Mavs Donuts: Dallas Clinches Playoff Spot, Lakers Don't Have Answers, Warriors Slip

DallasBasketball.com lists 12 of the biggest NBA storylines, including relevant Dallas Mavericks news and analysis.

Mavs fans can rejoice, as the Dallas Mavericks clinched a postseason birth for the third consecutive season. However, unlike the past two postseason outings, Dallas has a legitimate shot at a home-court advantage.

Thanks to a Golden State Warriors loss on Wednesday, the Mavericks moved up to the third seed out West. Speaking of the west coast, the Los Angeles Lakers admitted to having no answer for Luka Doncic. Consider Thursday's Mavs Donuts a victor's dozen.

Get your fresh batch!

Donut 1: Mavs Avenge Loss to Cavs

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Finney-Smith soars to the basket

Doncic on defense

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Doncic drives past Love

After blowing out the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers the night before, the Mavericks took on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the second night of a back-to-back at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in hopes of extending their win streak to three games.

Although the game started sluggishly on the defensive end, the Mavs put it all together in the second half, as they pulled out a 120-112 Wednesday win in Cleveland.

Dallas has now won three in a row and improved its record to 48-29. The Cavs fell to 42-34.

Donut 2: Mavs Clinch Playoffs

With the Mavs' win against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves' loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, Dallas has officially clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference. This means that the Mavs have successfully avoided the dreaded Play-In Tournament.

Donut 3: Surprise Rise to 3rd!

Regardless of where the Mavs ultimately end up in the playoff bracket, the team and fans alike should be proud of how this season has unfolded. Who would've thought in late December – when the Mavs fell to 16-18 – that they'd be nearly 20 games over .500 and be a top-three team in the West with just a handful of games to go?

Doncic, coach Jason Kidd and the rest of the crew won't be satisfied by just getting home-court advantage or a top-three seed, though. It's been 11 years since the Mavs have made it out of the first round. Anything short of winning a playoff series this year would be viewed as a disappointment for Dallas, despite the impressive rise to being one of the West's best.

Donut 4: Lakers Don't Know the Answers for No. 77

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Powell and Westbrook chase loses ball

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Mavs defend Westbrook

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Doncic celebrates beating the Lakers

Lakers lost in a 128-110 blowout to the Mavs on Tuesday. Doncic finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in 30 minutes. He recorded a 30-point triple-double in just under 23 minutes, which broke his previous NBA record for the fastest such triple-double in history.

Russell Westbrook, who defensively offered little resistance to Doncic and the Mavericks, wasn't interested in discussing potential solutions for containing Doncic.

“I wasn’t personally trying to figure it out,” Westbrook said. “I’m only one person; it’s a team game. So I don’t have an answer. You may have it.”

Donut 5: Doncic Joins Wilt Chamberlain Club

Mavericks superstar Doncic put on another historic show with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in Tuesday's 128-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

That makes 21 career games with a 30-point triple-double, tying NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain for the fifth-most in league history. Doncic trails only Oscar Robertson (43) for the most 30-point triple-doubles by a player age 23 or younger. 

Donut 6: Will Mavs Win 50 Games?

The Mavericks demolished the Lakers Tuesday night. Behind a 34-point performance from Luka Doncic, the Mavericks recorded a 128-110 victory over the Lakers inside the American Airlines Center.

Dallas improved to 47-29, and with six games left in the 2021-22 campaign, the Mavericks have a good chance to reach 50 or more wins for the first time since 2015.

"Back in the day, it used to be the mark of a good team if you could get to 50 [wins]," coach Jason Kidd said during his post-game press conference. "Normally when you get to 50, that punches your ticket to the playoffs. Now with the new format, you could be playing in the play-in games."

Donut 7: On This Day

Although the current NBA television deal makes past generations look thrifty, the 1980s planted the seed for today's landscape.

On March 31, 1982, the NBA and the Players Association reached a four-year deal that included revenue sharing, a first in any sports league. 

Donut 8: Austin Rivers Got Lance Stephenson'd

You can never trust a player who blows into his defensive assignment's ear. Unfortunately for Denver Nuggets guard, Austin Rivers, NBA officials fell for Indiana Pacers Lance Stephenson trick. Rivers was ejected for deploying a phantom elbow on the NBA tricker. Rivers took to social media to vent his frustrations with the referees. 

"Never in my life have I been thrown out of a game for something so ridiculous, Rivers said before challenging the refs to look at the play again. 

Austin Rivers got a tech and was ejected for faking an elbow at Lance Stephenson. pic.twitter.com/oLlV2jAm4W

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 31, 2022

Donut 9: Suns Tie Franchise Record

With Wednesday's victory over the fluttering Golden State Warriors, the Phoenix Suns reached 62 wins, tying a franchise record for wins in a season. The last time the Suns won this many games, Steve Nash won MVP for the 2004-2005 season. 

Donut 10: Waning Warriors

Mavs defending Curry

Doncic drives past Looney 

Doncic shoots over Wiggins

Going 5-10 in their last 15 games, the Golden State Warriors are now the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Without the gravity-changing Stephen Curry, Golden State is undergoing quite the freefall. Once upon a time, the Warriors owned the second-best record in the league. 

Donut 11: Dwight "Maniac" Powell

Although Dwight Powell only averages 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, he’s shooting a career-best 65.8 percent from the field and his chemistry with Luka Doncic is at an all-time high.

Powell's never-quit nature fuels his ability to finish around the rim and continued success at the free throw line. Sequences like the one below embody what Powell provides the Mavericks.

Donut 12: What's Next for Mavs?

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Porzingis vs. Lakers

Porzingis and Doncic 

Doncic, Hardaway Jr., and a vanishing Porzingis

"Kristaps Porzingis vs. Doncic."

How does that sound for a headline? Regardless of what you think, that's what you're getting Friday night as the Mavs face the 33-43 Washington Wizards. Kristaps Porzingis produced a 35-point performance vs. the Mavs kryptonite, the Orlando Magic. Not exactly an elite matchup, but an interesting story nonetheless.