NEW YORK — If the Dallas Mavericks have any designs on advancing to the NBA play-in tournament, it’s imperative that they step up their
game starting this week.
That’s because three of the teams the Mavs are playing on this four-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents – Brooklyn, Orlando and Chicago – are coming to the table with sub-.500 records. In other words, in order for the Mavs to sneak into the Western Conference’s ninth or 10th play-in spot, they have to start pounding on some of the NBA’s subpar teams, or else.
With only 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Mavs are tied with the Phoenix Suns for the 10th and final play-in spot in the West with a 34-37 record. But if the Mavs finish the season tied with Phoenix in the 10th spot, that last play-in spot will go to the Suns because they won the head-to-head season series against the Mavs, 3-1.
So, not only are the Mavs trying to handle their own business on the court. They’re also doing a bit of scoreboard watching.
“All the time,” Mavs forward P.J. Washington said. “That’s all we can really pay attention to. But we can only take it one game at a time.”
The Mavs will open this trip against the Brooklyn Nets (23-48) on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Barclays Center. That will be followed by Tuesday’s game against the New York Knicks (44-36), Thursday’s contest at the Orlando Magic (33-38) and Saturday’s game in Chicago (31-40) against the Bulls.
Barring major changes, the Nets are headed to the NBA Draft Lottery, and the Magic and Bulls will take up residency in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
“Obviously, we’re fighti
ng with (the Suns),” Washington said. “But we got to keep (the focus on) the game ahead of us.”
And as the Mavs focus on the Nets, they could soon be receiving some additional help in their quest to repeat as Western Conference champions. That’s because for the first time since he suffered a left adductor strain during the Feb. 8 game against the Houston Rockets, forward Anthony Davis was upgraded to doubtful on Sunday for the game against Brooklyn, and on Monday he was upgraded again to questionable.
In his lone game with the Mavs since joining Dallas in the Feb. 2 trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis tallied 26 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, distributed seven assists and blocked three shots in an absolutely show-stopping performance during the 116-105 victory over the Rockets.
The presence of Davis will not only give the Mavs a potent inside/outside threat. He’ll also give his teammates more chances to get some open lo
oks at the basket, because of his ability to draw consistent double-teams.
And that could equal to a few more wins – and a place in the play-in tournament.
The Mavs are coming off Friday’s impressive 123-117 win over the highly-regarded Detroit Pistons. Also, the Mavs led the Indiana Pacers by seven points with under a minute remaining in Wednesday’s game before letting that one slip away, 135-131.
“We scored 130-something in Indiana, so everybody feels good (offensively),” coach Jason Kidd said. “To score 123 against Detroit, it shows the ball is moving and guys are executing the game plan.
“Right now the ball is moving, everybody’s touching it, the ball’s touching the paint. If we can continue to keep scoring and get a couple stops, hopefully it can lead to some wins.”
Here are some other nuggets surrounding Monday’s game against the Nets.
*After the four-game trip is over, the Mavs return home to host the Brooklyn Nets on March 31 and the Atlanta Hawks on April 2 before hitting the road
again for a pair of games against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 4 and April 5. Then comes that highly anticipated donnybrook of a showdown on April 9 in Dallas against Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers.
*Monday’s game starts a three-game home stand for the Nets, who also will play host to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday and the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
*The Mavs will be without Kyrie Irving (left knee ACL surgery), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Daniel Gafford (right MCL sprain), Dante Exum (left fractured hand), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist surgery) and Caleb Martin (left hip strain) for Monday’s game. Anthony 
Davis (strained left adductor) is listed as doubtful, and Brandon Williams is probable (low back tightness).
*The Nets are riding a three-game losing streak and have lost 13 of their last 15. However, all three of the recent losses were close games on the road. The Nets lost in Boston (104-96) and dropped a pair of games in Indiana – 105-99 in overtime last Thursday and 108-103 on Saturday.
*Mavs guard Spencer Dinwiddie poured in a season-high 31 points on 9-of-12 shots – and also added seven assists and two steals — during Friday’s win over the Detroit Pistons. It was the 20th time in his career that Dinwiddie has scored at least 30 points in a game, and the .750 shooting percentage is the most efficient 30-point game of his career. Dinwiddie played for the Nets from 2016-21 and again during the 2023-24 season.
*One of the highlights for the Nets during their recent three losses was the rebounding performance turned in by center Nic Claxton. In the game against Boston, Claxton grabbed nine rebounds. And in the two games against Indiana he collected a team-high 14 rebounds in one game, and 10 rebounds in the other game.
DALLAS MAVERICKS (34-37) at BROOKLYN NETS (23-48)
When: 6:30 p.m., Monday
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn
TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream
Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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