Dallas Basketball

NBA Power Rankings: Mavericks Sliding Amidst Injuries

The Dallas Mavericks are taking a tumble in the latest NBA power rankings.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates after making a basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Dec 25, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates after making a basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The Dallas Mavericks are approaching some rough patches in their schedule as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are both expected to be out for a while with their own respective injuries.

That's part of the reason why The Athletic's Law Murray placed the Mavericks one spot lower in his latest power rankings from No. 7 to 8.

READ MORE: Mavericks vs. Lakers: How to Watch, TV, Time, Odds, & Preview

"The Mavericks are 0-3 this season without both Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, and they will be without both stars for what appears to be most of January," Murray writes. "For a team with title aspirations, Dallas must find a way to win games. Whether that is increasing the ball movement, finding another on-ball presence or tapping into better defense, this is an opportunity for the Mavericks to develop the skill sets of their role players so that when Dončić and Irving do come back, the team is even better equipped to support the stars."

The only teams to rank higher than the Mavs were the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

If the Mavs can find some success, or at least just stay afloat, with Irving and Doncic out of the lineup, the team should be in good shape for the second half of the season.

The Mavs are back in action tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Loss to Grizzlies

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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