Mavs-Hawks preview: Playoff, lottery implications abound

As the Mavericks prepare for their final road game of the season Sunday at Atlanta, they are nearing a crossroads.

They now are 37-41 and trail Oklahoma City by a game for the final spot in the play-in tournament. The Thunder owns the tiebreaker, meaning the Mavericks will have to fully pass OKC to finish in front of them.

While the Mavericks have a pillow-soft schedule in the final four games, it remains a steep climb for them to extend their season beyond game No. 82, the April 9 home game against San Antonio.

So the question now is, for the good of the franchise, do the Mavericks really want to be in the play-in tournament?

It’s not something anybody wants to hear. But it’s reality.

Players will always want to keep playing. That’s a good thing. But the simple fact is that the Mavericks’ draft pick this summer is New York’s property – the final piece of retribution for the Kristaps Porzingis deal.

The only way the Mavericks keep it is if it is in the top 10.

If the draft were today, with no lottery, the Mavericks would be picking 10^th. But they are packed closely with so many teams that their final landing spot could be lower or higher. And by the way, the Friday game against Chicago could have big ramifications in that regard.

Plus, we all know the Mavericks’ history in the draft lottery. They have never moved up from the spot they finished in the regular season. Often, they have moved down.

Even so, it’s always better to win than lose. And there’s always that thing about messing with the hoop gods, which is something you just don’t do.

Play the game the right way and hope for the best. This team is good enough to be in the top 10 in the West. But as the old saying goes, you are what your record says you are.

As such, worrying about the draft lottery positioning is essential for the Mavericks’ front office.

This is projected as a deep draft and talent will be abundant throughout the lottery. Will the Mavericks have a chance to grab one of those players?

It all depends on the next four games.

The Hawks, incidentally, have plenty to fight for themselves in Sunday’s game. They are eighth in the Eastern Conference and while they have virtually no chance to move up in the standings, they could move down, which would require them to win twice in the play-in tournament rather than winning just a single game to reach the playoffs.

By the way, the list of teams the Mavericks can catch in the Western Conference standings dwindled by two on Saturday, with Phoenix and Golden State both out of reach after the Mavericks lost at Miami.

Here’s the updated race for spots four through 12 in the Western Conference, with games-behind and each team’s remaining schedule.

4. Phoenix, 42-35, ————— @OKC, SA, Den, @LAL, LAC.
5. Golden State, 41-37, 1½, —- @Den, OKC, @Sac, @Port.
6. LA Clippers, 41-38, 2, ——– LAL, Port, @Phx.

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7. New Orleans, 40-38, 2½, —– Sac, Mem, NY, @Minn.
8. LA Lakers, 39-38, 3, ———- @Hou, @Utah, @LAC, Phx, Utah.
9. Minnesota, 39-39, 3½, ——- Port, @Brook, @SA, NO.
10. Oklahoma City, 38-40, 4½, — Phx, @GS, @Utah, Mem.

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11. Dallas, 37-41, 5½, ———— @Atl, Sac, Chi, SA.
12. Utah, 36-41, 6, —————- @Brook, LAL, OKC, Den, @LAL.

• DALLAS MAVERICKS (37-41) at ATLANTA HAWKS (38-39)
• When: 5 p.m., Sunday.
• Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta.
• TV: Bally Sports Southwest/NBA TV.
• Radio:1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

Twitter: @ESefko