With three games left, how can the Dallas Mavericks still make the 2023 NBA playoffs?

The reeling Dallas Mavericks are running out of hope of making it back into the playoffs. After reaching the Western Conference finals last year, Mark Cuban’s team is on the verge of elimination.

The Mavericks are 1-7 in their past eight games and now hold a 37-42 record, which puts them 11th in the west. They’re one game behind the OKC Thunder (38-41) for the 10th spot and last play-in ticket.

Oklahoma, however, holds a 2-1 series edge, which gives them the tiebreaker. Should they end up with the same record, the Thunder will still go through.

The Dallas Mavericks can still grab a play-in ticket at OKC’s expense if they win all their remaining three games. The Thunder will also have to finish 1-2 for the Mavericks to go through.

In this scenario, the Mavericks will finish the season 40-42 while the OKC Thunder limp home with a 39-43 win-loss mark.

The Thunder will also be eliminated if they lose all three games and end up with a 38-44 record. Dallas could go 2-1 if Oklahoma goes on a three-game losing streak.

Luka Doncic and crew could also go via another route with the Minnesota Timberwolves (39-40) as the unlucky team. Again, the Mavericks will need to run the table for them to get a shot at the play-in tournament.

If the Timberwolves go 0-3, they will finish with a 39-43 record and allow the Dallas Mavericks to leapfrog them in the standings.

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The Dallas Mavericks can also enter the play-in tournament if the LA Lakers falter

The LA Lakers (40-38) are in seventh place and 3.5 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. If the Lakers collapse and finish the season on a four-game losing streak, they will end up with a 40-42 win-loss slate. If the Mavericks do the opposite and end on a high note with a three-game winning run, they also finish with a 40-42 mark.

The Mavericks will go through as they own the season series (3-1) against LeBron James’ team. This is a very unlikely scenario, but stranger things have happened in basketball.

The New Orleans Pelicans are in eighth spot with a 40-38 record. For the Mavericks to have a chance of barging into the play-in, the Pelicans would need to lose all four games. If Dallas runs the table, they will also end up with the same 40-42 record as New Orleans.

Unlike the Lakers, though, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks are tied for the season series with two games apiece. In this case, the tiebreaker will be the conference record, which leans towards the Pelicans (28-21) rather than the Mavericks (27-23).

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The Dallas Mavericks’ defense has to step up big

The Mavericks had the fourth-best record in the Western Conference before the Kyrie Irving trade. They gambled on pairing Luka Doncic with a bona fide star with 28 games in their schedule. The offense has been good in spurts but their defense has just been atrocious.

In their past eight games, the Dallas Mavericks' defensive rating has spiked to 121.2. For the season, the San Antonio Spurs are the worst team in this category with 119.6.

Dallas’ last three games will be against the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. Sacramento may sideline De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis as they’re now assured of a playoff spot.

The Spurs aren’t playing for anything, but the Bulls may be the big problem. Chicago is also trying to stay alive in the East for the 10th seed.

Dallas’ defense needs to be at its best for the team to have a chance of making it to the play-in tournament.

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