Dallas Mavericks star Klay Thompson has not played in the team's last two contests, and that streak will continue for at least one more game. Still battling a left foot plantar fascia injury, Thompson will not play Saturday against the Utah Jazz, per Mavs insider Joey Mistretta.
After a four-game losing streak in early November, during which Dallas lost to Phoenix, Denver, Golden State and Utah, the Mavericks have won six of their last seven.
Mavericks rebounding despite injuries to Thompson, Luka Doncic
Dallas rebounded in Brett Siegel's most recent NBA Power Rankings update, moving from No. 13 to No. 10. Although his review of the Mavericks was far from glowing.
“Dominance over the Pelicans and Nuggets is the only reason why the Dallas Mavericks are moving back into the top 10 of the NBA power rankings. Other than that, this team is the biggest mystery in the Western Conference because of how inconsistent they are on offense. Klay Thompson has gone cold from deep, shooting just 34.5 percent from the perimeter, and Kyrie Irving has struggled a bit with his shot in recent games. Now with Luka Doncic out due to a wrist injury, even more pressure is on this team when it comes to scoring.
The good news for Dallas is that PJ Washington, Naji Marshall, and the big-man tandem of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford have helped set the tone for this group. Lively is really beginning to come into his own as one of the best finishing and rim-protecting big men in the league, as he is shooting 72.9 percent from the floor over his last seven games. He has also blocked 15 shots in this span.”
Spencer Dinwiddie, who helped carry Dallas with big minutes off the bench in his last two games, spoke about the behind-the-scenes of the franchise.
“One of the biggest credits to this organization is they do a phenomenal job of communicating,” Dinwiddie said. “Approaching it with the standpoint of like, ‘hey, this is a championship-caliber team. What can I do night in and night out to help us win'… that doesn't always mean big scoring nights.”
“I think personnel, also the team were playing, what's asked of me,” Dinwiddie explained. “There's some nights where they're like, let's say for example we're playing the Jazz, they're like, ‘hey, you're going to have to guard (Lauri) Markkanen.' Okay, well I know that it's one of those types of nights. Like be really locked into that, try not to give him any airspace. It also might mean I end up in foul trouble, so I might have less minutes but I gotta play those minutes in a certain style.
“It's just reading the feedback from the coaches and then also the game itself… Lineups, and opponents and all that other stuff will, you know, change kind of who I am nightly.”
Dinwiddie accounted for 22 points, three rebounds and nine assists in the Mavs' 129-114 win against the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
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