Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavs Eye 5th Seed in West Standings; Red-Hot Houston Rockets Next

After defeating the Sacramento Kings two times in one week, the Dallas Mavericks currently occupy the No. 6 seed in the West with some cushion. A win over the streaking Houston Rockets on Sunday would push Dallas to the No. 5 seed.

By Dalton Trigg

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off a statement win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks, who have now won 10 of their last 11 games, currently occupy the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference standings with some much-needed cushion.

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic led the way in Dallas' 107-103 win, scoring a combined 56 points, but it was a clutch 3-pointer from Dante Exum with less than 30 seconds remaining that put the Mavs over the top for good.

“We’re just playing great team basketball,” Doncic said after the Mavs improved to 44-29 on the season. “We made some moves at the trade deadline. Our defense is getting better and better every game. Today was a rough game for us. To win back-to-back games in Sac is difficult. And we did a great job with that.”

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

With the New Orleans Pelicans' loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday, the Mavs can move up to the No. 5 seed in the West if they can end the Houston Rockets' 11-game win streak on Sunday evening. Dallas and Houston are tied at 1-1 in the regular-season series, but the only Mavs loss came when both Doncic and Irving weren't playing. Doncic is on a personal 10-game win streak himself, so one way or another, something will have to give on Sunday at Toyota Center.

On the latest episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we break down the Mavs' latest win, and how this recent stretch of success gives us a feeling that we haven't had since Dallas' 2011 championship season. The Mavs have been so good lately that several national media pundits are labeling them as a team nobody wants to end up playing in the postseason.

With all the good things the Mavs have done lately, though, their work isn't finished, as they'll play the Rockets and Golden State Warriors – two teams fighting for their postseason lives – two times each over their next five games. As always, thanks for listening, and but sure to hit that SUBSCRIBE button! Leave us comments on YouTube as well, because we want to hear from you!