NBA Playoff bracket: Where would Mavericks fall in if season ended today?

The NBA Playoff picture is wild with less than one month remaining in the regular season, and the Dallas Mavericks are right in the middle of the chaos. Just three games separate fifth and 12th in the Western Conference. In the East, the races are more for single seeds, but the Raptors, Bulls, Wizards, and Pacers are all fighting for the final two spots in the Play-In Tournament.

The West feels wide open. Every team has flaws and none appear to be turning it on down the stretch. Memphis has won three straight without Ja Morant, but two of those victories came against Dallas without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They are tied with the LA Clippers for the longest win streaks in the conference, and just the Kings, Warriors, and Lakers have won more than six of their last ten games.

With things wide open, what would the playoff brackets look like if the regular season ended after the games on March 13? Where would the Mavs fall? Here is a closer look.

NBA Play-In Tournament bracket

Teams seven through ten in each conference qualify for the Play-In Tournament. Seven faces eight with the winner advancing to the playoffs as the seventh seed. The loser takes on the winner of the nine versus ten game for the final playoff berth. Here are the opening matchups.

Western Conference

No. 8 Dallas Mavericks at No. 7 Minnesota Timberwolves

No. 10 New Orleans Pelicans at No. 9 Los Angeles Lakers

Eastern Conference

No. 8 Atlanta Hawks at No. 7 Miami Heat

No. 10 Chicago Bulls at No. 9 Toronto Raptors

NBA Playoff Bracket

The top six teams in each conference automatically advance to the playoffs. They will be joined by two teams advancing from the Play-In Tournament to make an eight-team field in each conference. Here is a look at the current first-round matchups.

Western Conference

No. 1 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 8 Play-In Tournament Game 3 winner

No. 5 Golden State Warriors at No. 4 Phoenix Suns

No. 6 LA Clippers at No. 3 Sacramento Kings

No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. winner of Mavericks at Timberwolves in Play-In Tournament

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Play-In Tournament Game 3 winner

No. 5 Brooklyn Nets at No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers

No. 6 New York Knicks at No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers

No. 2 Boston Celtics vs. winner of Hawks at Heat in Play-In Tournament

The bracket would provide tons of intriguing first-round matchups. The defending champion Warriors taking on Kevin Durant and the Suns is the juiciest with the winner advancing to take on the top-seeded Nuggets. Many are wondering how the Kings will perform in their first playoff appearance since 2006, and they draw a difficult matchup against the LA Clippers.

Will the Dallas Mavericks make the playoffs? They need to get Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving back healthy and find their stride over the final 13 games of the regular season. The Mavs do not want to have to go through the Play-In Tournament, but that would currently be the case.

Much will change between now and the final day of the regular season because the standings are jam-packed. The Western Conference is wide open, and every team feels like they can make a run, so stay tuned to see how it all shakes out.