Anthony Davis' absence major reason behind Mavericks power rankings fall

The Dallas Mavericks are struggling without Anthony Davis on the floor.

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis looks on from the bench during the second half against the New York Knicks. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are struggling mightily without Anthony Davis in the lineup.

Without Davis, the Mavs have dropped to the bottom of the standings and NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings. The Mavs are currently slotted in at No. 23, one spot lower than the previous week.

"Anthony Davis has now missed the last 13 games, and the Mavs are 3-10 over that stretch, though it hasn’t been particularly tough in regard to the opponents," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Mavs have still played just four true road games, but will play 11 of their next 16 away from American Airlines Center. They’ll have three days off between stops in Miami and L.A. this week."

READ MORE: Klay Thompson doesn't hold back on Ja Morant after run-in during Mavericks-Grizzlies

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg looks on during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mavs struggling without Anthony Davis

The only teams ranked higher than the Mavs are the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards.

While the Mavs are losing a lot, there is hope for the future, considering how they are playing these close games.

"No matter the strength of the opponent, the Mavs play close games, and most of them haven’t been very pretty down the stretch. Thirteen of their last 15 have been within five points in the last five minutes, and, overall, the Mavs and their opponents have combined to score just 102 points per 100 clutch possessions. Dallas scored just seven points on 13 clutch possessions against the Knicks on Wednesday, with Klay Thompson missing everything on a 3-pointer for the tie and Brandon Williams’ game-tying layup being waived off by an offensive foul," Schuhmann wrote.

"When you play close games, the possession game is extra critical. But the Mavs have averaged 9.4 fewer shooting opportunities than their opponents over their last five games. Losses to the Wolves and Grizzlies last week (both played without Dereck Lively II) were Dallas’ two worst rebounding games of the season. They’ve been at their best on the glass (rebounding percentage of 52.8%) with Lively on the floor, but he’s played just 115 total minutes over seven games."

If the Mavs can continue playing close games, eventually they will find themselves winning more and getting closer to the middle of the pack in the Western Conference standings.

READ MORE: Mavericks start longest road trip of season so far against Miami Heat

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