When Do the Celtics Play Again in the Playoffs
It might non exist an exaggeration to say that parity is at an all-time high in the NBA. With the NBA playoffs on the horizon, seeding is still very much up-in-the-air, particularly in the Western Conference, where seeds two-through-7 are separated past single-digit games.
The Dallas Mavericks (45-29) are hoping to capture domicile-courtroom advantage in the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 title season. For Dallas to reach that feat, though, it must keep winning while likewise getting some assist from other teams slipping upwardly. DallasBasketball.com'due south Mavs Playoff Tracker will continue you updated on everything happening in the West standings on a nightly ground.
MARCH 26: MAVS BIG SHOWDOWN WITH JAZZ; WOLVES VS. CELTICS
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© David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
© David Berding-United states of america TODAY Sports
Although the Mavs (45-29) weren't able to beat the Timberwolves (43-32) for the 2nd fourth dimension in i week on Friday night, they even so sit three games alee of Minnesota in the loss column with just eight games to go.
Now, Dallas volition set its focus on the Jazz – the squad that will exist at American Airlines Heart on Dominicus evening for a large game with potential playoff implications. The Mavs and Jazz are currently tied in the Western Conference standings, so the winner of Sun's game will have sole possession of fourth-place. The Jazz have lost 3-straight games and will be just as motivated as the Mavs will exist to bounce back into the win column.
Some proficient news for the Mavs is that things aren't necessarily getting any easier for the two teams chasing them in the West. The surging Celtics, who helped the Mavs out past blowing out the Jazz this calendar week, have on the Timberwolves on Sunday. Boston has won five in a row and nine of its final 10 games. Minnesota as well has a caput-to-head matchup with the Denver Nuggets on April 1. The result of that one will be a win for Dallas either style.
MARCH 22: OUTLOOK FOR MAVS, JAZZ, WOLVES, NUGGETS
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Luka Doncic challenges Karl-Anthony Towns.
Luka Doncic throw an alley-oop over Donovan Mitchell.
Nikola Jokic with his buddy Luka Doncic.
With just 10 regular season games remaining, nothing is settled in the Western Briefing playoff race bated from the Phoenix Suns being the pinnacle seed. And although there are scenarios where the Memphis Grizzlies and Gold Country Warriors stumble out of the second and third-seeds, it'southward more likely that those ii volition continue jockeying for position at that place among themselves.
All the same, when you wait at fourth-through-7th in the Due west, things are still pretty wide open up. In order, here's what the standings currently look like in that range:
4) Jazz (45-27)
5) Mavs (44-28) — 1.0 games back
six) Nuggets (42-30) — iii.0 games dorsum
7) Timberwolves (42-31) — 3.5 games dorsum
According to Tankathon.com, the Jazz (4th) and Wolves (8th) take some of the toughest remaining strength of schedules, whereas the Nuggets (18th) and Mavs (28th) appear to be catching a lilliputian chip of a break as the season inches to a close.
Afterwards they take on the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, the Mavs take a large weekend alee with head-to-head matchups confronting the Wolves and Jazz on Friday and Sun. Meanwhile, Minnesota plays Phoenix on Wednesday and Utah plays the Boston Celtics. If Dallas takes intendance of business in this final stretch, it could secure home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
MARCH 19: MAVS STUMBLE; WOLVES SURGING
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The Mavs will accept their hands full trying to comprise Karl-Anthony Towns this week.
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Despite 37 points through just three quarters, Luka Doncic couldn't make up for the Mavs shortcomings against the Hornets.
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The Mavs have lost consecutive games for the outset time since February 2.
As much talk as there'southward been nigh the Mavs potentially overtaking the Jazz for home-courtroom advantage or fifty-fifty catching the Warriors for third-place in the Due west with Steph Curry out for multiple weeks, an untimely ii-game losing-streak has them uncomfortably shut to the Play-In Tournament too.
With just xi games remaining, Dallas is 43-28, which is yet good for fifth-place in the West. The Mavs are just 1.5 games back of the Jazz for 4th-identify; They're also just one.v games ahead of the seventh-place Timberwolves, who have won 4 in a row and 9 of their last ten games coming into American Airlines Center on Monday night.
The Mavs still take a big head-to-head with the Jazz coming upward on March 27, only before they get to that point, they need to beginning take care of concern against Minnesota. This calendar week, Dallas will play the Wolves two times — Monday and Friday night — with a game against the lowly Houston Rockets sandwiched in between. To say this week of basketball for the Mavs is big would exist a major understatement.
MARCH 17: STEPH Back-scratch Volition MISS SIGNIFICANT TIME FOR WARRIORS
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The Mavs were victorious over the Celtics on Sun.
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The Mavs went iii-1 against the Warriors this season.
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Spencer Dinwiddie nailed a buzzer-chirapsia iii-pointer to beat the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
Every bit the Dallas Mavericks capped off a euphoric buzzer-beating win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night to up their record to 43-26, the Gold Country Warriors did not have such luck against the Boston Celtics.
Roll to Continue
Losing to the Celtics 110-88 at habitation was already bad enough, but the Warriors also lost Steph Curry to a human foot/toe injury he suffered when Marcus Smart dove for a loose ball with Back-scratch nearby. Curry is expected to be out "indefinitely'' - i report suggests three weeks - which is substantially the residuum of the regular flavor.
Although the Mavs' focus lately has been on catching the Jazz for the fourth seed in the West, perchance the third seed isn't out of question at present either, as Dallas is just 3.5 games dorsum of the Warriors with 13 games left. The Mavs also own the tiebreaker with the Warriors later winning the flavor series three-1.
MARCH fifteen: GRIZZLIES Proceed WINNING; WOLVES LOSE Primal Actor
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The Wolves will be without Jaden McDaniels for at least two weeks due to an ankle injury.
