden State and has now outscored opponents by 22.5 points per 100 possessions, the best mark among the 29 lineups that have played at least 100 minutes.
Andy Bailey, Bleacher Report
They’d won 11 of 12 games prior to Tuesday’s matchup with OKC. And that stretch included a road win over the Thunder. P.J. Washington, who might be Dallas’ best shot to at least slow SGA down, missed the most recent loss.
Michael Saenz, Fansided
After a pretty inconsistent start to the season, the Dallas Mavericks appear to have found their footing of late. The team has won 11 of their last 13 games and the only two losses that Dallas has had in that stretch came against the Miami Heat in overtime (without Luka Doncic) and then against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That just goes to show you how well the Mavs have been playing over roughly the last month of the season. The question is, can the Mavs continue to remain on this hot streak?
Law Murray, The Athletic
The grade isn’t great, but the Mavericks are off to a blistering pace into the second quarter, that’s for sure. Dallas enters Tuesday looking for an eighth consecutive win, the only win streak in the league at the moment longer than three games. Overall, the Mavericks rank fifth in field goal percentage (48.7 percent). That figure is aided significantly by Kyrie Irving shooting 50.4 percent from the field, a four-year high, and a career-best 47 percent from 3. Irving’s durability and efficiency have made the Mavericks a powerful and consistent offensive team.
Tim MacMahon, ESPN
The Mavs have the league’s fourth-ranked offense despite one of Dallas’ scoring staples producing disappointing results. The Mavs average 14.1 field goal attempts off seven or more dribbles -- third most in the league -- but rank 27th in effective field goal percentage (42.9) off those shots. By contrast, Dallas ranked fifth in that category (52.9% eFG) last season, when the Mavs led the league with 15.1 such shots per game.
Ernesto Cova, Sportskeeda
Jason Kidd’s team has gotten healthier, and as a result, they’ve also gotten much more scary. They have the fourth-best offensive rating (119.4) and rank in the top-10 in most offensive stats.Luka Doncic continues to be an MVP candidate, averaging 28.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 3.6 3-pointers per game on 45.9% from the floor.
Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports
If Tuesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal was a playoff preview, the Mavs should be slightly concerned. Luka Doncic was kept under wraps and they simply couldn’t get anything going against a lockdown Thunder defense. Dallas was playing well before the loss and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue, but they’re likely going to have that next Jan.17 matchup with OKC circled on the calendar.
Jason Burgos, Sportsnaut
While the Dallas Mavericks had some bumps in the road early in the season, they have caught fire over the last few weeks. They have one 11 of their last 12 and are creeping up the NBA standings. They have a top-five record and offense, and they are supported by an above-average defense. Jason Kidd has developed a well-rounded team that plays at a high level on both sides of the court. The Mavs are a threat to get back to the Finals again next Spring.
Kurt Helin, NBC Sports
The Mavericks have been the second-best team in the West this season — they had won seven straight heading into Tuesday night — but that NBA Cup loss to Oklahoma City may be a sign that the gap from first to second is pretty large. Part of that loss was the Mavericks were without P.J. Washington, who is critical to their defense — Dallas is 1-5 this season in games Washington has missed. The Mavericks’ defense has looked better with Dereck Lively II in the starting lineup, and it is 9.7 points per 100 possessions better when Washington and Lively are both on the court.
