Bye Bye Dallas Mavericks - From Finalists to Also Run (Again)?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 11 Mar 2025
With sixteen games left in its schedule, the pressure is on the Dallas Mavericks to win as many of their remaining assignments to avoid falling from being Western Conference champions and finalists in last year's NBA season to the category of also-ran teams, as they were two seasons ago.
Yesterday, the Mavs lost at home to the Phoenix Suns, 125-116, cutting their edge over the Suns to just half a game.
Today, Dallas got a lease of life with a 133-129 road victory over the San Antonio Spurs, their first in six games, and coupled with a 120-118 road loss by Phoenix to the surging Memphis Grizzlies, the Mavs' advantage over the Suns for the final play-in spot in the West goes up again to two games.
However, the Mavs are far, far from being out of the woods.
After playing the Spurs again on Thursday, March 13, and finishing their road swing against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, March 15, the Mavs will get back briefly to Dallas to host the Philadelphia 76ers the following Monday, March 17. They will next exchange hosting with the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, both tough Eastern squads, the succeeding two play dates.
Afterwards, the Mavs would be on a long road tour of the East, facing teams such as the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, and Chicago Bulls to wind up the month.
To say the least, it will be a tall, tall order for the undermanned Mavs, which have also lost Kyrie Irving and Olivier-Maxence Prosper in succession to injuries, joining starters Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Derrick Lively III, and PJ Washington in the sickbay. Also out is Jalen Hardy, reducing the team to essentially just eight players.
In today's win over the Spurs, which was also without star big man Victor Wembanyama, all eight Mavs players scored, with Spencer Dinwiddie topping with 28 points, followed by Klay Thompson's 26, Naji Marshall's 23, and reserve center Kessler Edwards' 22 points production. Edwards also had 12 rebounds. Dante Exum contributed 10 points, while Max Christie, who came from the Lakers in the Luka Doncic-Davis trade, tossed in 12 points. Dwight Powell came off the bench and had 9 points and 6 rebounds, and Caleb Martin rounded out the scoring with 3 markers plus 6 boards.
Meanwhile, the Spurs had ten players in uniform, with five scoring in double figures, led by Harrison Barnes with 29 points, Keldon Johnson's 28, and Devin Vassell's 22. Guards D'Andre Fox and Stephon Castle contributed 14 points each in spearheading the Spurs in a dogfight of a battle against the Mavs, which was determined only in the waning seconds of the game.
The Spurs will host Dallas again on Thursday, hoping to suit up Wembanyama, whose scoring and especially defense were desperately missed as the taller Mavs frontline took advantage to score against the smaller Spurs in the absence also of Jeremy Sochan and Charles Bassey.
Another win by the Mavs will complete their 4-0 series sweep of the Spurs and keep their distance against the Suns.
The following days will tell if the Mavs can stay to catch the last bus for the Final Eight in the West.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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