Stats With Context: 20-Game Check

Key storylines from the Mavs turnaround in the second 10-game slate

Photo by Joshua Gateley / Getty Images

With my recent travel and the late weekend back-to-back games, I hope you'll forgive me for skipping the previews for the Jazz and Blazers, as well as the Jazz game observations, and instead diving straight into this 20-game check. I also plan to do a special Naji Marshall deep-dive sometime next week, as his development is probably the most important big-picture storyline.

For those who still want it—a summary of the Jazz game in a few quick notes: 1) One quarter of hot shooting, 2) Attacking a terrible Jazz transition defense, 3) Struggling in half-court offense and running out of bodies, 4) Getting killed on the offensive glass by the giant Jazz frontcourt, and 5) Kyrie Irving willing Dallas to another win.

The recent 10-game run is much more interesting than a take-care-of-business win against Utah because after a slow start to the season (5-5 over the first 10 games), the Mavericks have found their stride in the second 10-game slate, going 7-3 and winning 7 of their last 8. Vibes are improving, with Dallas climbing to the 5th spot in the West and reaching a .600 win pace—a pace much more resembling the contender we all envisioned at the start of the season. Even more impressively, the Mavericks managed this run mostly without Luka Dončić, who missed the last five games.

So, let's dive deep into this second 10-game stretch. Throughout the season, I'll keep checking in with these Stats With Context breakdowns every 10 games, or at other critical points like the trade deadline, to track meaningful shifts.

NOTE: I use Cleaning the Glass data for most of my team rankings in this article.

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Today’s highlights:

1. Overall point differential and four factors rankings

2. The crazy, tight Western Conference race

3. Getting size back led to fixing the rebounding issues

4. Pushing the pace and attacking the paint

5. Attacking with numbers and from all angles

6. Three-point shooting 'luck' turned around

Bonus point: Kyrie the All-Star and Mavericks’ MVP of the First 20 Games

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Stat No. 1 - Overall point differential and four factors rankings

Context: Overall, the Mavericks' advanced stats—such as point differential, offensive and defensive ratings, and other four-factor rankings—didn't change drastically. Dallas climbed from 7th to 6th in point differential and solidified their position as one of the four teams ranked in the top 10 for both offense and defense. The only other teams in this elite company are Cleveland, Memphis, and OKC. While the defense and point differential didn't improve much, the offense made a notable leap, rising from 10th place at the 10-game check to an elite, top-5 level.

At the 10-game check, I mentioned that the main reason for Dallas underperforming compared to their point differential was their poor clutch play—something that has since improved. Dallas secured two quality clutch wins against OKC and Denver, along with a defensive statement that cleared some doubts about the feasibility of the Mavericks maintaining a top-10 defense long term.

Stat No. 2 - The crazy, tight Western Conference race

Context: I won't go deep into the Western Conference rivals here, since the rest of this will be focused on Dallas. Just a few quick observations:

• The aforementioned Mavericks' rise to a top-5 offense.

• OKC and Houston emerging as elite defensive teams—ranked first and second in defense, respectively—both leading the West in standings.

• Memphis rising to the top of the West despite injuries, something I predicted might happen in my preseason rankings.

• The Suns' defensive collapse after their anchor, Kevin Durant, got injured.

• Minnesota and Golden State trending down offensively (after a hot start), while the Clippers have transformed into one of the friskiest defensive teams.

Stat No. 3 - Getting size back led to fixing the rebounding issues

Context: While clutch breakdowns got most of the attention during the Mavs' four-game losing streak, many of the problems stemmed from injuries depleting the frontcourt, with Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, and Maxi Kleber missing games.

As you can see in the chart above, Dallas, largely due to playing undersized, was punished on the offensive glass in all four losses (PHX, DEN, GSW, UTA)—including several key breakdowns during clutch moments. Dallas significantly improved on the defensive glass once they could play bigger again—at least until last night's loss against the towering Jazz frontcourt, who have given the Mavs problems in all three matchups.

An even bigger turnaround happened on the other end. During the last 10-game stretch, the Mavericks ranked as a top-10 offensive rebounding team—a major reason for their offensive improvement and a key factor in four wins against smaller teams (SAS, OKC, NOP, DEN).