Dallas Mavericks back in top ten of Power Rankings with big week ahead

The Dallas Mavericks used a total team effort to finish off a sweep of their two-game set versus the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Superstar Luka Doncic had a massive double-double as the Lakers aggressively double-teamed to force the ball out of his hands. It was an impressive win in the Mavericks’ quest to avoid the play-in tournament.

The Trail Blazers losing on Sunday afternoon to the Memphis Grizzlies gave Dallas a bit of breathing room. They are now 1.5 games up on Portland for sixth in the Western Conference. The Mavs are also just 1.5 behind the Lakers for fifth after defeating them in two straight games this week. The race is sure to heat up over the final three weeks of the regular season.

Dallas has won three straight and looks primed to avoid the play-in tournament. What impact did that have on their standings in the weekly NBA Power Rankings? Let us take a closer look.

Dallas Mavericks climb back into top ten in Power Rankings

The Mavs jumped three spots in The Athletic’s Power Rankings (subscription required) to land ninth this week. ESPN also placed them ninth in their ranks. The Mavericks are tenth in Bleacher Report’s. It should come as no surprise as Dallas appears to be heating up down the stretch.

They have a massive week in front of them. The Mavericks have five games over the next seven days, including two back-to-back sets. They face the Pistons and Kings twice over that stretch. Dallas needs to take care of business against those rebuilding teams. The final two games come against the Warriors and Wizards, who are both tenth in their respective conferences and fighting to be part of the play-in tournament. Winning one of those two games would be massive in the Mavericks avoiding the play-in chaos.

Fans will not want to miss a second of action over the final 13 regular season games and into the postseason. Keep it locked to The Smoking Cuban for all things Dallas Mavericks.