NBA Power Rankings Watch: the Mavericks come crashing down

The sledding has been rather tough for the Dallas Mavericks lately, as the team heads into the chillier months with ice cold execution. Has the team had some tough breaks in a four-game losing streak that all ended in single possession deficits? Yes. Has the team put themselves in bad situations and lacked both the energy and focus to win any of them? Without a doubt.

All is not lost. One or two bounces the other way and this early season dip wouldn't even be a conversation — especially for a team still trying to get healthy. But you're right to wonder why a team thought to be a contender could play such uninspired basketball over and over again. In this week's Power Rankings Watch the Mavericks hit their first gut check of the season.

The Athletic Rank: 14 (Tier 3: The Bubble)Last week: 6Say Something Nice: Kyrie Irving 's shooting is incredible.

Jason Kidd is searching for lineups that work, especially with Dallas going through a host of frontcourt injuries. But while Luka Dončić is off to a messy start (41.2 percent field goals, 33.3 percent 3s), Irving has refused to miss shots. Through 10 games, Irving has made 55.2 percent from 3 while maintaining his scoring average from last season (25.6 points).

Rank: 9Last week: 6 Sophomore center Dereck Lively II's value was evident during his four-game absence due to a sprained right shoulder. The Mavs went 1-3 during that stretch, and opposing big men Myles Turner , Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic presented major problems. Lively will get a shot in the starting lineup at some point this season, according to coach Jason Kidd, and an argument can be made that he's the Mavs' third-most-valuable player despite his current reserve role. — MacMahon

Rank: 11Last week: 7 The Mavs went just 2-3 on their longest homestand of the season, then beginning a three-game trip with a loss in Denver.

Three takeaways

The Mavs' two weekend losses were by a total of three points to the Suns and Nuggets, and all four losses in this 2-4 stretch have been within five points in the last five minutes, while the two wins have each been by 20-plus. That's how Dallas is 5-5 with top-10 marks on both ends of the floor.

But defense could be a concern, with the Mavs having allowed 124.6 points per 100 possessions over their three losses last week. The three offenses – those of Indiana, Phoenix and Denver – all have the potential to rank in the top five by season's end, but none of the three have started the year on fire.

The Mavs have been shorthanded on the frontline, with P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II having missed the last three and four games, respectively. Maxi Kleber was available (for the first time since Week 1) on Sunday, but didn't play, with Daniel Gafford logging a season-high 34 minutes against Nikola Jokic (who scored 37 points and grabbed eight offensive rebounds). Dallas has now registered a rebounding percentage below 50% in eight of its 10 games .

With their longest homestand of the season in the books, the Mavs' loss in Denver on Sunday began a stretch where they're playing 11 of 15 on the road. That stretch continues with their NBA Cup opener at Golden State, with the Mavs having lost both of their Cup road games last season.

Bleacher Report Rank: 12Last week: 6 The Dallas Mavericks have dropped four straight and ended this week with a loss to the lowly Utah Jazz .

And while it's hard to nitpick the games of their two superstars—Luka Dončić is averaging 29.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists, while Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.2 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 54.1 percent from deep—it's easy to start wondering about the supporting cast.

The third-leading scorer, Klay Thompson, is barely averaging more points (14.8) than shot attempts (13.0) per game. The only other double-figures scorer, Daniel Gafford, is losing his minutes so far this season. And Naji Marshall's three-point shot hasn't shown up yet. He's just 4-of-25 from deep so far.

If the role players don't start maximizing their roles soon, Dallas could have a hard time rising above the West's play-in range.