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NBA Power Rankings: Blake Griffin trade shakes things up

By Daniel Lewis

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 22: A close up shot of Blake Griffin
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 22: A close up shot of Blake Griffin /
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DALLAS, TX – JANUARY 13: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks gets introduced before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 13, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – JANUARY 13: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks gets introduced before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 13, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) /

27. team. 79. . . Previous: 27th. Dallas Mavericks

A win over the Washington Wizards kept the Mavericks from going on a seven-game losing streak, with losses against the Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets keeping them in the hunt for the worst record in the league. Dallas beat Washington by 23, in a game that was chippy throughout. Salah Mejri was ejected for arguing with the referees, and J.J. Barea was called for a technical after exchanging pleasantries with John Wall in the fourth quarter. Even Bradley Beal and Dennis Smith Jr. had a little tussle, and were talking trash throughout the entire game. The league has to be hoping for the All-Star break to get here as soon as possible.

Wesley Matthews had 29 points on Wednesday in their loss against the Rockets, making it six straight for the team located at the south end of I-45. The Mavericks couldn’t withstand the Rocket’s 3-point barrage, with Houston outscoring Dallas by 18 points from the perimeter — the two teams combined for 86 3-point attempts in the game.

The Mavs lost the first game of their back-to-back, getting blitzed by the Trail Blazers bench in the second quarter for 35 points and were unable to get closer than two points the rest of the game. They had a valiant performance against the Nuggets on Saturday, but couldn’t tie the game after the Nuggets took a 91-89 lead with just over a minute remaining. Barea missed Saturday’s game with an oblique injury that he suffered on Friday — they have to be hoping he doesn’t miss an extended period of time.

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