Great news for the Dallas Mavericks this week as Cooper Flagg has returned to the lineup after being sidelined since before the all-star break. That’s even better news for Mavericks fans’ eyeballs — the recent stretch without Flagg was growing increasingly straining to watch.
The focus and ultimate priority for the final 20 games of the season is the rookie’s growth and development. Wins and losses are secondary to that. While we here at the weekly Lottery Watch are keeping close tabs on the standings at the bottom, we’re clear that the priority is ultimately elsewhere.
The Mavericks have now lost five straight, and gone 2-15 since late January. All that losing hasn’t amounted to too much shuffling forward in the lottery standings. But it did create a sliver of space between their place, seventh, and the Memphis Grizzlies behind them. At this writing, Dallas is 2.5 games ahead of Memphis.
Where eyes should be watching is just ahead of the Mavericks with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans, winners of five of their last seven, have moved back in the lottery standings and sit just two games in front of Dallas. New Orleans, who owe their pick to the Atlanta Hawks, has zero incentive to lose. Only one game separates the teams in the win column. The Mavericks have 20 games remaining against the Pelicans’ 18.
Dallas will spent the week on the road, finishing up a six-game road trip with a very important lottery game against the Grizzlies to finish things off. New Orleans have a similarly important game against the Washington Wizards this week, so we could be in for a pretty important swing by next Friday’s edition.
For now, we’ll no longer keep tabs on the Utah Jazz. While they remain 2.5 games ahead of the Mavericks, they also only keep their pick if it falls in the top eight otherwise it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder. It is unlikely the Mavericks will lose at a rate to catch them.
Each week we’ll take one spin around the block at tankathon.com and see where the chips fall. For the second time in our three editions of Lottery Watch, the Milwaukee Bucks jumped nine spots to get the first pick, which then is turned over to the Atlanta Hawks. Somehow in all three editions the Hawks have received the first pick in the draft — either from the Bucks or the Pelicans jumping to first.
The Dallas Mavericks did get another lucky spin, landing in the top four for the second week in a row. May the games be ever in your favor.
