SAN ANTONIO – Things are so tight in the Western Conference playoff chase that the Mavericks can wake up one morning and be No. 6 in the Western Conference, then be eighth later that night.
It’s that tight.
On Monday night, the Sacramento Kings got an overtime win over Memphis to move one-half game ahead of the Mavericks for the sixth seed in the West. As they prepare for Tuesday night’s visit to San Antonio against the Spurs, the Mavericks are tied with Phoenix for the seventh spot.
All of which just reinforces the importance of taking care of business against the team with the worst record in the West.
The Spurs have Victor Wembanyama, who is averaging 20.8 points and 10.4 rebounds. Averaging more than 20 and 10 is not easy. It’s even tougher as a rookie, although the list of those who have done it is impressive. It includes David Robinson and Tim Duncan, as well as Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and others.
You may notice all those guys are in the hall of fame.
You may also have noticed that the Spurs are taking their lumps this year. Wins have been few and far between, but they made the decision early to bring the 7-4 Wembanyama and this team along at a sensible rate, regardless of the painful losses.
The Spurs’ time will come, probably in a couple years.
But for now, it’s up to the Mavericks to inflict another lump.
- The Mavericks have not been a particularly strong rebounding team all season. But since the All-Star break, they have been much improved, pulling down 43.3 boards to 43.0 for the opponents. The addition of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington has certainly helped. And when they outrebounded Denver by 22 on Sunday, it led Nikola Jokic to say: “They have the personnel to do that. They are really tall and long and attack the glass. And they have Luka, who is, like, 6-7 and is a point guard. They have a lot of guys who can attack the glass.” And, lately, the Mavericks have played like it.
- About three weeks ago, the Mavericks had to shake off the gut punch that came when Cleveland’s Max Strus nailed a 60-foot shot at the buzzer to break the Mavericks’ heart. They did so with a win at Toronto the following night. This time, they have to forget about Kyrie Irving’s incredible left-handed shot that beat Denver on Sunday afternoon. That one’s gone. Now it’s on to another challenge.
- After this game, the Mavericks will play only once in the next five days, Thursday at home against Utah. They then start a five-game trip in Utah on Monday.
- The Mavericks seem to have settled on a starting lineup with Washington, Gafford, Derrick Jones Jr., Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić. The bench is a bit more fluid, particularly with Josh Green sidelined with a right ankle sprain.
- The Spurs have been on a massive eight-game home stand to make up for their annual rodeo trip during which they didn’t play a home game for 26 days. They are 1-3 so far on the stay at home, including Sunday’s 122-115 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets.
- The Mavericks are favored by 8.5 points and the over/under is 233.5 points.
MAVERICKS (39-29) at SAN ANTONIO SPURS (15-53)
- When/where: 7 p.m., Frost Bank Center, San Antonio.
- TV: Bally Sports Southwest.
- Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).
X: @ESefko
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