5 Mavericks players who must play better down the stretch to boost playoff chances

After last night's home loss against the Indiana Pacers, the Dallas Mavericks are 34-28.

This was a much-needed win for Dallas, as they had lost four of the previous five games, and they must find a way to gain some consistency as the playoffs quickly approach.

One of the Mavs' biggest struggles during their rough patch was defense, and they must return to playing the elite defense that they were playing right after they acquired Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington.

5 Mavericks players who must play better down the stretch to boost playoff chances

Some of Dallas' matchups could have led to the improved numbers on defense, but it was clear the Mavs were playing worse defense during the rough stretch than when Gafford and Washington arrived in Dallas.

It will be an uphill battle for the Mavs to grab a top six seed, but nothing is impossible.

Here are five Dallas Mavericks players who must play better to boost their playoff chances.

5. Josh Green

Josh Green has become an every-night starter next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the Dallas Mavericks, but he has struggled tremendously as of late.

Before last night's game against the Indiana Pacers, Green had scored in single digits for six of the eight previous games. That was coming after he had scored in double digits for five straight games.

Green's inconsistency has come back once again, and this has been a problem for the entirety of his career. He has seemingly always had a hard time stringing together multiple good performances, and this must change before the playoffs.

The Mavs need him to be a difference-maker every night and make his impact felt in the starting lineup. He has been the weak link in the starting five as of late, and with no plans for Jason Kidd to mix up this lineup, Green must return to being effective on both ends of the floor.

Even his defense has struggled lately, and that is extremely uncustomary of him.