The Mavericks have reached the point that they have to hope and pray that this is not “one of those years,” with regard to their injury situation.

They have had all of the players expected in the preseason to be in the rotation available for zero games this season. And usually, it’s been more than one of those players sidelined.P. J.

Even on Tuesday night, when the Mavericks got the good news that Kyrie Irving was coming back from a bulging disc in his back after missing five games, they got dealt a bust card when Dereck Lively II departed the Denver game with a sprained right ankle less than four minutes into it.

He did not return and coach Jason Kidd said postgame that the second-year center “probably” would miss Wednesday’s game in New Orleans.

The Mavericks have just been unable to buy a break when it comes to the overall health of the team. And, of course, Luka Dončić has been out since Christmas with a left calf strain. The Mavericks are looking at perhaps another two weeks without him.

On the bright side, maybe all the hate from the injury gods is flowing out now and good health is in store when the stakes rise in April and beyond.

For now, all they can do is persevere, learn how to play with different lineups and pack away that knowledge in hopes that it will pay off later in the season.

“It’s a bit of a rough patch we’re going through,” said Daniel Gafford, who likely becomes the starting center if Lively is sidelined. “And we’re trying to figure it out as the days go by. We’re a good team and we try to keep each other motivated and encouraged.”

The 118-99 loss Tuesday to Denver on Tuesday was a great teaching moment for coach Jason Kidd. They had a ton of statistical oddities in the game, not the least of which is that the Mavericks had six players reach double figures in scoring. That’s usually an elixir for success.

They came into Tuesday’s game with a 14-3 record this season when six or more Mavericks reach 10 points or more. Of course, when Denver’s Jamal Murray gets 45 by himself, that can offset a lot of the Mavericks’ double-figure scorers, none of whom had more than 13 points.

That brings us to our other takeaways from the 19-point loss to the Nuggets:Gafford

Dead zone: The Mavericks gave up 71 points in the first half. The NBA is often a final five-minute game, but on this night, the game was won in the first two quarters as the Nuggets devastated the Mavericks with execution. If you add on the fourth quarter in Sunday’s loss to the Nuggets, the Mavericks were outscored 104-57 during that 36-minute span.

How did they get blown out? A quick glance at the stat sheet makes you wonder just how the Mavericks weren’t in this game or maybe even winning it. Here’s what the Mavericks did on Tuesday night: won points in the paint 54-42; won second-chance points 20-12; won fast-break points 19-18; took more shots than the Nuggets (90-83); shot the same amount of free throws (22); had 12 turnovers (to 18 for Denver. The answer is that an utter lack of physicality, particularly in the rebounding department (51-30, Nuggets) and giving up 51.6 percent shooting can negate any statistical advantages in other areas.

Concern for Lively: On a night when the Mavericks were lacking a lot of energy, Lively was on full-throttle in the first four minutes of the game, when he hit two of three shots and was bouncing around the floor and causing havoc at both ends. Then, the ankle injury happened and he was gone. And the Mavericks looked different the rest of the way. Gafford did his best to fill in but when it was done, he was not happy with his showing or the Mavericks’ overall effort. “Just physicality,” he said, adding that he wasn’t satisfied with his physical effort. “Not at all, especially these last two games, not at all. Lack of effort on my end. I got to be better and be able to bring energy to the team, because that’s my job.”

X: @ESefko

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