Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and teammates watched from the sideline as their team lost to the Bulls. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Texas NBA teams achieve ugly history

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 4/8/23

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, 115-112. The loss eliminated Dallas from playoff contention and assured the first postseason without the Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets since Dallas first became a franchise in 1980-81.

According to Mavs muse, this is the first time that

For the 1st time EVER, all 3 Texas teams will miss the NBA Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/VpRYnvhmfl
— MavsMuse (@MavsMuse) April 8, 2023

For most of the 2022-23 season, the Mavericks were the only Texas squad with playoff hopes. The Spurs (21-59) and Rockets (21-60) both reside at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, looking ahead to the NBA Draft lottery in May.

Meanwhile, after falling to 38-43 after Friday's loss, the Mavericks cannot catch the Oklahoma City Thunder (39-42) for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Shockingly, the Mavericks' season fell apart after acquiring All-Star Kyrie Irving ahead of the trade deadline. While Dallas thought it was gaining a significant piece in Irving, things didn't work out like the Mavericks may have hoped. In the 20 games Dallas played with Irving in the lineup, the Mavericks went only 8-12, losing five of their last seven games.

While the Mavs were alive in the playoff hunt down the stretch, they seemingly decided that lottery position in June's NBA Draft was worth more than a postseason berth. In a must-win game on Friday, Mavericks star Luka Doncic played only 10 minutes against the Bulls before exiting in the second quarter and sitting for the remainder of the contest.

More must-reads: