Dallas currently 7th seed in the west
The National Basketball Association plans to resume their season with a pair of games Thursday, July 30. The Dallas Mavericks are scheduled to re-open their season that day against their in-state rival, Houston Rockets. The game is set to start at 8 p.m. and will air on ESPN.
The Mavericks enter the re-opening of the league as the seventh seed in the western conference. The six teams ahead of them have all clinched their playoff spots already, as the Mavs need one more win to do the same. Dallas currently has a seven-game lead on the eight seed Memphis Grizzlies.
Although Dallas only needs one more win to clinch their playoff berth, the Mavericks have a strong chance of being able to improve their playoff positioning as well. At the moment the Oklahoma City Thunder, and The Houston Rockets are the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively. Both the Rockets and the Thunder are each just 1.5 games ahead of the Mavs in the standings.
The Mavericks remaining schedule has them facing the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, Los Angles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers. They also have a pair of games against the Phoenix Suns.
The 40-27 Mavs have a combined record of 7-8 against their remaining opponents but have won their most recent matchup against Houston, Sacramento, Milwaukee and Portland.
The biggest question surrounding each team as they look to resume their season is how will the time off affect them. This is no different for the Mavs, whose biggest strength is their young duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The chance of Dallas improving their playoff position will rely heavily on if the two young stars are able to pick up where they left off.
Doncic is currently averaging 28.7 points per game, 9.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists. Doncic was also named an all-star in just his second season in the league. Porzingis also seems to have gotten comfortable with his role as the second option, averaging 19.2 points per game.
If the Mavericks aren’t able to improve their position and remain the seven seed, they will most likely matchup with the Los Angles Clippers in the first round. The Clippers have beaten the Mavericks in each of their two matchups this season and are considered a top contender to win the championship. If they are able to climb up to the fifth or sixth seed, however, they would be matched up with either the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz or Houston Rockets.
Dallas has a combined record of 3-4 against those three teams, with three of those losses by 5 points or less.