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The fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks will be starting their 2022 playoff campaign against the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz in the opening round. Despite earning home-court advantage in this series, the Mavs are still facing a tough challenge as both Luka Doncic and Maxi Kleber are not expected to be in the pink of health due to their respective injuries.
Given the situation, Dallas' other players should step up and fill in the void while Doncic and Kleber recover in order for the Mavericks to have a chance to advance to the next round. Ultimately, this series will surely make for an entertaining matchup and might go the distance, given how evenly matched both teams are.
With that said, let's take a look at three bold predictions for the Mavericks in their first-round matchup against the Jazz in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
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Mavericks Predictions Vs Jazz
3. The Mavs will be clobbered inside the paint.
The Mavericks haven't been playing as a strong team inside the shaded area as they've heavily relied on the production of their guards from the perimeter this season. A frontline player in Maxi Kleber also suffered an ankle injury and was forced to miss the last four games of the regular season.
Though he has already been deemed available to play in Game 1 of this series, he is still not expected to be fully healthy in the first few games. His contributions might also be missed by the Mavericks, given that he's included in the team's regular rotation for the majority of the season.
With that said, other frontline players like Dwight Powell and Davis Bertans should step up in order to cover for Kleber's recovery back to full health as the series progresses. On the other end of the floor, they will also be going up against a premier big man in Rudy Gobert who has been making most of his shots this season.
The Frenchman shot a career-best 71.3% from the field for 15.6 points per game in 66 appearances in the regular season. Given that the Mavericks don't have a strong frontline unit, the Jazz is expected to feed Gobert in the post and bank on his production near the rim all season long.
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If Dallas can't find a way to contain the three-time All-Star in the paint then they will definitely have a hard time eliminating Utah in the first round.
2. Jalen Brunson will step up amid Luka Doncic's absence.
Another key player in Luka Doncic suffered a left calf strain after playing in a non-bearing game in their final outing of the regular season against the San Antonio Spurs. He was deemed unavailable for Game 1 and remains probable for Game 2 which would greatly affect the Mavericks' chances in this series.
Without him on the floor, Dallas is set to miss his production of 28.4 points, 8.7 assists, and 9.1 rebounds which are all close to his career-high tallies. Given how the Mavericks' offense revolves around the Slovenian star, Jason Kidd would need to have a backup plan in order for them not to skip a beat in the games that Doncic will be missing.
Out of all the other playmakers on the team, Jalen Brunson is expected to step up the most and fill in the void that will be left by their star player. The Villanova talent has been a reliable scorer for the team after averaging career-highs of 16.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 79 appearances this season.
Brunson's scoring and playmaking abilities will surely have to be at a high level all series long in order for the Mavericks to have a chance against the Jazz. Aside from him, Spencer Dinwiddie is also expected to carry a heavier load on offense to compensate for Doncic's expected absence in the first round.
1. The Mavs will lose to the Jazz in six games.
The uncertain timetable of Luka Doncic's injury will certainly have major implications in this series and can potentially favor the Jazz, especially if the 23-year-old will be sidelined for more games than expected. Not to mention that Utah is no easy team to beat as well as they have a solid core of contributors which include Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, and Jordan Clarkson, among others.
Quin Snyder's men are all expected to take advantage of Doncic's absence and aggressively go for wins in the first games of the series while the Slovenian is sidelined. The Mavericks still have a chance but it will all depend on Doncic's recovery and how fast he can play at a high level once he returns.
If he fails to make it back and play in his regular-season form then it wouldn't be hard to see the Mavs getting eliminated by the Jazz in six games in the opening round of the playoffs.
