SALT LAKE CITY – Since they have so many players sidelined with injuries, the NBA All-Star break has come at a most
opportune time for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs are 31-29 on the season, 19-10 at home, 12-19 on the road, 23-16 against the Western Conference and 8-13 against the Eastern Conference. All of those numbers would be significantly better — the Mavs believe – if they didn’t have to deal with so many injuries to so many key players.
Mercurial guard Kyrie Irving, who the Mavs acquired from the Brooklyn Nets on Feb 6, missed Wednesday’s 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets. But coach Jason Kidd said he expects Irving to play in Sunday’s All-Star game at Vivint Arena, which also means he should be ready when the Mavs resume play on Feb. 23 at home against the San Antonio Spurs.
Meanwhile, guard/forward Tim Hardaway Jr. has missed the past two games with tightness in his right hamstring. Also, forward Davis Bertans suffered a left calf strain and has sat out the last seven games, and center/forward Maxi Kleber has missed the past 33 games after he suffered a right hamstring tear during a Dec. 13 practice session.
The Mavs know they need those four players healthy and ready to play if they have designed on moving up the standings and reaching at least the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row.
“All of them are four great players,” forward Reggie Bullock said. “We definitely need them with the schedule coming up.
“We need Maxi on the defensive end, Davis shooting the ball, Kyrie obviously doing what he does, and Tim being another spacer. And they’re all vets, so we need to have those guys come in and give us that leadership. It’ll be good to have those guys back.”
Kleber is the Mavs’ best defender and the player who keeps things in-check from the interior portion of the court. His absence has hampered the Mavs the most, because they’ve been hurting on the defensive end of the floor.
“Maxi being our defensive anchor, he’s been with this team since he got in the NBA (in 2014),” center Christian Wood said. “I think me and Maxi have been perfect together. He’s a compliment to me and I’m a compliment to him.
“With him being able to play defense – he’s a bigger (center) — with him being able to stretch the floor and me being able to space the floor for Luka and Kyrie, it’s going to be interesting.”
Guard Luka Doncic can’t wait for the day when the Mavs are fully healthy, because he said that’s when they can truly show everyone what they’re made of.
“A lot of people forget our best defender has been out for like (33) games now,” Doncic said of Kleber. “But I think when we’re fully healthy we have a dangerous team.”
Doncic himself has battled a lot of nagging injuries this season. The five-year veteran will play in his fourth All-Star game Sunday – his third as a starter – and is looking forward to getting his body back right.
“On the break, for me I’ve got to get a little more healthier,” Doncic said. “And just relax a little bit and have some rest.”
Doncic also said he was looking forward to Sunday’s game ending so he can go to Mexico for some rest and relaxation.
Several players likely will be jetting off to exotic vacation spots Thursday or this weekend. In the meantime, with the Mavs seeded seventh
out West, they find themselves in a precarious position.
The Mavs are just two-and-a-half games behind the third-seeded Sacramento Kings and only one-and-half games behind the No. 4-seeded Phoenix Suns. However, the Mavs also are just two games ahead of the 11th-seeded Utah Jazz, who wouldn’t qualify for the play-in tournament if the season ended today.
“The West is so close,” Wood said. “If we can get back and creep into the top three or top four and get a homecourt advantage with that, I think we’ll be great. And that’s what we’re looking for.”
Certainly, the Mavs will have several opportunities to move up the ladder. Right out of the break, the Mavs have a six-game home stand starting with the game against the Spurs.
After that, the Mavs entertain the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 26, the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 28, the Philadelphia 76ers on March 2, the Suns on March 5, and will complete the home stand with a March 7 date against the Jazz.
“We need to come back with a new clear mind,” Wood said. “We have six home games coming right back, so we’re try
ing to win every single one of those because we need the homecourt advantage when it comes to playoff time.”
In addition to the aforementioned games, the Mavs still have three games remaining apiece against the No. 2-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and the Spurs, two against the Lakers, and one each against the Kings, the Suns, the 8th-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, the 9th-seeded Golden State Warriors, and the Jazz.
All-in-all, the Mavs are searching for a fresh start after the All-Star break.
“It’s just a break and it give our legs a chance to recover,” Bullock said. “And then just mentally we’ve got to come back and be prepared for this stretch that we’ve got.
“It’s going to be definitely tough, but we’ve got to come back with rejuvenated energy and just try to come out and let’s get some W’s.”
And prepare for a sprint to the playoffs.
“So get some rest, and then it turns into a sprint,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We will start to play a lot more of the Western Conference teams ahead of us or behind us, so just to be ready for that sprint.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
Share and comment