React Results: 50 wins is still in reach, at least according to Dallas Mavericks fans

Friday, following the great win against the Los Angeles Lakers, we asked Mavericks fans what their win expectation was for the rest of the regular season. It was just past the midpoint of the season, with 39 games remaining and Dallas sitting at 24-19. Since the poll was posted, Dallas lost two straight to Portland but the team is still above .500.

An overwhelming amount of fans (71%) think the Mavericks will win 45-50 games. With the 36 remaining games, Dallas would need to win 21 to 26 games to hit that mark. Even with the two games lost over the weekend, we should still be bullish because Luka Doncic exists.

Some facts to consider at the moment though:

• Dallas is 0-6 without Luka Doncic
• Dallas is 2-8 when Luka Doncic doesn’t score 30 or more points
• In all other games, Dallas is 22-7

Now, to hit that 45 game mark or even the 50 game mark, Dallas would have to go on an extended run. The question for the final 36 games revolves around how much Luka Doncic plays paired with how much he scores. He’s leading the league in scoring at the moment (Joel Embiid is hot on his heels but plays 20% fewer games), so most night’s he’s going to score 30. The pessimist in me says they won’t hit 45, particularly with how rough they’ve looked lately, but Luka shows anything is possible. There’s also the fact that Dallas could make a trade, like last year, that could swing there season. There’s plenty of reason to be in that 71% of fans that feel this way about Dallas.

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