Luka Doncic on Mavs’ Playoff Chances: 'Hope Until Last Moment'

Despite losing five of their last six games, Mavericks star Luka Doncic is still holding onto hope that Dallas can sneak into the postseason.

The Western Conference playoff race in 2022-23 is one big anomaly.

One win can jump you up a few spots in the standings while a single loss could knock you down from the playoffs into the play-in, or even out of the postseason picture all together.

The Dallas Mavericks know that feelings all too well as they've hit a slump at the worst possible time with just four games remaining.

Following their 129-122 loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday, the Mavs remain as the No. 11 seed in the West, one game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final play-in spot.

Losers of five of their last six games with their postseason chances looking bleaker by the day, Luka Doncic remains hopeful he and the Mavericks will turn it around in the final few games.

"Obviously there's hope," Doncic said following the latest crushing loss. "I always say you gotta hope till the last moment. You gotta believe you can make it so we gotta believe."

With their recent play being as bad as it has been, it's hard to for us to see that same hope Doncic has, especially with just how crowded the West playoff picture is.

Despite Dallas falling from the No. 5 seed in the West to No. 11 since the Kyrie Irving trade, Tim Hardaway Jr. is aligned with Doncic's belief.

"I'm always going to stay positive," Hardaway Jr. said following his season-high 31-point performance. "Just gotta play hard. Play hard, play with desperation and anything can happen. I still believe."

"We have four games left, one away tomorrow and three home so we gotta believe for sure," Doncic said.

That hope continues tomorrow in the second night of their back-to-back on the road against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks.

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