NBA Power Rankings Week 7: The revenge of the Los Angeles Lakers

Last Week: Lost to Phoenix Suns 109-108, Beat Atlanta Hawks 122-116, Lost to Golden State Warriors 147-116, Beat Golden State Warriors 134-132

This Week: 2/8 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 2/10 vs. Atlanta Hawks, 2/12 vs. New Orleans Pelicans

This was a generally solid week for the Dallas Mavericks, especially if you burn the tape of the first outing against the Golden State Warriors and bury the ashes. They participated in two absolute shootouts against the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors and were able to win one of them. Nabbing another victory against the Atlanta Hawks helps build some confidence for the Mavericks, which has been in short supply of late.

The fact that the demolition against Golden State came on the second night of a back to back will be ignored by most but the context is important. Playing three games in four nights against such luminous offensive talents like Devin Booker, Trae Young and Steph Curry is likely to catch up with any team, especially one as defensively challenged as the Mavericks.

No one told Luka Doncic he was supposed to take the losses in stride. With the way he is playing, it looks like he is taking the slights personally. Just look at his line from the win against the Warriors: 42 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and a steal. No other Maverick even had 20 points. Many fans have had fun taking shots at Doncic because of the preseason hype and his team’s underwhelming record. Performances like that should quiet them quickly.