Hope is a good thing; Mavericks still have it with two games left

For the first time in franchise history, the Mavericks will experience the play-in tournament.

What that means is they weren’t good enough in the regular season to prove they are playoff worthy. But they weren’t bad enough to be serious contenders in the Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes.

Somewhere in between. That’s where the Mavericks are.

“Hope is still in that locker room,” coach Jason Kidd said of these Mavericks as they head into the final home regular season game Friday against Toronto. “AD (Anthony Davis) is not a bad player. I think he’s top 75 if I recall. He’s won at every level.

“Different opinions (will exist on) how things were handled. That’s always going to be a conversation. But when you see those guys in that (Mavericks) uniform, those guys play hard and they play together and they’re trying to find a way to win. So there’s hope. There’s still hope. And there’ll be hope 10 years from now because the league continues on. That train doesn’t stop for anybody.”

And, like Andy Dufresne said in Shawshank Redemption: hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.

The Mavericks will play Sacramento on Wednesday in the No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game. Win that, and they’ll play the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game.

Uncertain is whether the first game will be in Dallas or Sacramento, but one loss by the Mavericks or one win by the Kings and it will be a road game for the Mavericks.

But, as Kidd said, hope hasn’t left the building.

And now that the emotions of Wednesday night with Luka Doncic back in town are over, the Mavericks can try to figure out how to salvage what’s left of this unimaginable season.

Kidd was emphatic that the trade for Anthony Davis was something that will pay dividends.

“Fans will come to grips with this that we’ll have a chance to win a championship hopefully soon,” Kidd said. “And we believe in Nico (Harrison, GM) and Patrick (Dumont, governor) that they’re going to do the right things and put the pieces in that locker room to give us that chance.”

Kidd made it clear that he doesn’t buy the groceries. But he does have the ability to cook them and decide what recipes work.

Even as late as the last two games of the regular season, concocting something tasty remains a possibility.

There’s always hope.

Here’s what else to watch for against the Raptors on Friday:

• Though the Mavericks now are assured of a losing season with 42 losses, they slowly are looking a little more like the team they envisioned after the All-Star break. Daniel Gafford has been back and there is hope that his minutes restriction (15 per game) might rise before the play-in. He’s looked active and strong since his return and had 10 points and six rebounds in those 15 minutes against the Lakers Wednesday. “We’re getting some bodies back so as we go forward, hopefully we’ll be ready for the play-in game,” Kidd said.
• The Mavericks were 19-10 on Dec. 24. Luka Doncic went down with his calf injury the next day. Since Christmas, they are 19-32.
• As expected, the Mavericks signed point guard Brandon Williams to a multiyear contract, which makes him eligible not only for the final two games of the regular season, but also the postseason. Williams had been on a two-way deal but had exhausted the number of games he could be active for the Mavericks. Because of salary restraints, the team could not convert Williams’ contract until Thursday. Williams averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 assists this season in 31 games.
• The Raptors are out of postseason contention but they have had an interesting season in that two players have established themselves as solid all-around contributors. Scottie Barnes is averaging 18.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists while RJ Barrett has gone for 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
• Toronto also has Brandon Ingram, acquired at the trade deadline and subsequently signed long term, and also Jakob Poetl, two pieces expected to be in their lineup next season. Interesting rookie point guard out of Houston Jamal Shead has averaged 7 points, 4.1 assists and 19 minutes in 73 games.
• The Raptors are coming off a 126-96 win over Charlotte and have won six of their last nine games, including four of their last five on the road.

TORONTO RAPTORS (30-50) at MAVERICKS (38-42)

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

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas.

TV: WFAA, KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream.

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

X: @ESefko