NBA Power Rankings: Mavs Rising After 'Impressive' Wins

The Dallas Mavericks take steps forward only to move a few back. Where does that put them in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Dec 5, 2022

The Dallas Mavericks continue to be an enigma in the first third of the NBA season.

There's a lot of talent, but also many questions surrounding Luka Dončić and the rest of the roster's contending power. Wins like last week's victories against the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks show that the team is taking steps in the right direction. However, the team takes a few steps back when dropping a winnable game against the Detroit Pistons.

Dallas' wins spoke louder than its losses in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated, moving up from No. 12 to 10.

"Dallas bounced back from its winless week to go 2–1 with an impressive victory over the Warriors, a confounding loss to the Pistons and a dominant showing in New York," SI writes. "The Mavericks are teetering on the edge of play-in range with upcoming games against three of the best teams in the NBA: Phoenix, Denver and Milwaukee. It took a 40-point triple-double by Luka Dončić to lift the Mavs past the Warriors. Jason Kidd will need more magic out of his heliocentric star in the coming days to avoid falling below .500."

This week, the Mavs will be tested with a pair of back-to-backs. The first one starts tonight against the Phoenix Suns before heading to Mile High to face the Denver Nuggets tomorrow. The team will then rest until Friday before hosting the Milwaukee Bucks 24 hours before traveling to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

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Published Dec 5, 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.