Don’t tell anyone we told you, but you’d be forgiven if you missed some Dallas Mavericks games lately with March Madness seeping through the public consciousness for the last 96 hours. But both worlds work hand-in-hand, as the Mavericks navigate lottery positioning while the NBA season comes to a close.
And while positioning (losing) doesn’t sound so exciting, there are still some wild swings that could take place as a group of four teams between the fifth and eighth spots cluster closer and closer.
The Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies keep pacing around this liminal space of the back part of the top ten with the Mavericks. Here at Lottery Watch we’re taking a weekly pulse of what may have changed and what’s up next.
Lottery standings
After the Mavericks sort of inexplicably beat the Cleveland Cavaliers just over a week ago, on the road no less, they dropped three straight last week and find themselves precariously in sixth place — two games back of the Jazz in fifth, and 1.5 games ahead of the Grizzlies and Pelicans. Those slim margins are of note because the swing from sixth to eighth means a 10-percent shift in a shot at a top four pick.
To make it just a little stressful, the Mavericks do have the fourth toughest remaining schedule in the league. But those pesky Grizzlies have the second toughest. The one relief is knowing the Pelicans, who owe their unprotected pick to the Atlanta Hawks, have zero incentive to lose.
Weekly schedule
- Dallas Mavericks: vs. Golden State Warriors, @ Denver Nuggets, @ Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz: vs. Toronto Raptors, vs. Washington Wizards, @ Denver Nuggets
- Memphis Grizzlies: @ Atlanta Hawks, vs. San Antonio Spurs, vs. Houston Rockets
- New Orleans Pelicans: @ New York Knicks, @ Detroit Pistons, @ Toronto Raptors
One magic spin
Each week we’ll take one spin around the block at tankathon.com and see where the chips fall. In a chilling turn of the simulator, this our fifth edition, the Atlanta Hawks for the fifth time in a row jump to the number one overall pick. There is voodoo in this simulation.
The Mavericks slide back a spot for the first time in several weeks. If you’re watching close to mock drafts across the internet, this puts them right on the fringes of that second tier behind the consensus top three. This paints a picture of both why the positioning is so vital — not because it ensures jumping up, but protects them if/when they slide back.
