How Victor Oladipo not playing impacts the Dallas Mavericks in Orlando

How Victor Oladipo not playing impacts Dallas Mavericks: Pacers vs. West

The Pacers and Mavericks do not play during the eight seeding games in Orlando. The only way the two teams could square off would be in the NBA Finals.

Indiana might have an impact on the Mavs seeding, though. They play the Houston Rockets on Aug. 12. It is the next to the last game for both teams. Houston is just 1.5 games up on the Mavericks in the Western Conference. The Mavs and Rockets face off to open their slates. A Dallas win makes every game crucial for both teams.

Passing Houston is important for the Mavericks. It means they are likely to play the Jazz, Nuggets, or Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. All three would be winnable series for Dallas. If the Mavericks stay seventh, they will take on the LA Clippers in the first round. They would be massive underdogs in that series.

Mavs fans will be rooting hard for the Pacers on Aug. 12. It will be an interesting matchup. Indiana plays big with Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis in the frontcourt. The Rockets traded away Clint Capela at the deadline and plan on using PJ Tucker at the five. It will be a battle of contrasting styles. The result could impact the Mavericks’ seed in the playoffs. Dallas fans will be tuning in to see how it shakes out.

Next: Looking ahead