We are four games from the end of this season. You may be surprised to learn that the season began in October and not last February, a time that’s often felt like one continuous trudge through drama and losing for 15 months. The light, and absolutely spectacular rookie season from Cooper Flagg, has maintained its energy all the way to the end. Flagg’s 96 points between Friday and Sunday’s games were a snapshot of a more than worthy rookie of the year campaign, and should make Mavericks fans excited
to head into next fall. Pair with that the soon-to-be-drafting of his future running mate this summer, and this new era suddenly feels fresher.
And that’s why we’re here. At NBA Lottery Watch we’ve tracked the lottery maneuverings since the all-star break as the Mavericks wait with the other losing teams to see where the ping pong balls fall on May 10, determining where teams will draft this summer. Let’s dive in as we walk the final week of the season.
Lottery standings
We warned in last week’s edition that there are some sticky moments at the end of this schedule. And while the Mavericks did plenty of losing, Sunday’s win made an impact as the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans both lost. On the week as a whole those two teams went 0-4 while the Mavericks went 1-3. Those results left Dallas falling from sixth to eighth in the lottery order. Does a roughly 8% difference in a shot at a top four spot really matter? No, probably not. The real impact, as we’ve said before, is when teams behind you jump forward, leaving you falling further back toward the fringes of this draft’s depth.
That said, even with these teams having nothing real to play for entering the postseason, there are a few key games remaining that could impact the lottery draw odds on May 10.
Weekly schedule
Dallas has the toughest remaining schedule of the three teams, although the Clippers are really the only team that is fighting for playoff positioning — Phoenix and San Antonio are all but locked in their spot. But it’s the other two facing the Utah Jazz that is worth keeping track of. The Jazz have lost 13 of their last 14, and have been so aggressive in their losing that they’ve actually moved up to the fourth spot ahead of the Sacramento Kings. Hard to imagine they’ll let up now — so that game for the Pelicans and Grizzlies really leave the Mavericks their primary opportunity to move back up in the standings.
- Dallas Mavericks: @ Los Angeles Clippers, @ Phoenix Suns, @ San Antonio Spurs, vs. Chicago Bulls
- New Orleans Pelicans: vs. Utah Jazz, @ Boston Celtics, @ Minnesota Timberwolves
- Memphis Grizzlies: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, @ Denver Nuggets, @ Utah Jazz, @ Houston Rockets
If that doesn’t happen, we’ll have to cross fingers that the consistent effort of this team, and their refusal to sit core players at the end of the season builds enough positive karma to send the Mavericks forward in the draw.
One magic spin
Each week we’ll take one spin around the block at tankathon.com and see where the chips fall. And the basketball gods shown down on the ethical tank this week. For the first time in the two months we’ve been hosting lottery watch the Dallas Mavericks jumped seven spots to take the number one pick, for what would be the second year in a row.
Complete chaos across the board on this one, to a completely unrealistic degree. The Indiana Pacers are the only team to keep their top four spot, while everyone else went tumbling backward. The Mavericks leapt forward with the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls. This image once again paints the picture of why positioning as high as possible matters in the event you end up falling.
