West Standings Watch: Mavs Chase Suns, Kings; 6th Seed Within Reach
With 18 games remaining in the 2023-24 season, the Dallas Mavericks, who currently sit in eighth-place in the Western Conference standings, have a prime opportunity to climb out of Play-In Tournament range this week after winning their last two games.
Dallas starts things off on Monday night when they take on the Chicago Bulls on the road. Then, on Wednesday, Luka Doncic and company take on the Golden State Warriors at home. Both games should be winnable for Dallas, as Chicago, although it has won four out of six games, is just 31-33 this season, and Golden State could be without star guard Stephen Curry.
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The Mavs are just a half-game behind the seventh-place Sacramento Kings and one game behind the sixth-place Phoenix Suns. Sacramento has a tough week, as it will take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and the New York Knicks on Saturday. The Suns play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday and the Boston Celtics on Thursday – both games on the road.
Long story short, if the Mavs come out this week and take care of business, there's a good chance they could be in sole possession of sixth-place in the West by the weekend ... if not sooner.
Doncic, who is having the best season of his young career, is in the middle of a historic stretch, as he has set the record for most consecutive 30-point triple-doubles with six in row and counting. Although the statistical accolades are nice, Doncic only cares about them if they're translating to wins.
"I think it's my best season, for sure. I think so, but still got a lot to improve. Everything. A lot of things," Doncic said. "We can improve on everything. ... We got two wins now in a row, so we gotta keep going like that."
The goal for the Mavs is clear in their final 18 games of the season: Make the playoffs without being in the Play-In Tournament. We know Dallas has the talent to do it, but we'll see if they have the mental fortitude to be consistent enough to get it done.
