NBA Power Rankings: Mavs Moving Up as Luka Doncic Shines

The Dallas Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic, are winners of seven straight. Where does that put them in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Jan 3, 2023

The Dallas Mavericks hold the longest win streak in the Western Conference at seven games and sit just 2.5 games back of the top-seeded Denver Nuggets.

The win streak has been led by Luka Dončić's heroics, which were recognized by the league as it awarded him his second consecutive Player of the Week award. But where does that put the Mavs in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated?

Despite the team's hot streak, the Mavs move up just one spot from 10 to 9 in this week's rankings.

"The Mavericks earned four wins last week and extended their winning streak to seven games on Monday, overcoming an 18-point, second-half deficit to defeat the Rockets," SI writes. "Luka Dončić, the league’s leading scorer (averaging 34.3 ppg this season), earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 48.7 points through three of the Mavs’ games last week. While Dončić is undoubtedly having an incredible year, it is worth noting the impact of Christian Wood, who has notched 20.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in the Mavs’ last 10 games."

The Mavericks hope to continue their win streak Thursday with the NBA-best Boston Celtics rolling into town. Then, it's a weekend back-to-back with the New Orleans Pelicans at home Saturday and the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road Sunday.

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Published Jan 3, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.