The Dallas Mavericks are preparing for a five-game road trip beginning on Wednesday and are looking to stay afloat while guard Luka Dončić works his way back from injury.
Dallas will open the road trip with a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before traveling to play the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday and Saturday.
The Mavericks will finish the road trip by taking on the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics on February 4 and 6 before heading back to Dallas for a stretch of home games.
Although the combined record of these five teams is just 122-109, the Mavericks can lose to each of these teams if they are not prepared to play hard with a strong game plan.
Cleveland and Boston are ranked as the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, and each of the other teams features at least one player who can compete for a spot on the NBA All-Star Team.
Performing well during this road trip will be crucial for a Mavericks team that has struggled to find its footing without Dončić since he suffered a calf injury on Christmas Day.
Despite opening the season with a record of 6-2 in games that Dončić missed, the Mavericks began to struggle following his most recent injury and have put together a record of just 6-11 since that moment.
As a result, the Mavericks sit just ninth in the Western Conference standings and are in danger of missing the playoffs if they do not start stacking wins before the All-Star Break.
The good news for the Mavericks is that Dončić has already been re-evaluated for his injury. The hope is that he will be able to return before the All-Star Break, which runs from February 14 to February 16.
NBA Correspondent Marcus Stein reported over the weekend that there is “optimism” that Dončić will be able to return before the break, but there is no set date.
However, nothing is guaranteed as he deals with an injury that has plagued him since the beginning of training camp this season.