Mavericks' major rival stands no match for them, especially after latest trade intel

After an extremely tough slate that featured multiple injuries and illnesses for the Dallas Mavericks, the Mavericks will be off until their Sunday evening contests against the Golden State Warriors.

This break comes off the heels of Dallas dropping an NBA Cup game to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, as the Mavericks will get some much-needed rest because of their inability to plant their ticket to Las Vegas.

The Mavericks are currently 16-9 through 25 games, which is an exponential turnaround compared to when they were below .500 earlier this season. Dallas’ recent success has come through a culmination of factors like role players stepping up offensively, superstar Luka Doncic playing better on both ends, as well as Dallas making a concerted effort to push the pace more.

While the Mavericks may have championship aspirations after reaching the NBA Finals last season, they still may have some work to do to improve the back half of their roster despite their success through 25 games. Dallas may seek to improve their roster via trade before the February 6 deadline this season, but they are certainly finding their rhythm at the moment being the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and they are a lot better off than some of their Western Conference counterparts.

Mavericks are far better off than Minnesota at this point in season

For instance, the Minnesota Timberwolves are currently the eighth seed in the West with a record of 13-11. Just last season, the Timberwolves were the third seed in the conference, and they grew to become a budding rival with the Mavericks through five games in the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves have increased their defensive intensity en route to winning six out of their last seven games, but they haven’t been near as consistent as the Mavericks have this season overall.

In a recent article by ESPN (subscription required), NBA insiders Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst wrote that multiple league executives and scouts think Minnesota’s struggles can be attributed to a variety of factors, such as the lack of floor space in their half-court offense after trading away Karl-Anthony Towns, as well as Donte DiVincenzo shooting worse from outside than anticipated.

League sources also believe Julius Randle has been a clunky fit in Minnesota compared to Towns, as well as the fact that the Timberwolves are in need of major upgrades before the trade deadline, so clearly Minnesota’s season hasn’t gone as smoothly as Dallas’. While there is still plenty of time for the Timberwolves to turn this ship around or improve their roster, this development is extremely encouraging in an uber-competitive Western Conference, as the Mavericks will take any help they can get in regard to prospective contenders and rivals like Minnesota performing far worse than anticipated.

Minnesota superstar Anthony Edwards ignited a fire within Dallas guard Kyrie Irving during the Western Conference Finals last season when Edwards called Irving out, and Edwards dealt with the consequences of Irving and Doncic going ballistic on Minnesota’s defense in that series.

Without Towns in the lineup now, Dallas would easily be the favorite in a potential playoff matchup versus the Timberwolves if the season ended today, and the Mavericks arguably have much better depth and top-end talent than the Timberwolves.

The Mavericks are currently fourth in the league in offensive rating and many fans and media members agreed they haven’t even peaked offensively yet with Klay Thompson’s fluctuating play among other factors, and even Minnesota’s defense was hard-pressed to be able to stop Dallas in their first contest of the season against each other where Dallas won 120-114 on October 29.