Dallas Basketball

NBA Western Conference Standings Update: Mavs in Driver’s Seat?

Three crucial losses for the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night give the Dallas Mavericks opportunity to cement themselves in the 2023 NBA playoffs as the season winds down.

Matthew Legros

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The Dallas Mavericks have re-entered NBA playoff positioning as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. Following a three-game losing streak, the Mavericks have won two straight, including a 111-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the buzzer on Friday night. 

Here are how the current standings are looking in the midst of to today's string of games:

At 36-35, Dallas has a leg up over the No. 7 seeded Golden State Warriors (36-36) and are clinging onto a 1.5 game lead over the No. 8 seeded Minnesota Timberwolves (now 35-37) who were up on them in the standings just days ago prior to their three-game skid. 

Both the Warriors and the Timberwolves lost on Saturday. Golden State fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, giving them road loss No. 29 on the year, while Minnesota could not hang on against the Toronto Raptors. 

Additionally, the No. 5 seeded Los Angeles Clippers also lost a tight one to the Orlando Magic. This brings Dallas within one game of usurpation as they own the tie-breaker against the Clippers with a higher conference win percentage despite splitting the season series at two games a piece.

Looking up, the Mavericks have a 2.5-game mountain to climb before unseating the No. 4 seeded Phoenix Suns. Looking down, seeds No. 9 through No. 12 are within 2.5 games or better of overtaking the coach Jason Kidd-led ball club. 

With 11 games left to play, Dallas will only see four more Western Conference opponents. They own a 9-14 record against the Eastern Conference this season. However, four of the remaining 11 are against bottom rung teams -- the Charlotte Hornets twice, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs. Therefore, execution will be vital down the stretch of this regular season.

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Matthew Legros
MATTHEW LEGROS

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