NBA Power Rankings: Mavericks Sliding Amidst Injuries

The Dallas Mavericks are approaching some rough patches in their schedule as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are both expected to be out for a while with their own respective injuries.

That’s part of the reason why The Athletic’s Law Murray placed the Mavericks one spot lower in his latest power rankings from No. 7 to 8.

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“The Mavericks are 0-3 this season without both Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, and they will be without both stars for what appears to be most of January,” Murray writes. “For a team with title aspirations, Dallas must find a way to win games. Whether that is increasing the ball movement, finding another on-ball presence or tapping into better defense, this is an opportunity for the Mavericks to develop the skill sets of their role players so that when Dončić and Irving do come back, the team is even better equipped to support the stars.”

The only teams to rank higher than the Mavs were the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

If the Mavs can find some success, or at least just stay afloat, with Irving and Doncic out of the lineup, the team should be in good shape for the second half of the season.

The Mavs are back in action tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks’ Loss to Grizzlies

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