Luka Doncic MVP Play Puts Mavs Atop NBA Rankings

After a strong week, the Dallas Mavericks have emerged to rank atop CBS Sports' latest NBA power rankings.

The Dallas Mavericks have been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA for quite some time now. After a 16-18 start to the season, they have since gone 27-8 and are knocking on the door of home-court advantage for the first-round of the playoffs. 

After beginning their road trip with a 3-0 record, CBS Sports has the Mavericks sitting atop their latest NBA power rankings. The clutch-time heroics of Spencer Dinwiddie has caught the attention of many, given that it shows Dallas has multiple threats to close games. 

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Spencer Dinwiddie Celebrates With Mark Cuban

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Spencer Dinwiddie After Game-Winner

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Spencer Dinwiddie vs. Nets

"The Mavs started off their road trip this week with three straight wins, including impressive victories over the Celtics and Nets. Spencer Dinwiddie was the hero against his former Nets, hitting a ridiculous game-winning 3-pointer as time expired on Wednesday night.

Luka Doncic was nothing short of spectacular this week, putting up 31 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game on 51/42/85 shooting splits."

Even with a slower start to the season, Doncic is averaging 28.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists and the Mavericks hold a 36-17 record when he plays. As long as he's on the court, his team is going to have a chance, especially if the unit is executing on defense and is hitting open 3s. 

Over their recent 35 game stretch, the Mavericks have been led by their execution on defense to set the tone as they have recorded a 107.0 defensive rating (2nd) and a 6.2 net rating (5th). With Luka Doncic drawing so much attention late in games, he can give the ball up in a lineup that features multiple guards to make a play. 

The Mavericks went from posting poor clutch-time results early on to being the NBA's best since the start of February. Having gone 11-3 in clutch games during this period, they have three more wins of this nature than any other team along with the best winning percentage. 

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Mavericks Star Luka Doncic

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Luka Doncic & Dorian Finney-Smith

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Luka Doncic vs. Celtics

When taking a closer look at the Mavericks last 12 games, they have gone 10-2 during this span with the addition of Dinwiddie playing a key role in their success. He's averaging 17.9 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 43.1 percent on 3-pointers.

There's a lot to like about the Mavericks right now. The main knocks early in the Doncic era have been the team's lack of defensive success and the lack of a secondary creator to take pressure off him. Now, they are getting results in both areas, and we’re seeing the extraordinary results.