NBA Power Rankings: Mavs Moving Up After Luka Doncic's Big Week?

The Dallas Mavericks are winners of three straight thanks to Luka Doncic's heroics. But where does that place them in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Nov 7, 2022

The Dallas Mavericks are riding a three-game win streak, proving to the rest of the league that they can be in the mix of contenders when the playoffs arrive.

During the win streak, Luka Dončić has cemented his status as one of the best players in the game, scoring 30 or more in every game this season and averaging a league-best 36 points per game.

With the winning ways established in Dallas, the Mavs moved up three spots from No. 10 to No. 7 in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated's power rankings.

Here's a look at what SI had to say about the Mavericks ...

The Mavericks scored a pair of close wins over quality opponents to get above .500 for the first time. Luka Dončić, whose 36 PPG leads the league, continued his streak of 30-plus point games to start the season with 33 in a three-point win against the Jazz and 35 more in a one-point win against the Raptors. Dallas, which operates at the second-slowest pace, owns the No. 1 offensive rating and ranks in the top-five in most shooting efficiency metrics. That all boils down to Dončić, the one-man wonder with the near-40% usage rate.

The Mavs, with their league-best offensive rating, look to continue their win streak this week as they face three sub-.500 teams (Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards), followed by a big game at home against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

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Published Nov 7, 2022

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.