The Dallas Mavericks are getting healthy at the perfect time. With only six games remaining in the regular season, the team is gearing up for a potential postseason berth.
Dallas is currently ninth in the Western Conference standings and two games ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the final spot in the NBA Play-In, meaning the team will likely make the postseason in some manner this season.
The Mavericks also have just the 13th-hardest schedule remaining in the league, while the Suns have the hardest remaining schedule, with their opponents’ combined winning percentage of .618.
Dallas has spent the majority of the season dealing with significant injuries to key roster players, with centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively, forward Anthony Davis, and guard Kyrie Irving all missing large portions of the season.
Although Irving will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL, Davis and Gafford have each returned to the court, and Lively is expected to return at some point before the playoffs begin.
Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd said Tuesday that the team is focused on the upcoming game against the Atlanta Hawks, but they also have to learn to play with each other at the same time.
Kidd explained that this team is still “a new group because of health and the trade,” adding that it often takes time to become comfortable with new teammates on the court.
“We’ve had some different combinations that haven’t had the opportunity to play yet. So, getting those guys a relationship started today and hopefully we can build and those can be positive on the floor starting (against the Hawks),” he said, per Mavs.com.
While the Mavericks have played much more effectively during games in which the majority of the team is healthy, there is still a long way to go before this team can make a run in the playoffs.
The bad news for the Mavericks is that they are unlikely to finish above the ninth seed in the conference. This means the team will have to win two consecutive play-in games to make the first round of the playoffs.
If the Mavericks accomplish that feat, the reward will be a matchup with the first overall seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round.