Now, the Mavericks have had a dismal performance against the Eastern Conference.
It's not the end of the world. Or the season.
Far from it.
Despite going 1-3 on the trip to Indiana, Cleveland, Toronto and Boston, it could have been much worse. And the Mavericks are still in the thick of playoff contention.
In fact, it's virtually guaranteed that the Mavericks will play beyond Game 82 this season. They are in eighth place in the Western Conference, seven games behind 11th place Utah.
With only 22 games remaining, it is highly unlikely that the Mavericks will be eliminated from the play-in tournament.
So the question is, how can they rise above 6th place and avoid the play-ins?
That begins Sunday at noon against the Philadelphia 76ers, who will defend their home floor next week. This is the fifth of nine games against East Division opponents and begins a three-game homestand.
Indiana and Miami follow the Sixers.
Typically, teams in the Western Conference have touted their opponents in the East. The West is winning at a 56 percent clip this season. The Mavericks are 13 wins and 8 losses.
That's fine, despite a disappointing trip that ended in a blowout loss to the rampaging Boston Celtics on Friday.
But home court is where the Mavericks have to work. He already has 13 losses at American Airlines Center. This is the same number they lost during their expedition.
We cannot allow this number to increase any further over the next three games.
Here's what else to look for when the Sixers call early Sunday.
Philadelphia has struggled without Joel Embiid, who may have been the frontrunner for MVP before going down with a left knee injury. Since February 1st, they are 5-8 without Embiid. Before the injury, Embiid was averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Embiid recently told reporters he was optimistic he could return at some point before the end of the regular season. Robert Covington, Kelly Oubre Jr., KJ Martin and De'Anthony Melton are also battling injuries. Tyrese Maxey (26.1 points) takes over as the leading scorer, but the Sixers also have dangerous weapons in Buddy Hield and Tobias Harris. The Mavericks won 118-102 in Philadelphia on February 5th and will aim to win the entire season series. This started a seven-game winning streak that ended last week. Kyrie Irving has performed well since returning from injury. He is averaging 26.9 points and shooting 43.6 percent from 3-point range in 11 games. The Mavericks are 8-3 since his return. On Friday, Jason Kidd had a fully healthy lineup in Boston for the first time in months. Dante Exum returned after nearly a month out with bursitis in his right knee and scored four points in 14 minutes. Luka Doncic recorded his 12th triple-double of the season and 68th of his career in Boston. He is averaging 34.5 points, 10.1 rebounds and 11 assists over the past 10 games.
Philadelphia 76ers (34-25) vs. Mavericks (34-26)
When and Where: Noon Sunday, American Airlines Center in Dallas. Television: Channel 8 (ABC), UniMás 49. Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak. 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).
X: @ESefko