NBA Power Rankings: Mavs Slipping After Inconsistent Week?

The Dallas Mavericks are 2-2 in their last four games. Where does that slot them in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Oct 31, 2022

In this story:

Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are 3-3 after six games and have yet to build a winning streak so far. Dallas' season, so far, can be defined by inconsistency, and that wasn't the expectation placed on this team to start the year off.

Despite beating the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic this week, tough overtime losses against the New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder place the Mavericks at No. 11 in this week's power rankings from The Athletic. It's a four-spot drop after being slotted at No. 7 last week.

The Mavs are still considered to be one of the best teams in the league, large in part due to the heroics from Luka Dončić.

"Dončić has been exceptional, as we all expected," The Athletic writes. "But this team is shooting the ball so extremely well, they’re getting to the free-throw line a lot (thanks, Luka) and their quality of shot (outside of Dončić because I don’t know how you judge his attempts) is super high."

While Doncic has shined, small details have limited the Mavs from being 6-0. The team's three losses have come from a combined 10 points. If Dallas can eliminate those small lapses in details, the Mavs could find themselves higher in future power rankings.

The Mavs are back in action Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Mavericks? Click Here.

Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.

Published Oct 31, 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.