Dallas Mavericks are coming for that No. 1 spot

Over the past five games, the Dallas Mavericks have gone 5-0, including a Christmas day win over the Los Angeles Lakers and an overtime victory over the New York Knicks, where Luka Doncic’s 60-point performance made history.

For the month of December, Dallas has a current track record of 10-5. Some loses include a one point defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks and an overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not bad for a team who went 6-7 during the month of November. The Mavs are now right in the middle of a stacked Western Conference.

As rapper Ludacris once said in his track “Number One Spot,” the Dallas Mavericks are “Comin’ for that number one spot.” 

Dallas sits fifth in the West and three games from the first place New Orleans Pelicans and two games from the third place Memphis Grizzlies.

If the team can continue a successful run, the Mavs could be in for a successful second half of the season.

So what has gone right thus far? 

Basically it comes down to the performances of Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Christian Wood.

For starters, Doncic is averaging 40.4 points over the past five games. Some key performances include a 50 point performance against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 23, and the recording breaking 60 point, 21 rebound show three days ago.

Along with that, he is shooting over 56 percent and averaging a near double-double. While we all know what Doncic is capable of, his ability to take his performance to the next level is something that has helped Dallas take that next step.

Like Doncic, another player who has contributed in a tremendous way is Tim Hardaway Jr. During the team’s current winning streak he is scoring 16.6 points, three points higher than his season average. For the month of December he is averaging 17 points, contrast to his 9 point average in November. Against the Lakers on Christmas, he shot 52.6 from the field.

His best season with the team came during the 2019-2020 season when he averaged 16.6 points a game. If we can continue his current success, then he has the ability to eclipse that year’s average.

One final player who has produced well is Christian Wood. During the team’s winning streak he has gone on to average 18 points a game. He too played a pivotal role on Christmas, as he dropped in 30 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

The biggest difference has been his presence of the defensive end. In five games, he has averaged 3 blocks. Against the Rockets last night, he had four blocks.

As a starter this season, he is averaging 19 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Contrast that to his regular numbers, and he is taking key strides.

If those three players and more can contribute on an everyday basis, then Dallas has nothing to worry about. One more game left this year, hopefully 2023 provides for wins and countless memories for the Dallas Mavericks.