The Dallas Mavericks are riding a ten-game losing streak and will travel to take on the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
When the Dallas Mavericks traded away Anthony Davis and continued to use Cooper Flagg as a primary offensive facilitator, fans knew that theywould see plenty of ugly basketball. When rebuilding, it comes with the territory.
The future in Dallas, led by Flagg, should be bright, and each game they lose only improves their lottery odds for 2026, which is the last year before 2031, when they outright own their own draft pick.
For now, losing is good. That doesn't mean it's fun, though, and the Mavericks will hope to get a morale boost on Sunday as they travel to take on the Indiana Pacers.
If Not Now, When?
After making the NBA Finals on the back of Tyrese Haliburton last season, the Indiana Pacers lost their superstar guard to a torn Achilles and watched Myles Turner walk in free agency. The result? An All-Star season from Pascal Siakam and the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana, unlike Dallas, expects to be right back in the mix next season. Even with Kyrie Irving coming back from injury next year, the Mavericks have a long way to go before they retake their spot as one of the West's best teams.
As they prepare to take on the Pacers, they have to ask themselves: if not now, when?
If they can't beat an Indiana team, whose season was over before it started, when will they win again? Granted, they will play the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings in their next two games, two other putrid teams with no aspirations of the postseason, although losing to the Pacers--who have been the worst team out East all season--is a tough pill to swallow.
In an "organic tank," teams lose most of their games but still beat teams that they should be able to beat. For Dallas, the Pacers are very much a beatable team, one of maybe only six in the entire NBA.
While losing ultimately helps the Mavericks improve their draft odds, sometimes it just feels good to get a win, especially for the players involved in the tanking effort.
While the Mavericks should win, Sunday's game will serve as a litmus test to see just how bad Dallas has become.