2024 Dallas Mavericks Playoffs Picture After Huge Win vs Utah Jazz: Updated standings, schedule and more
The Dallas Mavericks rolled to their third consecutive victory on Thursday at home, topping the Utah Jazz, 113-97. It was a huge victory for the team as it allowed the Mavs to move to the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Luka Doncic showed the way for the Mavericks in the huge win over the Jazz. The five-time All-Star tallied a game-high 34 points, to go along with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals in 35 minutes of on-court time.
Center Daniel Gafford had 24 points of his own on an efficient shooting clip of 10-of-11. He also had seven rebounds and five assists. Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, finished with 16 points, seven assists and five boards in the win.
Here's a closer look at where the Mavericks are in the playoff race out in the highly competitive Western Conference with 12 games left in their regular season schedule:
Dallas Mavericks' Playoffs Picture: Standings
With their victory over the Jazz on Thursday, the Dallas Mavericks (41-29) moved into sixth place on the table, where if they get to maintain it, will get an outright playoff spot.
Work, however, still needs to be done as their position is still very much being challenged by the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, who are just a half a game behind at 40-29, each. The Suns incidentally were playing the Atlanta Hawks the same night.
The win was the third straight for the Mavericks and seventh in their last eight games, which has considerably given their top six push a boost. Before their winning swing, they were seemingly stuck in the Play-In frame (teams seven to 10), losing five of their six previous games.
Dallas Mavericks' Playoffs Picture: Schedule
There are only 12 games left in the regular season schedule for the Dallas Mavericks, which they could use not only to fortify their hold of the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot, but also make a run at the next two rungs higher in the standings.
Dallas is just 1.5 and three games behind the fifth-placed New Orleans Pelicans (42-27) and fourth-placed LA Clippers (43-25), respectively. If the team does well in its remaining games, the Mavs have a good chance of climbing the ranks, with the Pelicans possibly missing key cog Brandon Ingram for some time because of knee injury, and the Clippers far from being fluid of late.
Dallas Mavericks' Playoffs Picture: 8 games on the road
As they close out their regular season assignments and fight for a more favorable playoff position, the Dallas Mavericks have to do it by playing eight of 12 games on the road, including their next five games.
The Mavericks hit the road against the Jazz (29-41) on Monday, followed by back-to-back sets against Sacramento (40-29). They then play the Houston Rockets (34-35) and Golden State Warriors (36-32) next, which are not expected to be a walk in the park since both teams are also pushing for at least a place in the Play-In phase.
After their five-game road trip, part of their remaining games are clashes with the West-leading OKC Thunder (48-20) and reigning East champions Miami Heat (38-31).