A nightmare spell for the Dallas Mavericks has left the team scrambling to get a team out each night.
There are some who believe the Dallas Mavericks may be cursed after trading away Luka Doncic. Judging by the unfortunate turn of events following the trade, the theory has some credence to it.
The Mavs’ injuries include stars Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, and head coach Jason Kidd has his work cut out trying to get his team competing each night.
The most recent loss came against a tanking Philadelphia 76ers. The Mavs are 2-8 in the last 10, and yet due to the ineptitude of the Phoenix Suns, they still ranks 10th in the Western Conference.
The Dallas Mavericks need to find positives where they can, amid this difficult spell, with injuries showing few signs of clearing up.
One small boost was PJ Washington making a return since getting injured on March 2. His return was impactful, scoring 29 points.
Washington spoke to reporters post-game in the press conference, and was asked about teammate Naji Marshall, who has been a consistent bright spot for the team over the past few weeks.
Marshall scored 21 points, adding 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and Washington was generous in his praise for his teammate’s contribution.
He said: “That means a lot, obviously, you got a guy that can do everything on the floor. it’s great for us.
“I mean, he can guard the best player, he can bring the ball up, he can pass the ball, he can support.
“I think he’s a great player, and I’m just glad he’s getting the time out there to show how good he is, and just to keep getting better.”
Washington had separately hit out at fans chanting ‘Fire Nico’ in reference to the highly criticized general manager, pointing out it is not helpful to the team.
Further commenting on the team, he added: “I think obviously we have a good group of guys, we just got to get healthy and just keep going.”
The Mavericks may eventually be overtaken by the Phoenix Suns. If they do end up in 10th spot, there is a good chance it will be down to Naji Marshall.
Marshall is averaging 12.5 points for the season. In March he is averaging 21.1 points, an impact of his minutes per game increasing to 35.
The 27-year-old joined the Mavs in free agency in 2024 after four years with the Pelicans, and he is averaging the best points total of his career.
Marshall posted a career best 34 points against the Phoenix Suns on March 9, bettering the career best 29 points he put up on March 7 against the Memphis Grizzlies.
He is show how good a player he is, also posting a career best 17 rebounds against Memphis, and Washington’s assessment that he can ‘do it all’, appears to be spot on.
