The Dallas Mavericks entered Sunday in control of their destiny for the Western Conference's No. 5 seed. Now a loss Monday night could drop them all the way into eighth -- and still not secure of getting in.
The Mavericks and Utah Jazz are separated by one game heading into a crucial meeting in Salt Lake City with plenty on the line for both.
Dallas (41-39) saw its second six-game win streak end while missing a chance to clinch a berth with Sunday's 98-91 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks fell one game behind sixth-place Memphis and 1 1/2 behind fifth-place Portland.