NBA Power Rankings Week 19: April review and the rising Phoenix Suns

9. Dallas Mavericks

Last Week: Lost to Sacramento Kings 113-106, Beat Golden State Warriors 133-103, Beat Detroit Pistons 115-105, Beat Washington Wizards 125-124

This Week: 5/2 vs. Sacramento Kings, 5/4 at Miami Heat, 5/6 vs. Brooklyn Nets, 5/7 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Dallas Mavericks ended April with the exact thing they had hoped to avoid: Kristaps Porzingis leaving the court in the middle of the game and heading back to the locker room. Currently, the big man is considered day to day with right knee soreness. For a player with surgically repaired knees, the last thing the team wants to see is any mention of his legs on the injury report.

This comes at an unfortunate juncture, as the Mavericks were turning things around in April. The team went 10-6 and were finding themselves in a comfortable position to take advantage of the Lakers’ continued injury issues to jump into the five seed. They finished the month 10th in offensive and defensive rating, rounding into the type of team they hoped to be at the beginning of the year.

Now, the Mavericks have to just wait. The hope is that Porzingis will be back before long and the time missed will ultimately go down as being cautious over everything. The games from now to the end of the season mean little by comparison to the goals that the Mavericks have. For a team centered on Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis entering the postseason, succeeding in getting past the first round is paramount.