Dallas Mavericks favored to finish sixth and avoid the play-in

The Dallas Mavericks have climbed from an early-season slump to be one of the best teams in the league. Superstar Luka Doncic is making his case for MVP as the Mavericks have won 20 of their last 30 games. They are tied for the fifth-best winning percentage in the NBA since Feb. 5. Dallas sits seventh in the Western Conference, but no team is looking forward to facing the Mavs in the playoffs.

There is still work to be done. Only the top six teams in each conference are guaranteed playoffs spots this season. Teams seven through ten must take part in the play-in tournament. If the Mavericks finish seventh, they have to win one of two games to advance to the postseason.

Luka Doncic let fans know they are focused on moving up and avoiding the play-in following their loss to the Sixers on April 12. The Mavericks sit 1.5 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for sixth entering play on April 14. Can they close the gap? Here is what the odds say.

Dallas Mavericks favored to finish sixth in the West and avoid the play-in

Jamal Murray suffered a torn ACL on April 12, which sent shockwaves through the NBA. His injury crushed the Nuggets’ chances of winning a title and reshaped the race in the Western Conference.

Basketball-Reference tweeted out their latest odds of each contender finishing in the top six.

The Ringer also released their latest playoff odds after Murray’s injury. They gave Dallas a 53 percent chance to avoid the play-in tournament and had the Mavericks as the most likely sixth seed in the Western Conference.

Both sites favor Dallas to pass Portland and avoid the play-in tournament. Strength of schedule is a massive reason why. According to Tankathon, the Mavericks have the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA and Portland faces the third-most difficult. The two teams do not face off again and the Blazers hold the tiebreaker, but Dallas is favored to grab the coveted sixth seed down the stretch.

There will be plenty of exciting and entertaining basketball over the Dallas Mavericks final 19 regular-season games. Fans will not want to miss a second of the action, so keep it locked to The Smoking Cuban for all the latest.