Dallas Mavericks 9th in ESPN’s Power Rankings: Why it is still too low

Dallas Mavericks ninth in ESPN’s Power Rankings: Why it is still too low

The Dallas Mavericks continue their preparations for the season’s restart. They play their final scrimmage on Tuesday. The first game that counts is on July 31 against the Houston Rockets. It is all right around the corner for Dallas.

The Mavs currently sit seventh in the Western Conference, but they are significantly better than their record would indicate. Luka Doncic missed 13 games before the NBA suspended play in March. Kristaps Porzingis sat out 16. The stats suggest the Mavericks should have a better record. They are sixth in plus-minus and have the league’s best offense.

ESPN had Dallas tenth in their first Power Rankings of the restart. I argued that was too low here. They updated the list on July 27. Let us take a closer look.

Why ninth is still too low for the Dallas Mavericks in ESPN’s Power Rankings

The Mavs moved up to ninth in the latest ESPN Power Rankings. They passed the Sixers, who dropped from seventh to tenth.

Ninth is still too low, though. The Mavericks have a case to be ahead of both the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat. Somehow, Miami jumped to sixth in this set. The Heat are a strong team, but give me Dallas if the two matched up in a seven-game series.

Luckily, Dallas will not have to wait long to pass the Rockets. A win in their seeding game on Friday should do the trick. That contest will be massive in the Western Conference standings too. Remember, the Mavs are just 1.5 games back to Houston. A win puts the pressure on the Rockets to hold the slimmest of leads.

Mavericks supporters know they defeated the Rockets by 14 back in November. It was the only time Luka faced Houston this season. Both teams have changed significantly since that matchup, but Doncic has performed well against the Rockets in his career. Fans are not going to want to miss it.