NBA Power Rankings Week 15: The Denver Nuggets excel in March

Mar 30, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) reacts with center Nikola Jokic (15) and guard Facundo Campazzo (7) during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

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NBA, Denver Nuggets (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

Dallas Mavericks. 7. team. 79. . 27-21. Previous: 7th

Last Week: Beat Oklahoma City Thunder 127-106, Beat Boston Celtics 113-108, Beat New York Knicks 99-86, Beat Washington Wizards 109-87

This Week: 4/5 vs. Utah Jazz, 4/7 at Houston Rockets, 4/8 vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Dallas Mavericks were not a good team earlier this season. Issues with the pandemic and injuries muddled much of their first few months. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis were clearly planning for the season to start a month later than it did and because of that, the Mavericks underwhelmed early on.

That all changed in March. Dallas won nine of their 14 games and have surged into a comfortable playoff spot with a month and change to go in the season. They had the fourth-best offensive rating in March and were finally able to get most of the roster healthy. This led to them jumped up to the 10th defensive rating in March, a development no one could have expected. Swapping out James Johnson and Wes Iwundu for JJ Redick bodes well for the continued offensive excellence.

The frontrunner for the MVP before the season tipped off Luka Doncic has rounded into form (and gotten into shape) and is the wizard everyone expected. He averaged 29.4 points (third in the league), 8.7 assists (fifth) and 7.4 rebounds. He is playing at the MVP level that had been projected for him. He has successfully added the 3-point shot to his game, hitting 43.3 percent of his 10.4 attempts per game. The Mavericks are on the rise and the rest of the league is on notice.

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