With 19 games before the All-Star Break, let’s see how many wins are out there
The Dallas Mavericks picked up a scintillating 118-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, snapping their season-high five game losing streak. The win was important for them to get, given the schedule that is staring Dallas in the face up until the February 14th start of their All-Star Break. Starting with Thursday’s matchup at home against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Mavericks will play 19 more games before their week off. Every win they stack now is one less win that they’ll need later, but how many games are even winnable in this stretch? Well, maybe more than you’d think.
Punts
19. February 2nd – at Cleveland Cavaliers
18. January 23rd – at OKC Thunder
17. January 17th – vs OKC Thunder
16. January 25th – vs Boston Celtics
15. February 6th – at Boston Celtics
To no one’s surprise, the current Mavs beating the three best teams in the NBA would be considered a shock. Maybe if they’re lucky, Luka Doncic and/or Kyrie Irving are back by the February games? But that doesn’t seem all that likely to me. I’ll chalk these up as losses.
Stranger things have happened before…
14. February 8th – vs Houston Rockets
If Luka and or Kyrie are playing, this is all of a sudden very winnable. But with the pressure that Houston applies to you, I just don’t like the matchup for this current team.
13. January 12th – vs Denver Nuggets
Playing Nikola Jokic in a matinee spot, which is primetime in his native Serbia? Not ideal, but Denver has not exactly been beating the world lately.
Reasonable to get a couple of these
12. January 14th – vs Denver Nuggets
These baseball series’ get split more often than not. Just saying!
11. January 31st – at Detroit Pistons
Who’d have thought that Detroit would be in this spot? (Note: I did) Cade is spectacular, but Detroit is equally capable of beating or losing to anyone.
10. January 22nd – vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards is still amazing, having scored 53 points in a game within the last week. Minor detail: The Wolves lost that game by 14, to the afore mentioned Detroit Pistons.
9. February 4th – at Philadelphia 76ers
Reports: Joel Embiid (any number of possibilities) is QUESTIONABLE.
8. February 12 – vs Golden State Warriors
Like you, I am also shocked to find out that it is legal for the Warriors to visit Dallas this season. Vibes are tremendously bad in the Bay Area.
7. February 13th – vs Miami Heat
Miami could be fully Butler-less by this point, which could help them? However, they’ll be coming from OKC to play on the second night of a back-to-back. Advantage: Mavs.
6. January 15th – at New Orleans Pelicans
You might be thinking to yourself: “6th? The Pels are AWFUL!” Yes, they are. But Zion is now back, and this is a miserable travel spot for the Mavs, coming off an 8:30p start in Dallas before having to meet the Pels in New Orleans. The only saving grace? The Pels will also be on the second night of a back-to-back in this one, but they’ll be coming from even further away Chicago!
5. February 10th – vs Sacramento Kings
Is De’Aaron Fox a King by then? Even if he is, I think the Mavs are very live here.
Gotta have ‘em
4. January 29th – at New Orleans Pelicans
No back-to-back, but it is the start of a five-game road trip that will see Dallas visit Detroit, Cleveland, Philly and Boston. They better be 1-0 on their way to the northeast.
3. January 9th – vs Portland Trail Blazers
This time, let’s not let Deandre Ayton cook us, huh?
2. January 20th – at Charlotte Hornets
A Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee game awaits the Mavs in the Queen City. The Hornets are very stinky, but a Noon local (11am Dallas time!) tipoff will guarantee that your day is either made or ruined by 1:30pm.
1. January 27th – vs Washington Wizards
The little tank that could marches into Dallas with their eyes firmly on the prize. Don’t let them lose that focus.
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images