DENVER – Down two starters and on the road against the best team in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks
knew it was going to be a challenge trying to upend the Denver Nuggets.
And that’s exactly what happened as the Nuggets got a triple-double from Nikola Jokic and strong play off the bench from Jeff Green on their way to defeating the Mavs, 118-109, Wednesday night at Ball Arena. The loss was the third in a row for the Mavs as they took a 31-29 record into the All-Star break.
Playing without starters Kyrie Irving (lower back tightness) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (right hamstring tightness) – along with top reserves Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) and Davis Bertans (left calf strain) — the Mavs had to lean on a lot of their young players against the veteran Nuggets. And that didn’t work out too well, especially when it came to defending Green, who got free for 24 points in only 26 minutes while making 11-of-16 shots.
“He was good,” coach Jason Kidd said, referring to Green. “He’s a vet and he took advantage of some of the younger players.
“Then when you have someone like (Jokic) who can pass the ball, he did a great job of finding the open space and using the cuts to get to the rim.”
On this night it was the second quarter that proved fatal for the Mavs. Denver held a slim 26-25 lead after the first quarter, but blew the game open by outscoring the Mavs, 35-19, in the second quarter to take a 61-44 lead at intermission.
“You look at the second quarter there, at the start they went on an 11-2 run,” Kidd said. “Give them credit. Their bench is good, and for that we kind of let the game get away.
“It’s a one-point game after one (quarter). On the road you’re sitting in a good place against the best team in the West. We have to look at doing a better job, and starting that second quarter we just got off to a really, really slow start.”
Without Irving to offer support, Luka Doncic saw numerous double-teams, but still managed to pop in a game-high 37 points and dispense nine assists in 35 minutes.
“I just tried to read the defense,” said Doncic, who was 12-of-22 from the field. “Sometimes they were doubling, sometimes they were just protecting the paint.”
Michael Porter Jr. collected 15 of his 22 points in the first half for the Nuggets, and Green tacked on 11 of his points in the third quarter when Denver built as much as a 21-point lead. But thanks to 13 unanswered Mavs’ points from Christian Wood, Dallas inched to within 105-95 of the Nuggets with 5:50 remaining in the game.
However, Porter tossed in a three-pointer sandwiched around a pair of dunks from Green, and the Nuggets suddenly had a firm grip on this game and a 112-95 lead with 4:05 left.
“I was just playing my game and just doing what I normally used to do at the beginning of the season,” said Wood, who contributed 17 points. “And that’s to be that energy guy off the bench scoring-wise, and trying to get back to what I do defensively, which is protect the rim.”
A.J. Lawson and McKinley Wright IV also played pivotal roles during the Mavs’ comeback. Wright was 4-of-4 from the field and finished with 11 points and four assists in 13 minutes, and Lawson was 4-of-6 from the floor and scored 10 points in 12 minutes.
“I thought Lawson and Wright did a really good job,” Kidd said. “Lawson came and gave us a spark. We weren’t shooting the three well, and he came off the bench and gave us a lift.
“And then Wright running the pick-and-roll found guys. Again, he’s done this for us with his speed being able to get in the paint or being able to finish or make the right play.”
Lawson, who was 2-of-3 from three-point territory, said: “I just came in and tried to bring that high energy every time and I was able to knock down my shot. My teammates were encouraging me.
“Every time I come in I just got to be that energy guy and be that X-factor. That’s what I tried to do today. Thank God my shots fell, and I just wanted to do everything I can to help my team win.”
With so many of the Mavs’ players in street clothes, it was an all hands on deck kind of night for Dallas.
“A.J. came in and gave us great energy off the bench,” forward Reggie Bullock said. “(Jaden) Hardy, all the young guys, and I definitely give a shout out to them.
“They played with a lot of pace. When the opportunity was given to them, they made the most of it.”
Still, it wasn’t enough as Jokic produced 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists as Denver increased its record to 41-18 going into the All-Star break.
With no Irving or Hardaway available to offer a helping hand, the Mavs were at a huge disadvantage against the Nuggets, who are 27-4 on their home court.
“It’s big missing two guys like that,” Wood said. “They’re big contributors.”
Kidd said he had a conversation with his players Wednesday morning about not thinking about the All-Star break before playing a high-octane team like the Nuggets.
“We talked about it this morning just understanding how hard this game is that you can think about the vacation or break,” Kidd said. “But I thought the guys did a really good job of playing hard and putting themselves on the road against the best team in the West and cutting it to 10 with that group that was out there playing with pace and getting stops.
“That’s all you can ask for, and I thought that the guys did a really good job of that.”
In the end, the Mavs just didn’t have the necessary firepower to take down the Nuggets and will now start a six-game homestand out of the All-Star break on Feb. 23 against the San Antonio Spurs.
“We miss everybody, but you’ve got to play with the guys that are suited up, and that’s just been part of the season for us,” Kidd said. “We’ve had injuries like everyone else.
“It gives the next guy the opportunity to play and I thought those guys played hard tonight to put ourselves in a position to win.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
Share and comment