The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Denver Nuggets by a score of 122-120 Sunday night in Denver. Kyrie Irving led the way for Dallas with 43 points, while Nikola Jokic poured in 37 of his own for Denver. This loss drops the Mavericks to .500 on the season at 5-5. It isn’t the 10-game start any of us wanted or envisioned.
Dallas got off to yet another slow start, falling behind 11-3 within the first few minutes of the game. Buckets from Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford helped the Mavericks steady themselves, but the Denver offense just kept bombing away. The Nugget lead grew to as many as 10, but Dallas did just enough on offense to stay connected, ending the first quarter down six at 35-29.
The second quarter began with a flurry of Maverick points, and they eventually grabbed a small lead. Luka Doncic played under control and made some wonderful passes, Gafford feasted in the paint, and Dallas was on the cusp of building an advantage. But Denver responded, and the two teams see-sawed back and forth for a while. The lead changed hands numerous times before Dallas, led by incredible shotmaking from Kyrie Irving and strong interior scoring from Daniel Gafford, took a 63-60 lead into the locker room at the half.
Defense was optional in the third quarter; both teams traded blows, and neither one could stop the other. Irving continued his brilliance, hitting eight straight shots. Unfortunately, the Maverick offense went cold when Irving was subbed out, allowing Denver to build a nine-point lead. Dallas rallied to end the period, and a big three from Klay Thompson helped them pull to within three at 97-94 heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter started with Kyrie Irving hitting back-to-back massive threes from way downtown, staking Dallas to a 102-100 lead. Again, the two teams traded baskets. It seemed as though the Mavericks had a chance to build a lead, but their bench guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy played poorly and prevented them from gaining separation. Denver responded with a mini-run, and a Nikola Jokic three gave Denver a 113-108 lead with 4:45 left. The Mavericks took the lead back with great shotmaking from their stars, but Doncic took an ill-advised three up two with less than a minute to go. Denver went in front with a Michael Porter Jr. floater with six seconds left and Irving missed a three at the buzzer. The Mavericks lost. Here are three observations from a heartbreaker in Denver.
Kyrie Irving is a basketball miracle
Though Irving couldn’t hit the game-winning three-point attempt, he didn’t miss much else tonight. The Mavericks’ superstar guard went 17-of-22 from the floor and 6-of-8 from three for a whopping 43 points. The degree of difficulty on most of his attempts was absurd. It was a delight to watch Irving destroy the Denver defense, even if his heroic effort came up short.
The bench guard rotation is weird
The bench duo of Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy combined for seven points on 3-of-13 shooting. Big offseason addition Quentin Grimes was a DNP-Coaches Decision. In a game where Dallas was desperate for backcourt production off the bench, it seems odd that Hardy and Dinwiddie were allowed to falter while Grimes watched on the sidelines. Grimes hasn’t shown much this year, but he also hasn’t gotten a fair look. You have to wonder if Kidd is playing some kind of political game here. I’m not even sure if Grimes would help all that much, but at this point, what do you have to lose?
Luka Doncic has to be better
Doncic didn’t have a bad game, especially considering he is fighting through a groin injury. His 24-9-9 line tonight looks really nice, and he was engaged as a playmaker. But his decision-making in late-game situations has been poor all year, and tonight it very well may have cost Dallas the game. After Dallas went up by two with a little over a minute remaining, they had a chance to give themselves breathing room after grabbing a defensive rebound. But Doncic slowly dribbled the ball up the court, narrowly avoiding an eight-second violation, and then proceeded to dribble the ball near half-court before launching an awful, contested three. Denver tied the game on the next possession. This wasn’t the only ill-advised jumper Doncic took tonight. His shot diet this year has been horrible. He isn’t getting to the rim, he isn’t getting to the line as often, and he isn’t shooting the ball well.
Simply put, he has to be better. He has behaved immaturely for far too long. And, when he isn’t playing like the best player in the world, it’s grating. Luka wasn’t the only reason the Mavericks lost tonight, but he wasn’t good enough. He hasn’t been all season.
