NBA Power Rankings: Mavs Rising After 'Impressive' Wins
The Dallas Mavericks continue to be an enigma in the first third of the NBA season.
There's a lot of talent, but also many questions surrounding Luka Dončić and the rest of the roster's contending power. Wins like last week's victories against the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks show that the team is taking steps in the right direction. However, the team takes a few steps back when dropping a winnable game against the Detroit Pistons.
Dallas' wins spoke louder than its losses in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated, moving up from No. 12 to 10.
"Dallas bounced back from its winless week to go 2–1 with an impressive victory over the Warriors, a confounding loss to the Pistons and a dominant showing in New York," SI writes. "The Mavericks are teetering on the edge of play-in range with upcoming games against three of the best teams in the NBA: Phoenix, Denver and Milwaukee. It took a 40-point triple-double by Luka Dončić to lift the Mavs past the Warriors. Jason Kidd will need more magic out of his heliocentric star in the coming days to avoid falling below .500."
This week, the Mavs will be tested with a pair of back-to-backs. The first one starts tonight against the Phoenix Suns before heading to Mile High to face the Denver Nuggets tomorrow. The team will then rest until Friday before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks 24 hours before traveling to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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