Dallas Mavs Clinch Top 10 Seed in West; New York Knicks Defeat Sacramento Kings

The Dallas Mavericks got a much-needed bounce-back win against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night, and they also got some help from old friend Jalen Brunson with the New York Knicks defeating the Sacramento Kings.

As the NBA regular season winds down, many teams still have a lot to play for when it comes to postseason positioning. So much parity in the league creates competitiveness that didn't used to exist in these end-of-the-season games.

The Dallas Mavericks came into Thursday night's action having sole possession of the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference by half a game. After a 109-95 win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Mavs now have a one-game lead over the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 5 seed.

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Although the Suns and Pelicans are still right behind the Mavs, Dallas was able to get two games of separation between themselves and the No. 8 seed thanks to Jalen Brunson's New York Knicks coming back from being down 21 points and taking down the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden.

The positive night for Dallas might not be over, as the Denver Nuggets play the Los Angeles Clippers in the TNT night cap game. With a Nuggets win, the Mavs would only be one game behind the Clippers in the loss column for homecourt advantage with the No. 4 seed.

The Mavs are back in action against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night with both teams playing on a second night of a back-to-back. Other games on Friday that will mean something to Dallas include: Sacramento Kings at Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns vs. Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers vs. Utah Jazz.

Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for more standings updates heading into the weekend.