MAVS FANS! With a small delay, your coverage for the Dallas Mavericks is here. The Mavs have fewer games than usual this week as they are thriving in the Western Conference standings placed #3. While that’s definitely worth celebrating, the Mavs need to stay focused and keep doing what they are doing. Let’s see what’s new in this week of Mavericks basketball.

Recap of last week 

Miami Heat ( Lost 125-110)

The Heat came into this one blazing hot as predicted. Miami had four players score 20+ in Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Kyle Lowry. The obvious takeaway from this game was that the Mavs were lacking in defense. Although the Mavs lost by double digits, it can be inferred that if Porzingis was in this game, he could have contributed to the scoring deficit and would have probably covered it with his average being at about 14 ppg while slowing down Adebayo, who had 22 in this game. Long story short, the Mavs were missing critical pieces in KP and Maxi Kleber, which could have helped the Mavs win this game.

at San Antonio Spurs ( Won 109-108)

Jalen Brunson became the second scoring star that the Mavs needed to beat the Spurs in their second matchup against them this season. He had 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Luka poured in 23 points and an array of assists and rebounds. Though the score was a little close for comfort, this win will prove its value later on for developing team chemistry in close-knit games like this one.

Boston Celtics (Won 107-104)

Porzingis came back after missing the past few games and boy, did the Mavs need him and Luka in this one. They combined for 54, with it being topped off with a clutch game-winning three-pointer from none other than LUKAAA DONCICCC. The Mavs did great on defense through the first two quarters, only allowing 40 points on a Celtics team that can score the basketball well. The Celtics would come back from a pretty big deficit, but the Mavs won by playing good offense in the fourth quarter. If the Mavs played the same way they did in the third on offense, this would have been a very disappointing loss. The Mavs are already becoming very clutch down the stretch, which is always a good thing early in the season.

New Orleans Pelicans ( Won 108-92)

The Mavs finally get a breath of fresh air as they beat the Pelicans in dominating fashion. This win was the biggest of the year, and it was a great way to come off of the close win against the Celtics and a great start to the week. Luka had a solid game with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while Tim Hardaway Jr. had 17 points. The only point of concern in this win was Porzingis' offensive play. He only had 12 points with 4-13 shooting. The Mavs need better from him, especially for the rest of this week if they want success.

Matchups this week

at Chicago Bulls (11/10)

The Bulls heading into this game are tied for second in the Eastern Conference. This year, they have been a surprise team because many critics thought the acquisitions they made this past offseason would not be successful. There's a long season ahead, but in the first ten games, they have looked great. Their best scorers in SG Zach Lavine and SF Demar Derozen have combined for 50 + ppg. In contrast, PG Lonzo Ball and C Nikola Vucevic have contributed double figures in scoring and have assisted and rebounded well. Mavs need to play a great defensive game, but the catalyst for this game is offense. So expect lots of 3 point shooting in this one.

at San Antonio Spurs (11/12)

The Mavs played well against the Spurs these past 2 weeks. The second go around was a little too close for comfort so it’s no far fetched to think this might go the other way in favor of the Spurs at home. The Mavs need to be cohesive on offense while trying to get Porzingis 20 +. On the defensive side, they must follow the same scheme they have the past 2 times playing the Spurs

Injury Report

PF Maxi Kleber: Suffering a back injury similar to Porzingis’ last week. He’s been ruled out against the Bulls and his status will be TBD from there.

The Big Question Moving Forward:

How can Luka enter the MVP conversation? 

As of right now, Luka is outside the top 5 in the MVP race. There's been lots of talking leading into every season since Luka's second that he could be an MVP candidate or win it all. He has not broken that threshold yet, and he hasn't exactly gotten to the start he needs to have that conversation. To get into it, he has to do a little more. Currently, he is averaging 24.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. These are significant numbers but not enough to get the attention he wants. He needs to get his numbers up to close to 30 while having more moments as he did against the Celtics with a clutch shot to win it all. Kidd's style on offense has affected Luka's scoring as he has been one of the best scorers over the past two seasons. We all know Luka can light it up on the scoreboard; it's just a matter of what coach Kidd believes will lead the Mavs to a championship.