Luka Doncic knows the Dallas Mavericks can further climb the West standings, and he wants the team to focus on that goal in a bid to put themselves in the best position to succeed come the playoffs.

After taking down the Utah Jazz on Monday, the Mavs are now just half a game behind Donovan Mitchell and co. in the West. Of course it will be a difficult road ahead for the Mavs, but Doncic knows they have to eye for homecourt advantage in the playoffs because it makes a ton of difference. Playing in a hostile environment during pressure-packed games is extremely hard, as what the team has learned in the past couple of years.

“I mean it’s different. I think four and fifth spot is a lot of difference,” Doncic said, per Fresno Bee. “When you’re four you have the home advantage and that’s a big thing. We never had it since I’ve been here. So, I think we’re trying to get the home advantage for sure.”

The Mavs have a good chance to steal the fourth seed from the Jazz, especially if Utah continues their recent struggles. However, that also means Dallas needs to be as perfect as they can be in order to get that Top 4 seeding and the homecourt advantage they desire–at least in the first round.

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Dallas can also go as high as third if the Golden State Warriors are not able to stop their freefall, but they are still three games behind the Dubs and at this stage of the season, winning games require a ton of hard work.

Luka Doncic and the Mavs have yet to get out of the first round of the postseason, having lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening round the past two campaigns. However, the team definitely looks different now and have proven to be capable of going against the top dogs.

For now, they need to focus on protecting their win-loss record and climbing the West ladder. Doing so should help them increase their chance of going deeper into the postseason, something that Doncic surely desperately wants.