NBA Playoffs Race: Mavs Scenarios Heading Into Final Day of Regular Season
It might not be an exaggeration to say that parity is at an all-time high in the NBA. With the NBA playoffs on the horizon, seeding is still very much up-in-the-air, especially in the middle portion of the Western Conference.
The Dallas Mavericks (51-30) have captured home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 championship season, but they won't know if they're going to be the third seed or the fourth seed until the end of the final day of the regular season on Sunday night. DallasBasketball.com's Mavs Playoff Tracker will keep you updated on everything happening in the West standings on a nightly basis.
APRIL 9: MAVS PLAYOFF SCENARIOS HEADING INTO FINAL DAY OF SEASON
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The final day of the NBA regular season has arrived, and the Mavs still have some work to do before finding out if they'll be the third or fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Had the Spurs been able to pull off an upset over the Warriors on Saturday night, the Mavs would've controlled their own destiny for the third seed heading into Sunday's finale against San Antonio. However, the Spurs weren't able to get it done, losing to the Warriors 100-94. Here are all of the possible playoff scenarios for the Mavs on Sunday:
- Mavs lose to Spurs – Dallas is the fourth seed
- Mavs beat Spurs, Warriors beat Pelicans – Dallas is the fourth seed
- Mavs beat Spurs, Warriors lose to Pelicans – Dallas is the third seed
Whether the Mavs get the third or the fourth seed, who they play in the first round could still be the Denver Nuggets or the Utah Jazz depending on how those two teams' final games go. The Nuggets play the Lakers, and the Jazz play the Trail Blazers, the team the Mavs just walloped by 50 points on Friday. If the Jazz win, they will be the fifth seed. If the Jazz somehow lose to the tanking Blazers, and the Nuggets beat the Lakers, then Denver would be the fifth seed.
Given that the Pelicans and Spurs are now locked into the ninth and 10th seeds for the Play-In Tournament, respectively, neither will have anything to play for on Sunday. This is good news for the Mavs' chances of finishing the season 52-30 and sweeping the Spurs in the regular season for the first time franchise history. However, that could also be bad news for the Mavs as well, as the Pelicans might sit key players in their matchup against the Warriors.
Buckle up, because we will know the final playoff brackets very soon.
APRIL 7: MAVS GET 50 WINS, CLOSING IN ON HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
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The Mavs achieved something that hadn't been done since 2015 on Wednesday night – getting to 50 wins in the regular season. Dallas defeated the Detroit Pistons 131-113 on the road while Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson put on a clinic, combining to score 50 points. With the win, the Mavs' magic number – which is any combination of Dallas wins or Utah losses – to clinch home-court advantage is now one. If the Mavs beat the lowly Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, or if the Jazz lose to the Phoenix Suns, Dallas will not finish any lower than the fourth seed.
However, the Mavs (50-30) still have hopes of jumping up to the third seed if the Golden State Warriors (50-29) stumble. If Dallas wins out (vs. Blazers and Spurts) and Golden State loses one of its remaining three games (vs. Lakers, and then a back-to-back on the road at the Spurs and Pelicans), then the Mavs will be the third seed in the West. The Mavs could also go 1-1 in their final two games while the Warriors go 1-2 in their final three and Dallas would still end up in third due to winning the regular season tiebreaker.
Although Dallas has the night off on Thursday, many Mavs fans should be tuned into the Warriors' game against the eliminated Los Angeles Lakers at 9 p.m. central time. Yes, the Lakers are severely shorthanded with all of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook sitting out. Yes, Golden State is a heavy 14-point favorite at home. But now that this Lakers squad officially has nothing to lose, more pressure will be on the Warriors.
Crazier things have happened in the NBA. Let's see if we get some craziness thrown at us tonight.
MARCH 30: MAVS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT, AVOID PLAY-IN
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© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
With the Mavs' win against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves' loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, Dallas has officially clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference. This means that the Mavs have successfully avoided the dreaded Play-In Tournament.
The Mavs have moved to within a half-game of the Golden State Warriors for the third seed in the West. If the Warriors lose to the Phoenix Suns later tonight, Dallas will officially move up into that third spot. We will update you on that one as soon as it goes final.
Dallas' magic number to clinch home-court advantage – which is any combination of Mavs wins or Utah Jazz losses – is four. With the Jazz having lost five games in a row, and the Mavs playing four tanking teams in their final five games, the chances of the Dallas hosting a playoff series for the first time in over a decade are looking good.
MARCH 29: MAVS THROTTLE LAKERS; JAZZ IMPLODE VS. CLIPPERS
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Tuesday night was another good one for the Mavs, as it started with a nationally televised beatdown of the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers (31-44), 128-110. Dallas has now won two games in a row after being embarrassed in Minnesota over the weekend and is in full control of the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings.
As the Mavs took care of their own business, the Utah Jazz (45-31) did the exact opposite. Utah was up by 25 points against the Los Angeles Clippers (37-39) in the third quarter on Tuesday, but ended up losing the game 121-115. Paul George made a triumphant return from a three-month injury absence to put up 34 points in 31 minutes.
The Jazz continue to tailspin, having now lost five games in a row and six out of their last 10. With just six games remaining in the NBA regular season, Dallas is feeling pretty good about having a two-game lead over both the Jazz and the Denver Nuggets in the standings. The Mavs are also just one game back of the Golden State Warriors for the third seed and could overtake them as soon as Wednesday night.
