Mavericks Officially Out of 2025-26 Playoff Picture
mavericks-officially-out-of-2025-26-playoff-picture
Overtime heartbreak in San Francisco ended the Dallas Mavericks’ faint postseason hopes on Monday, as a 116-110 loss to the Golden State Warriors mathematically eliminated Dallas from contention.
The defeat dropped the Mavericks to 23-49, 11 games behind 10th-place Golden State (34-38) with only 10 regular-season contests remaining, leaving no path to the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Slow start, mid-season slide
Dallas opened the campaign 5-15 and briefly rallied to 19-26 after a four-game winning streak in mid-January. The surge ended with a 10-game skid, and the club has gone just 4-23 since Jan. 22.
Injuries derailed the roster
Key contributors were sidelined for long stretches:
- Kyrie Irving—missed the entire season with a torn ACL suffered last March.
- Anthony Davis—battled multiple ailments before being traded ahead of the February deadline.
- Dereck Lively II—appeared in seven games before season-ending foot surgery.
- Dante Exum—did not play after knee surgery.
- P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford—both missed significant time; Gafford exited Monday’s game with a right shoulder contusion.
Draft lottery outlook
The Mavericks currently sit sixth in the reverse standings, giving them a 9.0% chance at the No. 1 pick and 37.2% odds of landing in the top four. Last May, Dallas jumped from No. 11 to No. 1 with just a 1.8% chance, selecting Duke forward Cooper Flagg, who has produced a strong rookie season despite the team’s struggles.
Southwest Division update
Elsewhere in the division, the San Antonio Spurs clinched the Southwest title Monday thanks to their own victory and a Houston loss. San Antonio needs two more wins, or two Lakers defeats, to lock up no worse than the West’s No. 2 seed.
Source: Hoops Rumors
