Mavs Donuts: Home-Court Standoff, Coach Jason Kidd 'Bad Behavior'?

DallasBasketball.com lists 12 of the biggest NBA storylines in addition to relevant Dallas Mavericks news and analysis.

Mavs basketball is back! After what seemed like an eternity, we can cease the mundane discourse of the NBA dunk contest. Now we can talk about the game itself. The Dallas Mavericks play the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City Friday evening. DallasBasketball.com has a batch of "Mavs Donuts" as a warmup for the game. 

Donut 1: NBA Playoff Standings

As we inch closer to the NBA postseason, the Dallas Mavericks have a lot of things going well for them. The team has won six of its last seven games heading into the matchup with the fourth-place Utah Jazz.

The Mavs, who are currently fifth in the Western Conference standings, trail the Jazz by just 1.5 games with two more head-to-heads coming after Friday’s matchup. Luka Doncic has been on an MVP-like tear lately, and if he keeps it up, the Mavs have a real chance at securing homecourt advantage in the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

Donut 2: NBA Playoff Prep

The tug-and-pull of the four-five seed comes in the form of two similar teams. The Mavs and Jazz both have stellar defenses in addition to harboring a solo star-level offensive player. Also, the two teams both experienced turbulent times throughout the season. DallasBasketball.com's Grant Afseth analyzed the two as playoff opponents. 

Utah has been no stranger to ups and downs of their own this season. The Jazz began the season 28-10 through 38 games but has gone 10-12 since. There's been real slippage from a previously elite Utah defense, but the Jazz have still been the NBA's most efficient half-court offense.

There was a turnaround in performance level from the Jazz as they entered the All-Star break. Over their last seven games, Utah, like Dallas, has also gone 6-1 while recording a 120.1 offensive rating (1st), 105.1 defensive rating (3rd) and 15.0 net rating (2nd). 

Donut 3: Mavs Sign Moses Wright to Two-Way Contract

The Dallas Mavericks are signing Moses Wright to a two-way contract. The 23-year-old forward played his college ball at Georgia Tech, where he averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game over four seasons. Wright won the AAC Player of the Year award during his senior season.

Donut 4: Worst Behaved Coach?

DallasBasketball.com's Richie Whitt weekly column covers everything relating to Dallas sports. This week's entry featured a poll stating Mavs head coach Jason Kidd is the worst-behaved coach in the NBA. 

Donut 5: Celtics Ascend While Nets Descend

The Boston Celtics seemingly have shaken off their early-season rust in the past 15 games. Going 12-3 in the 15-game stretch, Boston has a chance to gain home-court advantage for the 2022 postseason. Only three losses separate Boston from the three-seed Philadelphia 76ers. 

Thursday night saw the Celtics pound the injury-plagued Brooklyn Nets 129-106. Brooklyn, unlike Boston, is on the verge of locking itself into a play-in tournament scenario evident of its 2-13 record in the last 15 games. 

Donut 6: Kyle Kuzma Had Something to Say About the Mavs 

Washington Wizards player Kyle Kuzma had a few comments on Kristaps Porzingis' time in Dallas. 

"Obviously,'' Kuzma said, "Luka [Doncic is] a phenomenal player, but at the end of the day, every player in the league wants to feel a part of something, and I feel with [Porzingis] coming here, I know he's got a lot to prove and I know he wants to feel a part of something as long as he's healthy, he's 20 and 10 for you all day."

Our man Afseth brought stats to diffuse the steam of Kuzma's comments.

Is there really much truth to Kuzma's claim that Porzingis 'wasn't a part of something' in Dallas? For context, let's consider that Porzingis is averaging 14.9 field-goal attempts per game this season, which is on par with players like Khris Middleton (15.0), Jerami Grant (15.1), Jimmy Butler (15.0), Klay Thompson (14.8), and even James Harden (16.0). All of those players are extremely involved with what their teams are doing, so the idea that Porzingis wasn't getting his fair share of opportunities, especially this season, is asinine. 

Donut 7: Kyrie Irving to Soon Play Home Games?

The sentiment surrounding the New York City COVID-19 vaccine mandate is that it has softened. In fact, Mayor Eric Adams even stated a willingness for a change of course in the near future when discussing the mandate at a recent news conference.

“Every morning,'' Adams said, "I meet with my health professionals. I’ve always stated I’m going to follow the science. I’m not going to get ahead of the science because I’m ready to get ahead of all of this and get back to normalcy.

“They’re giving us clear instructions (and) benchmarks. We’re going to follow those benchmarks. But I look forward in the next few weeks going to a real transformation.”

Will we soon see Kyrie Irving playing in Brooklyn?

Donut 8: On This Day

Every day a star is born. On this day in 1985, two-time All-Star Joakim Noah opened his eyes for the first time in New York, New York. 

Donut 9: Damian Lillard's Injury Recovery

Based on an interview with Draymond Green, it sure sounds as though Lillard will remain sidelined through the remainder of the season. Doing so would maximize Portland's odds to be in a position to select a difference-making prospect in the draft.

“When I first had the surgery, I was more optimistic,” Lillard said. “But I think where we are right now and what we need to happen for us to be able to take full advantage of the opportunity we created with all the moves we made, I don’t even think that’s the play to make. I ain’t a 1,000-percent sure, but at this point I’m not sure how much sense it’d make.” 

Donut 10: Ideal Playoff Matchup for Mavs

What’s the most favorable first-round matchup for Dallas? Is there a team they should try to avoid? Does being in the top or bottom half of the West bracket matter more than which team they play first?

Afseth answered with this well-thought response: Having a home-court advantage to take on the Jazz seems to be the most favorable outcome even though Utah presents challenges of their own. They stick to their defensive principles, sometimes to a fault, and if Luka Doncic is converting from deep, there will be opportunities for success.

Donut 11: Where Are Mavs Greats on 75th Anniversary Team?

Among the 11 active players to make the 75th-anniversary team were Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook.

Adding fuel to the debate fire, ESPN ranked each of the players on the 75th-anniversary team. The Mavericks had some representation on the list with Dirk Nowitzki (17th), Steve Nash (37th), and Jason Kidd (43rd) each being included.

Donut 12: What's Next for Dallas?

DallasBasketball's Bri Amaranthus previews Friday evening's Mavs-Jazz matchup. 

The Mavericks are currently fifth in the conference and sit 1.5 games behind the Jazz in the standings as playoffs draw near. After this one, there will still be two meetings between the teams before season’s end.

Given that Dallas hasn't held home-court advantage since its 2011 championship run, a push for the fourth seed is the main focus.