Tomahawk Tuesday: The Dallas Mavericks take out the Spurs and Cavaliers

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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Daily Dunks: 3/2-3/8

                                                 (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source). 

     This is my Daily Dunks page for March 2, 2015 through March 8, 2015. Throughout the week this page will be updated with the latest news and scores from arose the NBA until a new Daily Dunks page is created.

Monday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Heat signed forward Henry Walker to a second 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#2. Hornets shooting guard P.J. Hairston was benched on Sunday for skipping out on a weight training session (Click here for details).

#3. Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler (elbow) is out 3-6 weeks after undergoing an MRI (Click here for details).

#4. Rockets shooting guard James Harden has been suspended 1 game for kicking LeBron James in the groin (Click here for details).

#5. Michael Jordan is officially a billionaire (Click here for details).

#6. The Pistons signed forward Quincy Miller to a second 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#7. Clippers power forward Blake Griffin should be back next week (Click here for details).

#8. Pacers head coach Frank Vogel and Thunder head coach Scott Brooks have won coach of the month honors for February (Click here for details).

#9. Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas and Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard have won player of the week honors (Click here for details).

#10. Greg Monroe's agent claims his client could re-sign with the Pistons this summer (Click here for details).

Monday's NBA Final Scores: 

Nets 110 Warriors 108. Clippers 110 Timberwolves 105. Raptors 114 76ers 103. Heat 115 Suns 98. Mavericks 102 Pelicans 93.

Tuesday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Kings won't give David Stockton a second 10 day contract (Click here for details).

#2. Thunder small forward Kevin Durant will be reevaluated in another week (Click here for details).

#3.The Pelicans signed guard Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract and waived center Justin Hamilton (Click here for details).

#4. Vlade Divac is the Kings' new VP of Basketball operations (Click here for details).

#5. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is expected to play on Wednesday and wear a mask (Click here for details).

#6. The Mavericks, Heat, and other teams are interested in JaVale McGee (Click here for details).

#7. Mavericks guard Monta Ellis will reportedly opt out of his deal this summer (Click here for details).

#8. The Nuggets fired head coach Brian Shaw. Melvin Hunt is taking over as an interim head coach (Click here for details).

#9. The Suns signed center Earl Barron to a second 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#10. The Mavericks signed center Bernard James for the rest of the season (Click here for details).

Tuesday's NBA Final Scores: 

Jazz 93 Grizzlies 82. Cavaliers 110 Celtics 79. Hornets 104 Lakers 103. Kings 124 Knicks 86. Hawks 104 Rockets 96. Bulls 97 Wizards 92. Nuggets 106 Bucks 95.

Wednesday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Due to Ronnie Price's season-ending injury, the Lakers will apply for a hardship exception (Click here for details).

#2. The Hawks signed small forward Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#3. The Jazz signed forward Jerrelle Benimon to a 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#4. The Heat sent guard Zoran Dragic to the D-League to join the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Click here for details).

#5. Grizzlies guard Tony Allen got suspended one game because he got into a fight with teammate Nick Calathes (Click here for details).

#6. Ray Allen has announced that he won't play this season (Click here for details).

#7. Magic guard Devyn Marble is out 4-6 weeks due to a detached retina in his eye (Click here for details) .

#8. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook had his fourth consecutive triple-double: 49 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists.

#9. The Raptors and Warriors are also interested in JaVale McGee (Click here for details).

#10. Grizzlies center Marc Gasol defeated the Rockets at the buzzer and Celtics center Tyler Zeller defeated the Jazz at the buzzer. The Hawks also clinched a playoff spot.

Wednesday's NBA Final Scores: 

Celtics 85 Jazz 84. Grizzlies 102 Rockets 100. Nuggets 100 Timberwolves 85. Warriors 102 Bucks 93. Pacers 105 Knicks 82. Suns 105 Magic 100. Hornets 115 Nets 91. Cavaliers 120 Raptors 112. Pelicans 88 Pistons 85. Heat 100 Lakers 94. Thunder 123 76ers 118 (OT). Spurs 112 Kings 85. Trail Blazers 98 Clippers 93.

Thursday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews is done for the season with a torn Achilles (Click here for details).

#2. The Timberwolves waived small forward Glenn Robinson III and claimed center Justin Hamilton off waivers from the Pelicans (Click here for details).

#3. Mavericks center Tyson Chandler returned, scoring 4 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in 32 minutes.

#4. The NBA admits James Harden was fouled in the final seconds of the Rockets' loss to the Grizzlies (Click here for details).

