Despite having Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the sidelines, the Dallas Mavericks have now won two straight games. They're playing without two of the best scorers in the entire NBA and the two engines of the team.
With those two sidelined, the Mavericks simply need to stay alive in the playoff race. They were riding a five-game losing streak, and their record was suffering because of such. They're a true contending squad at full health, so staying in the thick of the playoff race is important.
Now having tallied two straight wins despite being shorthanded, the Mavericks are finding their groove. How have they done it? Dereck Lively II put it simply, it's the next man up mentality. That's all they can rely on without their superstar players.
“Next man up mentality,” Lively said. “We trust in the pass, trust the person behind us, and we stuck together. There have been a lot of times where we might start off slow, start off hot, or go cold, but it’s about sticking together.”
Lively, in his second year with the club, is a crucial piece of what the Mavericks are buidling. However, during this time, players like Jaden Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie have been crucial to the club's success and have been able to win the past two games.
Still, how Lively put it is exactly how the past couple of games have gone. Whoever can try and fill the void of the two superstars has and even P.J. Washington has stepped up as a leader and voice in the locker room, according to Jason Kidd.
