The Denver Nuggets survived their three-game road trip, saving themselves in the final matchup with a win on Tuesday night over the Memphis Grizzlies. Nikola Jokic didn’t play in any of the three matchups, and the Nuggets had to figure out how to survive without the three-time MVP.
Now, the Nuggets will face the Dallas Mavericks in another NBA Cup game. Denver’s 1-1 in the Cup so far, the same record as Dallas. The winner of this matchup stays alive in Group C. The loser is effectively eliminated. Luka Doncic is out, and he may be joined by Nikola Jokic as well.
Let’s delve into the Dallas Mavericks matchup:
Denver Nuggets vs Dallas Mavericks
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Michael Porter Jr., Dario Saric
Dallas: Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, PJ Washington, Dereck Lively II
Key Bench Players
Denver: Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson, DeAndre Jordan or Zeke Nnaji
Dallas: Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, Olivier Maxence-Prosper, Maxi Kleber, Daniel Gafford
Notable Injuries
Denver: Nikola Jokic – QUESTIONABLE, Aaron Gordon – OUT, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
Dallas: Luka Doncic – OUT, Dante Exum – OUT
Key for the Nuggets – Is this the game Nikola Jokic comes back?
For the past road trip the Nuggets took, Nikola Jokic wasn’t present. He was away from the team dealing with a personal matter. The Nuggets have been coy about the absence, and while there’s nothing with Nikola that needs to be worried about, the messaging has caused some worry with fans.
Jokic has been listed as questionable on the injury report in each of the last four games. He was downgraded to out relatively early each day, so keep an eye on status updates during the day.
If Jokic does return, his presence would lift up a lot of people.
Important Matchup – Kyrie Irving vs Errybody
The last time these two teams faced roughly 10 days ago, Kyrie Irving was effectively unguardable. Christian Braun started on Irving and struggled to keep up. Any time Irving got crossmatched with another Nugget, he cooked in transition. Peyton Watson switched onto him late and forced some incredibly difficult shots. Irving made several of them anyway. It was a miracle he didn’t hit the game-winner at the buzzer.
Tonight, Denver gets a chance at some redemption. Luka Doncic is out, which means the Nuggets can gear their defense toward Irving this time around. It may not matter if Irving gets it going, but Denver will be more focused on that matchup this time around. Can Braun slow down Irving the way he slowed down Desmond Bane the last two matchups? Will Denver go to Watson in that coverage? Will Denver choose to send a double team?
This matchup will dictate Denver’s evening.
Number of the Day – 256
That’s the number of days it’s been since Jamal Murray has scored 25 points twice in two games.
It was great to see Murray deliver a strong performance on Tuesday night in the face of adversity. He earned that one with 27 points and six assists, making some big buckets in the fourth quarter and helping the Nuggets preserve their lead. Now, it’s on the Nuggets star point guard to deliver again. Whether Nikola Jokic is back or not, the Nuggets need a definitive Jamal Murray, the version that gets to his spots with pace and precision and confidently looks to score.
Nugget who should have a good game: Michael Porter Jr.
The last time MPJ was on the floor against the Mavericks, he hit a game-winning floater, escaping Irving’s closeout and taking a confident shot in a clutch situation.
Now, the Nuggets may need Porter to do even more than that. The starting forward had 17 points that night but had 13 points early on before floating into the background of the Nuggets game plan. Tonight, Porter can’t float, especially if Jokic doesn’t play. The Nuggets need him to assert himself in these moments as much as they need Murray to do so. Porter can shoot over whoever the Mavericks decide to guard him with, and if Jokic is pulling a center away from the rim, he should have some easy baskets underneath.
