NBA Power Rankings: Mavs Slipping After Blazers Losses?

The Dallas Mavericks lost back-to-back games against the Portland Trail Blazers. Where does that put them in this week's power rankings?

Jeremy Brener | Jan 17, 2023

The Dallas Mavericks are falling in the standings after losing a pair of games to the Portland Trail Blazers over the weekend by double digits.

The losses have placed the Mavs in the fifth seed in the Western Conference standings and 11th in this week's power rankings from Sports Illustrated, two spots lower than the previous edition.

"Dallas has now lost four of five games after it dropped two in a row in Portland over the weekend, the second of which was without Luka Dončić, Sports Illustrated writes. "The Mavericks star finished with a season-low 15 points in limited minutes of the blowout on Saturday and sat out the second game on Sunday.

“Earlier in the week, he scored 43 in a loss to the Clippers, and it took 35 from Dončić and double overtime to put away the Lakers a few nights later for the only Dallas win all week. The Mavs are home for their next four with two nationally televised games versus the Hawks and Heat coming up."

Luckily for the Mavericks, their next four games come at home in front of the fans at American Airlines Center, where the team is 16-6 this season. That homestand begins tomorrow night with a matchup against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Then, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers roll into town over the weekend.

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Published Jan 17, 2023

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.