DENVER – After a 2-3 home stand, maybe it’s a good thing the Mavericks are hitting the road.
The disappointing nine-day stay in Dallas included very little home cooking and even less momentum to carry with them as they head to Denver for Sunday night’s match, which will be the finale of the Nuggets’ five-game home stand.
They are 4-0 so far, which might make the Mavericks a bit envious.
And the challenge for the Mavericks to start a three-game trip against one of the NBA’s stoutest opponents might get even tougher, based on news from Saturday.
After practice, the Mavericks’ injury report looked like this:
Luka Dončić is questionable with a left groin strain, Dereck Lively II (right shoulder sprain), P.J. Washington (right knee sprain) and Maxi Kleber (right hamstring strain) all are doubtful. Dante Exum (right wrist surgery) remains out.
The addition of Dončić to the update is concerning, but the way the Mavericks are playing is probably just as troubling for coach Jason Kidd who was animated after Friday’s heartbreaking 114-113 loss to Phoenix about his team’s lackluster starts, poor rebounding and overall lack of urgency.
The hope is that hitting the road will help all of that. Simply getting away from Dallas is something that could be therapeutic for the Mavericks, one of their stars said.
“I just can’t wait until we have this road trip so we can build some of that much-needed camaraderie that we needed during preseason,” Kyrie Irving said. “(It’s important) getting to know people off the court so when we get on the court, it’s easy.”
The process of jelling has been a slow one so far for the Mavericks. They have been victimized by an assortment of problems. Mostly, things simply don’t look smooth.
But better now than four or five months from now, perhaps.
That said, banking wins in November is a sure way to make your March and April a little less stressful. And right now, the Mavericks are struggling.
Getting right against the Nuggets won’t be easy, especially if Luka is less than 100 percent or out completely. Kidd has preached the next-man-up mentality. But the bench as a whole has struggled.
“We have to be more consistent with our energy and effort and find ways to give a lift when we’re giving the starters a spell,” said Dwight Powell, who has seen an increased role with the spate of injuries to the Mavericks’ big men. “It’s important to give them that confidence to know that they can take a breather when necessary and guys on the bench can have their backs. It’s really just energy and effort.”
To that end, the Mavericks had an extensive film session on Saturday and tried to zero in on not only mistakes but areas that maybe weren’t wrong, but weren’t up to the standards that they need to shake themselves out of this lull.
And it is a challenging trip, to be sure. After the Nuggets, the Mavericks will go to Golden State, where Klay Thompson will play his first game as a visitor against the Warriors, who he helped lead to four NBA championships.
The trip concludes at Utah, which has never been an easy place to win at no matter what kind of record the Jazz have.
It starts with Denver, which is proof that things can turn around quickly. The Nuggets lost their first two games this season and were 2-3 before starting their four-game win streak. Their last two wins have been very solid against Oklahoma City, which was undefeated at the time, and Miami.
Here’s a few things to watch for Sunday evening:
MAVERICKS (5-4) at DENVER NUGGETS (6-3)
WHEN: 7 p.m., Sunday
WHERE: Ball Arena, Denver
TV: KFAA, MavsTV Stream.
RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @ESefko
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