It’s getting down to the nitty-gritty in the Western Conference playoff race.
The great news is that the Mavericks have climbed into the No. 5 seed and control their own destiny in keeping it. They own the tiebreaker with New Orleans (also 45-29), via better divisional record. And the Mavericks have just one game against a Southwest Division opponent left (Houston on Sunday at American Airlines Center).
Win that game and the Mavericks will own the tiebreaker against the Pelicans should they end up with identical records. Plus, New Orleans plays six of its last eight games against winning teams.