Mavericks flip narrative from last season, have 6 players leading impressive stat

The Dallas Mavericks are off to a surprising start so far this year. The Mavs rank second in the Western Conference with a near-perfect record of 6-1.

The only blemish on the record was an 11-point defeat at the hands of the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets.

Despite the strong start, Dallas has trailed in the fourth quarter in five of their seven contests. And in their most recent victory, against the Orlando Magic, Dallas only led by two points with five minutes to go. However, the Mavs ended up beating the Magic by 15 points.

Mavericks flip narrative from last season, have 6 players leading impressive stat

Unlike last season, the Mavs have dominated in clutch time. And the Dallas dominance has shown up in the box score.

In the NBA, clutch is defined as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. Last year, Dallas lost the most games in the league in clutch time, accumulating a 26-29 record. This season, Dallas is already off to a 6-0 start in clutch games.

And if this perplexing stat is any indication of Dallas's success at the end of the game, it's telling that the key Maverick contributors are performing above and beyond when it matters most.

Seeing Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving at the top of the leaderboard for clutch plus/minus wouldn't be surprising. But, having the next four spots occupied by Dallas role players is the cherry on top.

The core six Mavericks occupy the top-six spots and the seventh isn't too far behind. Derrick Jones Jr., who has started every game this season, ranks 12th in the league with a plus-9 plus/minus.

To further expound upon the Mavericks' late-game supremacy, Doncic is third in the league with 25 clutch points and his shooting percentages are through the roof. In the clutch, Doncic is shooting 73 percent from the floor, 71 percent from three, and 100 percent from the line.

The Mavericks have been a fantastic team in clutch. And their successes can be tied to multiple facets of the game. Dallas is first in the league in 3-point makes, going 10-of-22 from three in the clutch.

Additionally, the Mavs have played with great efficiency down the stretch. In 19 minutes of clutch action, Dallas has only turned the ball over three times. And, at the line, Dallas players have gone 14-of-15 from the charity stripe.

Throughout the first month of the season, Doncic is well on his way to winning the Clutch Player of the Year award. And, players who weren't expected to be key difference-makers so quickly are already outperforming expectations. Irving also continues to prove that he is one of the most clutch players in the NBA, and is playing at a high level on both ends of the floor.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.