The latest misfortune in the Mavericks' injury-riddled season occurred Thursday night when the All-Star reserves were announced by TNT. Kyrie Irving, who had the best chance of qualifying for the Western Conference team, was not selected as part of the 14 reserves.

Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) drives ahead of Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard (10) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)(Brandon Dill / AP) The Mavericks can’t catch the ...

A six-game winning streak has the Memphis Grizzlies riding high into a tough road matchup against the New York Knicks. The Grizzlies are in Madison Square Garden on Monday night for a matchup between two of the best teams in the NBA.

Ja Morant is dealing with an illness ahead of the Grizzlies' upcoming game against the Pelicans on Friday night.

Dallas backup center Maxi Kleber broke his right foot during a 122-107 home loss to the Boston Celtics, adding to the Mavericks’ lengthy list of unavailable players and leaving the team with one available center.

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Washington Wizards in a Monday night game and honored the Lunar New Year for the Asian American population. The Mavericks blew out the Wizards 130-108 at the American Airlines Center.

The teams that placed higher in the power rankings were the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Knicks have won five in a row including wins over teams like the Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Kings who have all been surging. New York is sitting at No. 3 in the East and is just a game back of the Celtics for the No. 2 seed. The Knicks are jelling at the right time as they continue to move forward with their season.

Before losing to the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves stunningly beat the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets in a massive Game 7 comeback. Aside from Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards ' heroics, Towns' shocking defensive performance set the tone for what the Knicks see in the 2024-25 season.

Whenever we see a little separation in their ranks, the standings tighten again. So with apologies to Sacramento and Golden State — both 24-23 but tied for ninth behind too many rivals — here is a look at the eight West teams lined up behind Oklahoma City, with reasons why and why not they might climb as high as No. 2:

Jimmy Butler says he doesn't want to play in Memphis but trading for him still might be worth the risk for the Grizzlies.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic suffered a calf injury on Christmas Day against the Memphis Grizzlies, forcing him from the