The Mavericks can never seem to stray far from the collapsing sky.
Since Jan. 1, they are 10-13. When the calendar changed to 2016, they were tied in the loss column with the Los Angeles Clippers for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They were 6 1/2 games up on Portland, which had the ninth-best record.
Things have changed. The Mavericks now are in sixth place in the West, just a game ahead of Utah, which beat them Tuesday in the Mavericks' last game before the All-Star break. Portland, still in ninth, is a mere two games back.