Here come the Dallas Mavericks. After a thrilling 109-102 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, the Mavs are now just one game back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
NBA playoff picture: Mavericks make move in West, Knicks all even with Pacers
The Mavericks grabbed a huge win over the Clippers on Tuesday, and they now find themselves just one game behind the Lakers for the last playoff spot in the West. In the East, the Knicks are percentage points ahead of the Pacers for the No. 2 seed.
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More on the Mavs: Mavs Moneyball
Just a few weeks ago, Dallas looked destined for the lottery, floundering at seven games under .500. But the Mavs have found their groove, and they may now be the favorites to snag that last playoff spot. The Lakers have struggled of late and are beat up, with Metta World Peace the latest to go down with an injury. Meanwhile, despite winning their last game, the Jazz have gone just 3-7 in their last 10. Dallas and Utah currently hold identical 35-36 records.
As for the Clippers, they fell back into the No. 4 seed in the West behind the Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles has been rather mediocre lately, going just 5-5 in its last 10 games.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks took over the No. 2 seed from the Indiana Pacers thanks to a 100-85 win over the Boston Celtics. Both the Knicks and Pacers are 12½ games back of the Miami Heat, but New York is percentage points ahead of Indiana. Both teams will be in action on Wednesday.
Here are the full standings:
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