Dallas Mavericks winning streak taught valuable lesson

All good things must come to an end. Before Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks had gone on a 7-0 winning streak. Some victories included beating the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas, an overtime thriller against the New York Knicks and key success against teams in the Southwest division.

However, that all came to close Thursday as the team lost in major fashion to the Boston Celtics.

So what does this all mean? Does going 7-1 in their last eight games solidify the Dallas Mavericks as a major threat?

The Mavs’ winning streak began on Dec. 21st against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In the match Dall pulled out a five point victory, as they beat Minnesota without Karl-Anthony Towns.

Soon after, Luka Doncic went on a tear. In his next six games he would average 44.5 points.

Against the Houston Rockets, he dropped in 50 points, 10  assists, and eight rebounds. Then two days after Christmas, he helped the Mavs beat the Jalen Brunson-less Knicks. Against NY, he put on a show scoring 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists.

His next great performance came on New Years Eve, as Dallas beat the 12-24 San Antonio Spurs by a point. In the game Doncic shot 62 percent, while knocking down 51 points.

Another player that helped Dallas go on a run was Christian Wood. In nine games with Wood as a starter the team has gone 7-2. In those games he has averaged 19.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks.

It was his performance Monday that helped the team keep their winning streak alive. Against the Rockets, he had 21 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks. The big difference maker has been his presence of the defensive end.

From Dec. 16th to Dec. 29th, Wood had averaged at least two blocks or more per game. Along with that, he had multiple games where recorded one steal or more.

Besides Wood though, other players have struggled to contribute for Dallas.

For starters, Tim Hardaway Jr.’s inconsistency has been a problem for the team. Against the T-Wolves he poured in 21 points on 46 % shooting. Two days later he went 0-7 from the three-point line, while shooting 15.6% against the Rockets.

His troubling play took shape Thursday as he went 2-11 from the field.

Another struggling player for Dallas has been Reggie Bullock. During the team’s winning streak he has shot 30.5 from three. Against Boston, he too struggled going 0-1 from the court, while finishing with four fouls.

Yet, after Thursday’s game against the Celtics one thing is clear: the Dallas Mavericks are who we thoughts they were and it is obvious Doncic needs help.

To be a top contender in the West, Dallas must demonstrate they can compete with the top tier teams in the league. This is something they have failed to do, as their last true victory came against the Portland Trailblazers on Dec. 16th.

Plus the idea of Doncic scoring 50 plus points a game to keep Dallas competitive is absurd.

If the team’s 29 point loss to the Celtics taught use anything, it is that Dallas must make a move soon or it could mean an earlier exit for Doncic and company.

• Published on 01/06/2023 at 17:01 PM
• Last updated at 01/06/2023 at 12:43 PM