NBA Power Rankings 2012: The Mavericks' 4-Game Winning Streak Puts Them Up To No. 11

The Dallas Mavericks recent four-game winning streak has totally erased any initial doubts that observers might've had with the defending champions. Yet, three huge wins over the bottom feeders of the NBA (Detroit, Milwaukee and Sacramento) plus a big-time win over the Boston Celtics has helped give the Mavericks the type of momentum they need to go on a good run in January.

Tom Ziller released his NBA Power Rankings on Monday, and Dallas finds themselves ranked No. 11 on Monday.

The Mavericks have found a way to succeed without much contribution from Lamar Odom, and recently Odom's former coach Phil Jackson caught up with his do-everything big man to check up.

[Phil Jackson] told me just to be strong and get myself together and get myself in that place mentally where I can use basketball as my sanctuary," Odom said. "He said relearn to do that through meditation and other forms to get to a place where you kind of leave everything else behind and focus on the now, the moment. And that's what I have to work on in order to put myself in a place where I can go out here and actually play the game like I used to play it.

Odom will be facing his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on the road on Monday night.

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Mavericks Vs. Lakers Time, TV Info, Radio And More

The Mavericks will try to slow down Kobe Bryant who has score 40 or more points in his last four games and is averaging 32 points per game this season.