#5. Craig Sager returned to the sidelines on TNT after being out with leukemia.

#6. The NBAPA general counsel wants to lower the minimum age (Click here for details).

#7. JaVale McGee almost agreed to a deal with the Celtics, but the deal fell apart (Click here for details).

#8. The Jazz will sign guard Bryce Cotton to a second 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#9. The Clippers will sign guard Jordan Hamilton to a second 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#10. Cavaliers small forward LeBron James and  Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook won player of the month honors. Celtics point guard Marcus Smart and Timberwolves small forward Andrew Wiggins won rookie of the month honors.

Thursday's NBA Final Scores: 

Bulls 108 Thunder 105. Trail Blazers 94 Mavericks 75.

Friday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Bucks signed forward Chris Johnson to a 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#2. Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has ruled out signing with the Knicks (Click here for details).

#3. Brian Shaw has expressed interest in coaching the Magic (Click here for details).

#4. Celtics guard Avery Bradley will miss around 3 games with an elbow sprain (Click here for details).

#5. The Jazz have told Ante Tomic they are willing to buyout his contract from FC Barcelona in Europe. He is likely to be playing with the Jazz next season (Click here for details).

#6. Raptors guard Kyle Lowry returned from a three game absence (Click here for details).

#7.The Hawks unveiled their statue of Dominique Wilkins (Click here for details).

#8. Magic guard Victor Oladipo had 32 points and 10 assists.

#9. Jazz forward Gordon Hayward had 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.

#10. Hawks point guard Dennis Schroeder had 15 points and 8 assists.

Friday's NBA Final Scores: 

Jazz 89 76ers 83. Grizzlies 97 Lakers 90. Warriors 104 Mavericks 89. Pacers 98 Bulls 84. Magic 119 Kings 114. Hornets 103 Raptors 94. Wizards 99 Heat 97. Hawks 106 Cavaliers 97. Suns 108 Nets 100 (OT). Celtics 104 Pelicans 98. Rockets 103 Pistons 93. Spurs 120 Nuggets 111.

Saturday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Clippers signed point guard Nate Robinson to a 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#2. The Bucks will be paying Larry Sanders for the next seven years (Click here for details).

#3. Brian Shaw is interested in the Magic head coaching job (Click here for details).

#4. The 76ers claimed Glenn Robinson III off waivers (Click here for details).

#5. Grizzlies shooting guard Vince Carter has returned (Click here for details).

#6. The Jazz discussed a trade with the Warriors that would have landed them David Lee at the trade deadline (Click here for details).

#7. The Knicks are really paying attention to Kentucky basketball (Click here for details).

#8. LeBron James has tied the Cavaliers' all-time assist mark, held by Mark Price (4,206 assists).

#9. The Kentucky Wildcats finished the regular season undefeated at 31-0.

#10. Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov had 19 points.

Saturday's NBA Final Scores: 

Pelicans 95 Grizzlies 89. Timberwolves 121 Trail Blazers 113. Cavaliers 89 Suns 79. Heat 114 Kings 109 (OT). Pacers 92 Knicks 86. 76ers 92 Hawks 84. Bucks 91 Wizards 85. Rockets 114 Nuggets 100.


Sunday's Daily Dunks: 

#1. Little clarification on the Larry Sanders situation. The Bucks are using their stretch provision to pay him over the next seven years. He'll get $22M over the course of the next seven years (Click here for details).

#2. The Knicks are open to trading their first round pick (Click here for details).

#3. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers says Blake Griffin still has no timetable for return (Click here for details).

#4. Rockes center Dwight Howard has resumed basketball related activities, but there is still no timetable for his return (Click here for details).

#5. The Heat signed small forward Michael Beasley to a 10-day contract (Click here for details).

#6. Lakers shooting guard Nick Young (knee) is still going to be out for a while (Click here for details).

#7. Mavericks point guard Rajon Rondo is now trying to say that all is cool between him and head coach Rick Carlisle (Click here for details).

#8. The Bucks retired Bobby Dandridge's number (Click here for details).

#9. Duke rookie Jahlil Okafor is the first freshman in ACC history to be named ACC Player of the Year (Click here for details).

#10. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook got another triple-double: 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 17 assists.

Sunday's NBA Final Scores: 

Warriors 106 Clippers 98. Jazz 95 Nets 88. Spurs 116 Bulls 105. Hornets 108 Pistons 101. Magic 103 Celtics 98. Thunder 108 Raptors 104. Mavericks 100 Lakers 93.


---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news