ESPN's NBA Power Rankings: Luka Doncic, Mavs Stay in Top 10 with Potential to Rise

Despite battling several injuries, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have an 18-12 record after 30 games, and they remain in the top 10 of ESPN's NBA Power Rankings with a lot of room to grow.

Dalton Trigg | Dec 27, 2023

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Dallas Mavericks

DALLAS – Through 30 games into the 2023-24 season, the Dallas Mavericks have weathered the injury storm, posting a record of 18-12 while missing key contributors – including Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Josh Green and others – along the way.

Luka Doncic's MVP-level play has been the biggest reason for Dallas being able to keep its head above water and the .500 mark, as he's averaging 33.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting a career-high 38.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns — Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

In his latest masterpiece, Doncic became just the fourth player in NBA history to post 50 points in a Christmas Day game. He finished with an insane stat line of 50 points, six rebounds, 15 assists, four steals and three blocks in the Mavs' 128-114 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

In ESPN's latest NBA Power Rankings, the Mavs stayed put in the top 10, but they have a lot of potential to rise as the season progresses if they can stay relatively healthy.

Luka Doncic Joins Bernard King, Wilt Chamberlain in Christmas Day Lore with 50-Point Game

"The lineup of Luka Doncic, Irving, Exum, Derrick Jones Jr. and Dereck Lively II is plus-35 in 22 minutes. The four-man group, excluding Irving, is plus-76 in 71 minutes. The trio of Doncic, Exum and Lively is plus-86 in 180 minutes," Tim MacMahon wrote while also restating head coach Jason Kidd's intentions to continue to start Dante Exum after Irving returns to action.

"Lively, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the Mavs' Christmas Day win over the Suns after missing the previous four games with a sprained ankle, has been a driving force in Dallas' success. The Mavs are 17-7 when Lively plays and 1-5 when he doesn't."

Dereck Lively II's Unmatched Hard Work Paying Dividends for Luka Doncic, Mavs

The Mavs will have a chance to pad their record, as they'll likely be favored to win five out of their next six games. After taking on a shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers team at home on Wednesday, Dallas travels to Minnesota to for an extremely tough second night of a back-to-back against the Timberwolves. After that, the Mavs finish off the calendar year in San Fransisco against the Golden State Warriors, then start 2024 with a matchup against the Utah Jazz and a two-game mini-series against the Portland Trail Blazers at home.

Published Dec 27, 2023

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.