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Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is optimistic that the Mavs can continue their ascension up the Western Conference standings as they embark on the second half of the 2020-21 NBA season. Doncic admitted they went through a rough patch to begin the campaign, but have now found their footing before the All-Star break.
There’s reason to believe the Mavericks can avoid the play-in, mainly because of the way they closed out the first half of the season with nine wins in the last 11 games.
“It was kind of a tough stretch right there where we lost five or six in a row,” said Luka Dončić during the All-Star Game festivities. “We played really bad. But I think the last couple games we picked up and I think we’re going up and up and just learning from the moment when it was tough.”
After sitting on the outside looking in from the West playoff picture, Dallas finds itself as the No. 8 seed with an 18-16 record. The Mavs lost six straight games through the final week of January, as they dealt with injuries and COVID-19 health protocols to their key rotation players. With their roster pretty much intact and Doncic, of course, leading the way, the Mavs went on to win nine of their last 11 games before the season's intermission.
Doncic has been nothing short of spectacular this season, especially through his last 10 games before the break (he sat out the final one against the Oklahoma City Thunder). In that span, the Slovenian Sensation averaged 31.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists, while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 46.5 percent from long range.
With Doncic such on a tear, Dallas should pick up right where it left off.
