Mavericks at midseason: Highs and lows (and trade talk?) after first 41 games

Kyrie Irving returned to the Dallas Mavericks lineup Wednesday after missing the previous five games.

He made only 4 of 18 shots in Dallas 19-point loss to the Denver Nuggets and looked out of sync after being sidelined for nearly two weeks with a bulging disc in his back.

Its not going to be the perfect season, Irving cautioned.

So, everyone at home, stop expecting that.

Advertisement On Christmas Day, Luka Doncic suffered a left calf strain and left American Airlines Center on crutches.

Then, less than a week into the new year, Irving began missing games because of his ailing back.

Without their guards, the Mavericks have dropped into Play-In Tournament territory at the midpoint of their season.

Dallas (22-19) is in seventh place in the Western Conference and on a 44-win pace for the season.

The Mavericks, the reigning conference champions, have 15 more games until the All-Star break.

With Doncic expected to miss a majority of them, it is a critical stretch for a team that came into the season with title aspirations.

We are in the middle of it.

We are dealing with it, Irving said.

Were doing the best we can.

We just have to stay together and enjoy the craft of basketball.

Here were the highs and lows of Dallas first 41 games, plus some thoughts as the Feb.

6 trade deadline draws closer.

A trilogy The Mavericks season thus far can be divided into three parts.

Dallas didnt look great in its first dozen games, posting a 5-7 record.

The Mavericks lost four in a row in mid-November, with those games decided by three points or fewer .

Dallas Nov.

14 loss in Utah was a low point.

The Jazz exploited Doncics ball watching on defense in the final seconds.

Jordan Clarkson whizzed a pass past Doncics head to John Collins for the game-deciding basket .

That same night, the Mavericks held a team meeting, of which accountability and effort were themes.

Two days later, the Mavericks snapped the four-game skid by crushing the San Antonio Spurs by 17 points .

That began a stretch of Dallas winning 14 of 17 games.

In those five-plus weeks, the Mavericks earned wins over quality West competitors such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies.

Advertisement Entering their conference finals rematch against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas, the Mavericks were in fourth place in the standings.

But in the second quarter of that game, Doncic planted awkwardly on his left leg and limped off the floor with the calf injury that has warped Dallas season.

The Mavericks are 26th in offense since Christmas.

Only four teams have scored less efficiently than Dallas during that stretch the Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets.

The Mavericks have been without Doncic and Irving in seven of their last 11 games, so their post-Christmas slog is understandable.

Still, the Mavericks are capable of getting positive results in games like the one Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back, and the Pelicans were missing Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones.

The Mavericks had a seven-point lead with 6:15 remaining but couldnt hang on .

Dallas leaned on Spencer Dinwiddie to generate late-game offense.

There were four different possessions in the final quarter where Dinwiddie attempted a shot after the Mavericks didnt make a single pass in the half court.

The Mavericks might have won anyway had the officials called what appeared to be a goaltend of Dinwiddies layup attempt with 4.5 seconds remaining.

Thursdays Last Two Minute Report from the game said the play was an incorrect non-call .

That bucket would have put Dallas ahead by one.

They clearly did not get that one right, and it cost us maybe the game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.

BLOCKED AWAY BY TREY!!! pic.twitter.com/2s9twzZ93Y New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 16, 2025 Irving was talking about injuries when he said the Mavericks werent going to have a perfect season.

The no-call at the end of Wednesdays game might fall under that category, too.

Will Harrison make another trade? Nico Harrison took over as Mavericks general manager in June 2021.

So far, Harrison has made a trade-deadline deal every year hes been in charge.

Advertisement In 2022, the Mavericks moved on from Kristaps Porzingis, sending him to the Wizards for a package that brought back Dinwiddie.

The following year, Harrison sent Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and draft picks to the Nets for Irving.

Eleven months ago, Harrison upgraded Dallas frontcourt in separate trades for P.J.

Washington and Daniel Gafford.

Harrison hasnt been afraid to be aggressive.

I dont see any risk at all, Harrison said after acquiring Irving at a time when the talented guard was coming off a controversial tenure in Brooklyn.

I actually see risk in not doing it.

The Mavericks, as The Athletic reported earlier this month , have expressed interest in conversations with rival teams about acquiring an impact perimeter defender.

Dallas, according to front-office sources with other teams, has dangled Gafford in those discussions.

The options to acquire a perimeter defender who can be a needle-mover, however, appear to be limited.

The Pelicans Jones, an All-Defensive First Team player last year, is out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury.

The Pelicans were unlikely to move him anyway, as teams that interacted with them before his injury found New Orleans asking price was extraordinarily high.

If the Mavericks dont make a move, it will be up to a combination of Washington, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes to guard the oppositions elite perimeter players in high-stakes games.

Derrick Jones Jr.

had that responsibility last season, but he left to sign a three-year deal with the LA Clippers.

The Mavericks have tradable salaries and first-round picks from 2025 and 2031 to negotiate with, but they shouldnt feel desperate to make a move.

They ranked fourth in offense and 11th in defense before Doncic went down.

Top-10 rankings in both of those categories is typically a prerequisite to contend.

Advertisement What the Mavericks need, more than anything, is for Irvings back issues to not be limiting and for Doncic to perform like an MVP candidate once he is healed.

Dallas, in the meanwhile, needs to find a way to hold the line.

Advancing out of the West as a No.

5 seed last season was difficult enough.

Its been almost 30 years since a team that finished sixth or lower in the West advance to the NBA Finals.

The 1994-95 Houston Rockets and last seasons Mavericks are the only teams in the last three decades to win the West without having home-court advantage in any round.

Required Reading (Top photo: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.