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Jaren Jackson Jr. dunks on the Pacers as the Grizzles win their 4th game in a row.
The Mavs take on the Nets on Wed, although this time there is no James Harden or Kristaps Porzingis.
On a relatively placidity evening – for the Mavs' playoff race, not the NBA overall, as Kyrie Irving dropped 60 points for the Brooklyn Nets simply a night afterwards Karl-Anthony Towns did the same – the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers for their fourth win in a row. Memphis remains a half-game ahead of the Golden State Warriors for the second-seed and a total five games alee of the Mavs in the West standings.
Some other evolution on Tuesday that could potentially affect the Mavs is the injury status of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels. The Wolves appear that McDaniels suffered a right ankle sprain against the Spurs on Mon that will keep him out of activity for at to the lowest degree two weeks, meaning that he'll miss Minnesota's two upcoming games against the Mavs on March 21 and March 25.
The Mavs are 3 full games up on the Wolves in the standings with 14 games left.
MARCH 14: MAVS Fifty-fifty THINGS UP WITH JAZZ; Town DROPS threescore, JOKIC OUT-DUELS EMBIID
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Luka Doncic is playing at an MVP level as the Mavs close in on home-court.
The Mavs defeated the Jazz in their terminal matchup, 111-103.
Utah and Dallas will face off one more time on March 27th — and potentially in the postseason as well.
Information technology was a great dark of NBA basketball game, as the stars were shining everywhere you looked. As far as the Mavs' playoff race goes, two teams behind them in the standings — the Nuggets (1.5 games back) and the Wolves (3.0 games back) — got big wins on Monday night. Denver beat Philadelphia every bit Nikola Jokic out-dueled Joel Embiid, and Karl Anthony Towns dropped an NBA season-loftier 60 points in Minnesota's win over the Spurs.
The Jazz, even so, fell to the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, putting them even with the Mavs in the W standings with a 42-26 tape. With the Jazz playing the Bulls side by side, and the Mavs playing the Nets without Kyrie, Dallas could have sole possession of the fourth-seed by Wednesday nighttime.
MARCH 13: MAVS WIN BIG IN BOSTON; GRIZZ BEAT OKC
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Luka Doncic celebrates a big win.
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Spencer Dinwiddie came up clutch in the Mavs' win over the Celtics.
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Luka Doncic dives on Robert Williams.
There wasn't much happening on Sunday that directly related to the Mavs' personal playoff-seeding race aside from their big 95-92 win confronting the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, only their was 1 other game we were keeping tabs on.
The Memphis Grizzlies took on the OKC Thunder on the route, and despite a valiant effort from the home team, Memphis ultimately came away with a 125-118 win to remain a half-game ahead of the Gold State Warriors for the second-seed and four.five games ahead of the Mavs, who are withal in the fifth-seed spot.
Dallas climbed back to inside a half-game of the Jazz for dwelling house-courtroom advantage with its win at Boston. Utah plays games against the Bucks and Bulls between at present and Midweek.
MARCH 12: WOLVES, JAZZ BOUNCE Dorsum; NUGGETS LOSE TO RAPTORS
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Nikola Jokic wasn't enough for the Nuggets to concur off the Raptors.
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Karl-Anthony Towns helps the Wolves bounce back vs. the Estrus.
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A shorthanded Jazz squad trounce the Kings later on losing to the Spurs the night before.
The NBA playoff race continues to tighten for the Mavs. On Sat dark, the Timberwolves bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Magic the dark before past beating the Miami Heat. The Jazz, who were without Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley a night after losing to the Spurs, likewise bounced back with a win over the Kings. The Denver Nuggets stumbled in a loss to the Toronto Raptors.
With merely fifteen games remaining, the Mavs are now i total game behind the Jazz for the fourth-seed. Dallas is i.5 games ahead of Denver and three full games ahead of Minnesota.
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Luka Doncic celebrates a 3-pointer in a win over the Rockets.
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Dwight Powell scored a career-loftier-tying 26 points on Friday night.
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Dwight Powell slams one home as the Rockets await on.
MARCH xi: MAVS Beat out ROCKETS, JAZZ AND WOLVES SLIDE
After losing in disheartening style to the New York Knicks on Wed, the Mavs quickly put that behind them and bounced dorsum with a 113-100 win over the worst-in-the-West Houston Rockets on Friday nighttime. Luka Doncic, Dwight Powell and Spencer Dinwiddie combined to score 72 points with Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith out with small injuries.
Two other teams close to the Mavs in the standings – the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves – lost on Fri, giving Dallas' win fifty-fifty more meaning. The Wolves, who had been surging lately, surprisingly dropped a game to the lowly Orlando Magic, while the Jazz lost a close game to the San Antonio Spurs.
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Donovan Mitchell attacks the rim.
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Karl-Anthony Towns secures a rebound against the Magic.
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Utah's loss helped Gregg Popovich laissez passer Don Nelson as the NBA's all-fourth dimension winningest coach.
With all that transpired, the Mavs are now just 0.5 games back of the Jazz for the fourth-seed in the West. Dallas besides increased its absorber over the Wolves to 3.v games. With 15 games remaining, things could get even more interesting in a bustle, as the Mavs even so have two more head-to-caput matchups with the Wolves and one more with the Jazz.
The Mavs are off until they take on the reddish-hot Boston Celtics in a Sunday matinee game at TD Garden, only they'll surely be keeping their eyes on Utah and Minnesota over again on Thursday night, as both teams will be playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back. The Denver Nuggets, who trail the Mavs by just one game, have on the Toronto Raptors on Th dark besides.
Source: https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavs-utah-jazz-playoffs-home-court-boston-celtics-minnesota-timberwolves
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