The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night and have now fallen out of the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Dallas was leading Indiana 128-121 in the final minute of the game before multiple turnovers and missed free throws allowed the Pacers to climb back, resulting in the Mavericks falling 135-131 at the final buzzer.
Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd said after the game that the team is “getting everything” possible with the players available, but injuries have made it difficult to be consistent with lineups.
“They’re giving everything they have. They’re exhausted mentally and physically. There’s a lot of fight in that locker room, and they’re going to continue to fight,” he explained, per Mavs.com.
“But when you have eight guys and half of them are on minutes restrictions, it’s hard. It’s hard to win in this league, and they’re giving everything they’ve got. We’ll learn for this and we’ll be better the next time we’re in that situation.”
Dallas is now just 33-37 and the 11th seed in the Western Conference, meaning the team is currently on pace to miss the NBA postseason altogether.
Despite the Mavericks having the same record as the Phoenix Suns, the Suns hold the tiebreaker between the two teams and have claimed the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament with just weeks remaining in the season.
The Mavericks have struggled over the last month, putting together a record of just 7-13 since Luka Dončić was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on February 4.
This stretch has included multiple injuries to important players on the team, including guard Kyrie Irving tearing his ACL and forward Anthony Davis missing time due to a strained left adductor.
The good news for this team is that Davis could be gearing up for a return to the court, though it remains to be seen whether the Mavericks’ training staff will allow him to return.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN appeared on NBA Today and explained that Davis is looking to return, but some officials within the Mavericks organization are trying to prevent it.
“He is steadfast in his determination to return this season, maybe as soon as next week, despite the fact there are people within the Mavericks organization who tried to talk him out of it, saying the risk-reward is not there. There are people who’d rather shut him down this season; AD’s not trying to hear all that,” he said, per Sports Illustrated.
Dallas has only 12 games remaining in the season and must finish at least one full game ahead of the Suns to claim the final spot in the Play-In Tournament.