Mavs week 8 recap and Western Conference Power Rankings – Week 8 (12/05-12/11)

Mavericks Week 8 Recap:

The Mavericks went 2-1 this week, maintained their hold on the 7 seed in the West and 2nd in the Southwest Division, same as last week.  Even though they sit in the same spot, they have gained some ground on the Memphis Grizzlies who now sit just 0.5 games ahead of the Mavs for the division lead and the 6 seed.  The Mavericks are one of the hottest teams of the league, especially at home where they have won 10 in a row, and are only 3.5 games back of the 1st seed Golden State Warriors.

New Orleans (Away) – The Mavs started week 8 in horrible fashion.  It was the second night of a back to back after a good win at home against Portland where the Mavs were basically a no-show on defense, giving up 132 points to the Pelicans.  Nobody on the Mavs had a particularly good game, the leading scorer was Barnes with 16, a number that was eclipsed by 4 different Pelicans (Davis 27, Randle 27, Holiday 17, Moore 17).  It looked like the Mavs were feeling the effects of the back-to-back games and missed the defensive energy of Dennis Smith Jr who sat all week with a wrist injury.

Houston (Home) – This will forever be known as the HalleLuka game.  Down 8 points, with 3 minutes to go, Luka Doncic goes on a personal 11-0 run including two step back 3’s over Clint Capela and a grown man drive and finish over PJ Tucker.  What makes this performance even more amazing is that Luka went on this 11-0 run directly after a live performance of the HalleLuka (‘Halleluja’ parody) song inside the AAC during a timeout.  This marks yet another time when the Mavs have put the ball in young Luka’s hands in the biggest moments of the game and yet another time that he has delivered.

Orlando (Home) – Although a formidable team in the East, Orlando was no match for the Dallas Mavericks in the AAC.  The Mavs made it 10 straight home wins with their 25 point blowout of the Magic where Luka finished with a near triple-double (7 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists) in just 26 minutes.

Aside from Luka’s heroics, another bright spot this week has been the play of Rookie point guard Jalen Brunson in the absence of Dennis Smith Jr.  He had 14 points, 3 assists, 3 steals in 30 minutes against Houston, including a huge backdoor cut and finish over Chris Paul.  He followed that up by going for 17 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds in 32 minutes against Orlando in a blowout win.  Jalen Brunson is a pleasure to watch, his quick twitch drives make it almost impossible for defenders to stay in front of him, he is a willing passer, and effective scorer from deep and in the paint.  It is going to be a a lot of fun watching this guy grow, a perfect fit for Rick Carlisle and this offense.

Southwest Division Standings:

Western Conference Standings:

Power Rankings:

The Warriors are back on top, and I’m sure will stay there as long as Steph Curry is healthy.  He is having a flashback of his unanimous MVP season, currently averaging 5 rebound, 6 assists, and 30 points while taking 11 threes per game and making 50% of them.

The Mavs continue to inch up the power rankings, moving up 1 notch to be #5 in the West.

Biggest Gainer:  Warriors ↑4

Biggest Losers:  Clippers ↓5

1. Golden State Warriors (19-9 overall, 1^st in West) (3-0 this week) ↑4 – Next Week: TOR, @SAC, MEM.
2. OKC Thunder (17-8, 2^nd) (2-1 this week) ↑2 – Next Week: @NOP, @DEN, LAC, CHI
3. Los Angeles Lakers (17-10, T-4^th) (3-1 this week) ↔ – Next week: @HOU, @CHO, @WAS, @BKN.
4. Denver Nuggets (18-9, 3^rd) (2-2 this week) ↓3 – Next Week: OKC, TOR, DAL.
5. Dallas Mavericks (14-11, 7^th) (2-1 this week) ↑1 – Next Week: ATL, @PHO, SAC, @DEN.
6. Memphis Grizzlies (15-11, 6^th) (2-2 this week) ↑3 – Next Week: POR, MIA, HOU, @GS.
7. LA Clippers (16-8, T-4^th) (1-3 this week) ↓5 – Next week: @SAS, @OKC, POR
8. New Orleans Pelicans (14-15, 11^th) (2-2 this week) ↔ – Next Week: OKC, MIA.
9. Portland Trailblazers (15-12, 8^th) (2-1 this week) ↑4 – Next Week: @MEM, TOR, @LAC.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves (13-14, 12^th) (1-2 this week) ↓4 – Next week: @SAC, @PHO, SAC.
11. San Antonio (14-14, 10^th) (3-1 this week) ↑3 – Next Week: LAC, CHI, PHI.
12. Sacramento Kings (14-12, 9^th) (2-1 this week) ↔ – Next week: MIN, GS, @DAL, @MIN.
13. Houston Rockets (12-14, 14^th) (1-2 this week) ↓3 – Next Week: LAL, @MEM, UTA.
14. Utah Jazz (13-15, 13^th) (1-2 this week) ↓3 – Next Week: MIA, ORL, @HOU.
15. Phoenix Suns (4-24, 15^th) (0-4 this week) ↔ – Next week: DAL, MIN, @NYK.

Statistical HeatMap:

Teams are ranked 1-15 based on their standings in the Western Conference.

ORtg – Offensive Rating – points scored per 100 possessions.

DRtg – Defensive Rating – points allowed per 100 possessions.

NRtg – Net Rating – Difference between Offensive and Defensive Ratings. No surprise that the top 3 teams in the conference are by far the top 3 in Net Rating.  However, if we could adjust these stats to not include October, I think the Mavs would be right up there with the best.

Categories: Mavs Fans For Life, MFFL Weekly Recaps