The Dallas Mavericks Must Get Back on Track Against Subpar Opponents

The Dallas Mavericks have four games against sub-.500 teams this week. They must take advantage.

The good teams in this league beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. It’s an area in which the Dallas Mavericks need to improve to contend for the conference crown, and Saturday’s disappointing loss at home to the then 10-22 New Orleans Pelicans was a prime example.

Luckily for the Mavericks they have a full week of sub-.500 opponents to make amends.

It starts Tuesday when the Mavs host Rajon Rondo and the 13-20 Sacramento Kings. The Kings are generally a mess. Although they just dropped 142 points on the hapless Phoenix Suns, it’s tough to overlook that five-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on December 30th. We still can’t be sure DeMarcus Cousins can keep his emotions in check on a nightly basis, and that could definitely play a role against the Mavericks as Zaza Pachulia has been known to get under the skin of opponents with his incessant hustle and physical play. Cousins is an easy target.

The real story is Rondo, of course. Expect the mercurial point guard to receive the DeAndre Jordan treatment from the Maverick faithful all night long.

After the Kings, Dallas wraps up their season series with divisional foe New Orleans. This one, on the Pelicans’ home floor, will probably be the toughest game of the week. New Orleans, now 11-22, matches up well with the Mavericks. Dallas simply does not have an answer for Anthony Davis (who does?) and has dropped two of three to the Pelicans already this season. Still, if the Mavericks can muster a full 48 minutes of energy and focus there is no reason they shouldn’t emerge victorious. Top to bottom they are the better team.

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Friday marks another matchup with the 14-21 Milwaukee Bucks. The Mavericks dispensed of the Bucks 103-93 on December 28th in Dallas but this one will take place in Milwaukee where the young Bucks are far more dangerous. Even so, the Mavericks will be favored and have the talent to get the win.

Dallas wraps up the week with an early game Sunday afternoon in Minnesota. The Timberwolves, like the Bucks, have a lot of young talent that is still finding their way. Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns will be top-10 players in this league sooner rather than later, but for now Dallas holds the advantage over the 12-22 Wolves.

Related: Week 10 Game Changer Report

As of January 4th, Dallas’ opponents this week are a combined 50-85. Home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs would go a long way in helping the Mavericks reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time since winning the NBA championship in 2011, and they’ll need to consistently beat the teams like they face this week to earn one of those top-4 seeds. We’ll see if Dallas can start to achieve that consistency against some of the league’s bottom feeders in the coming days.