With Gafford nearing return, a peek at Mavs’ to-do list

It’s 75 games down, seven to go for the Mavericks in a regular season that nobody could have dreamed up no matter how massive your imagination might be.

And through the injuries, the trade and more injuries, they have arrived here with a decent chance to host a postseason game.

Who’d have thunk it?

The Mavericks went 3-1 on their trip against Eastern Conference competition and they’ll try to maintain that success at home when they host Brooklyn on Monday night and Atlanta on Wednesday.

It’s a chance to fatten up their record and solidify their hold on the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference.

The significance of that position is that the ninth seed hosts a play-in game against the No. 10 team with the winner advancing to play the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game.

Win both games and the Mavericks would be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs and win the right to play the first round against Oklahoma City, which already has clinched the No. 1 seed in the West.

That would be a huge challenge, although eternal optimists would point out that the Mavericks are 3-1 against the Thunder this season, one of only two teams with a winning record against them (Golden State) and the only team in the league with three wins against OKC.

But none of that matters in the playoffs. And you have to get there first.

Which brings up a to-do list for the Mavericks. If they get these things done, they will be hosting that first play-in tournament game.

First, get to .500. By going 4-3 the rest of the way (or better) the Mavericks will avoid a losing record, which is good for the mind frame of a franchise. It also would virtually assure them a spot in the play-in tournament. And going 42-40 probably clinches the No. 9 spot.

Second, ease Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford back into action slowly. It looks like a strong possibility that both could return on this brief home stand. Gafford (right knee) has been upgraded to probable for Monday’s game and Lively (right ankle) has been listed as questionable by the Mavericks on their official medical report. Both were doubtful (and sat out) against Chicago on Saturday. Those upgrades are significant but coach Jason Kidd already has said both will be on pitch counts when they return, which is a good thing. Just having them back will be a boost for the Mavericks and their defense, in particular.

Third, give a nice round of ovation Brandon Williams, Kessler Edwards and Kai Jones. Those three helped keep the season from falling completely apart. Williams and Edwards are on two-way contracts and have reached their 50-game maximum with the Mavericks this season. Jones was the big man who helped bridge the gap between Edwards and (hopefully) the return of Lively and Gafford. The play of those three is worthy of getting paid next season, either by the Mavericks or somebody else. They deserve it.

Here’s what else to watch for Monday when the Mavericks and Nets meet:

• These teams met last Monday at the Barclays Center and the Mavericks cruised to a 120-101 victory. In that game, Naji Marshall led seven Mavericks in double figures with 22 points and Spencer Dinwiddie had 16 points and 12 assists.
• The Mavericks will be trying for their first three-game winning streak since mid-February when they won twice before the All-Star break and once after. They have won four of their last five.
• The Nets are coming off a 115-112 victory over the Washington Wizards in which they stopped a six-game losing streak. They were led by Tyrese Martin and Jalen Wilson with 20 points each. But the Nets also got 19 points and six rebounds from recently signed Drew Timme, a product of Richardson Pearce High School who spent four seasons at Gonzaga and made his NBA debut two games back with the Nets.
• While the status upgrade for Gafford and Lively is good news, remaining out for the Mavericks are Kyrie Irving (left knee), Dante Exum (left hand) and O-Max Prosper (right wrist).

BROOKLYN NETS (24-51) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (37-38)

WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Monday.

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: WFAA, KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream.

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko