One team that has been pretty quiet this season is the 18-30 Dallas Mavericks. With Dirk Nowitzki past his prime, this team hasn't been as competitive as they've been in past seasons, but after taking out the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers in back-to-back games, maybe we should pay more attention to them.
In their 105-101 win over the Spurs, Seth Curry led the charge with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 4-9 shooting from the field while Harrison Barnes finished with 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. In addition to Curry and Barnes, Wesley Matthews (17 points and 7 rebounds) and Dirk Nowitzki (15 points and 10 rebounds) had solid outings as well. What made the win all the more impressive is the fact that the game was in San Antonio and the Mavericks came back from a 49-59 deficit at the half to win. Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge both played solid games for the Spurs, Leonard finishing with 24 points and 7 rebounds and Aldridge finishing with 16 points and 7 rebounds. It was probably the best game the Mavericks played all season up until that point.
I say up until that point because the very next night in Dallas, the Mavericks took out the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final score of 104-97. Even with LeBron James putting up a near triple double (23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists), the Mavericks were able to fend off the defending champs and get the win. Harrison Barnes (24 points and 11 rebounds) and Wesley Matthews (21 points and 4 rebounds) were the top performers for the Mavericks in this game, but much like their game against the Spurs, the Mavericks got help from other players as well. Seth Curry finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while Dwight Powell finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Perhaps the most shocking contributor was Yogi Ferrell, an undrafted guard out of Indiana who is currently playing on a 10-day contract. Ferrell finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, which should guarantee he stays with the team for the rest of the season. Ferrell stepped up big time and is a major reason for why the Mavericks were able to get the win. If he is able to continue to prove his worth as a solid rotation player, the Mavericks will have hit the jackpot since they desperately need more backcourt depth with Deron Williams and J.J. Barea sidelined with injury.
Even though these wins over the Spurs and Cavaliers are only two games out of 82, they are still very noteworthy and should grab our attention. Especially since the Mavericks are only 4 games back of the 21-25 Denver Nuggets for the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Mavericks could be on the verge of turning the corner and making a serious push for that final playoff spot.
When looking at this Mavericks roster, there's no good reason to not expect them to make the playoffs. They've been dealing with injuries all season, but at full strength, these guys have the pieces to be a dangerous team. Dirk Nowitzki is a wily old veteran with some juice left while Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews, and Seth Curry are shaping up to be a very solid trio to build around for the future. Unless some other team starts to grab the bull by the horns and take command of the 8th spot in the Western Conference, I got my money on the Dallas Mavericks to be the team that gets it. They have the most talent of all the teams battling for it and the most experience. They just have to stay healthy and continue to play sound basketball on both ends of the floor.
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