Here’s our takeaways from the Mavericks’ 107-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.
Appreciate the greatness: OK, the end of the game was a bummer. More on that in a moment. But for the first three quarters, it was a treat to watch Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic show their ample talents. And not just for fans, by the way. “It’s two of the most promising young players in the entire NBA, two of the best players in the world,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “One guy from Slovenia, one guy from Serbia and on national TV, they put all their talents on full display. When you can watch guys like Luka and Nikola playing at the level they’re playing at, that is very, very entertaining and fun to watch for all of us.” Doncic finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. He was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, though. Jokic had 33 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He scored 21 of his points in the third quarter. The international influence is everywhere in the NBA these days and seeing Doncic and Jokic do what they do on a nightly basis is something that should not be taken for granted.
About that finish: As they have much of this season, the Mavericks continue to have problems with execution at the end of one-possession games. They got the ball inbounds with 7.9 seconds to play. Plenty of time. But it took a couple seconds to get the ball in Luka’s hands. He was near midcourt and saw Dorian Finney-Smith in the left corner. He ripped a pass to Finney-Smith in one of his favorite 3-point shooting spots, although the defense was closing fast. The Mavericks were only a point behind, but it would have been a decent look at the 3-pointer. You can’t fault Finney-Smith. The Mavericks’ system calls for penetration and a kick out to an open shooter. His pass ended up in the backcourt as time expired. As everybody with the Mavericks said, it shouldn’t have come down to that possession. But it did. It’s one of those late-game situations they will have a lot more times in the future. The teaching point on this one: It’s OK to launch a shot when you have it, even if it’s not the cleanest look. It’s better than no shot at all. The Mavericks are 28th in the NBA in offensive efficiency in clutch situations — defined as games with a difference of five points or less at some point in the final five minutes.
Powell is human after all: After making all six of his field-goal attempts on Monday against Chicago, Dwight Powell made his first six again on Wednesday against the Nuggets. He finally missed one in the third quarter. And he missed a free throw. Two of them, actually. Still, the big man is on a remarkable shooting run lately. He’s 17-for-20 from the field in the last three games. And by the way, he hasn’t taken a single 3-pointer in those three games.
With home woes, maybe upcoming road-heavy schedule will be a blessing: The Mavericks now are 11-9 at American Airlines Center this season. Their 12-5 road record is among the best in the league. But they have been mediocre on their home floor. And the hard part is only beginning. The Nuggets are legitimate title contenders. Clearly, the Los Angeles Lakers who visit on Friday also are in that category, owning the best record in the league. The Mavericks are going to have their work cut out for them trying to get out of this season-long, six-game home stand with a .500 record or better. After the Lakers, it’s the Philadelphia 76ers on a short turnaround Saturday night. After this weekend, the Mavericks play five of seven on the road, which might not be a bad thing.
No excuses, but . . .: The Mavericks need to get Kristaps Porzingis back. There’s no question his length would have helped against the Nuggets and Jokic in particular. Coach Rick Carlisle said it’s not sure when Porzingis will be back from his sore right knee. But by reading the tea leaves, it appears he’s getting close. It may not be on the rest of this home stand. But it shouldn’t be far off. He’s missed five games and the Mavericks have gone 2-3.
Twitter: @ESefko
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