Mavs Drop in NBA Power Rankings: ‘Not Going to Be Easy,’ Says Coach Kidd
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The Dallas Mavericks are entering a crucial part of their schedule, perhaps the worst time possible for a Luka Dončić injury.
Dončić left Thursday's game against the Phoenix Suns with a toe injury and did not play Saturday in a loss against the Utah Jazz.
By losing three of four games last week, the Mavericks dropped three spots in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated from No. 11 to 14.
"Dallas missed Luka Dončić dearly last week," SI writes. "The league’s second-leading scorer went for 41 points and 15 rebounds in a one-point loss to the Wizards. Dončić left early the following game against the Suns with a toe injury after just three minutes played, and Spencer Dinwiddie stepped up to score 36 points in a gutsy road win.
“He nearly matched that output over the weekend with 35 against Utah, but it wasn’t enough with Dončić still sidelined for the eight-point defeat. The Mavericks, 3–7 over their last 10, currently hold a play-in spot in the West."
Dončić is questionable for tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons at home, which should act as a bounce-back game for the Mavs if all goes well. Then, the Mavs host the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday before heading out to the Bay Area for a Western Conference Finals rematch against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. That game will be the first of a brutal five-game road trip for Dallas.
“It’s not an easy [upcoming] schedule,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We play most of them on the road, so this gives us an opportunity to improve our road record, but it’s not going to be easy. And then health. We would like to get healthy here before the [All-Star] break so that we can start fully healthy and ready to go after the break.”
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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