Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and Denver Nuggets demolish Mavericks, ending the 3 comeback win streaks of Mavericks according to a Fan Nation Dallas Basketball article from October 29 which reports,
“Less than 24 hours after winning their third consecutive game against the San Antonio Spurs, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks went into Denver on the second night of a back-to-back and got demolished by the Nuggets, 106-75.
After getting off to yet another slow start in the first quarter, something the Mavs have done in every game this season, there would be no spectacular comeback this time around like there was against the Spurs the night prior. Luka Doncic, who continues to struggle shooting the ball early on this season, finished the game with a season-low 16 points on 5-of-18 from the field to go with six rebounds and four assists. Doncic was tied with Dorian Finney-Smith for a team-worst plus-minus of negative-32.
Doncic and Trey Burke were the only Mavericks to score double-digits, and the team as a whole shot 30-percent from the field and 22-percent from deep. The Nuggets out-rebounded the Mavs 51-to-36 and outscored them 50-to-22 in points-in-the-paint.”
Multiple issues presented themselves in the Nuggets game but Coach Jason Kidd focused and addressed the recurring problem with the Mavericks during the first quarters according to a Dallas Morning News article from October 29 which reports,
“The Mavericks trailed the Nuggets 29-21 after the first period, dropping them to minus-31 in first quarters this season. But Kidd wasn’t ready to panic when he addressed slow starts before the game.
“I’m just happy that we play three more quarters. If we were judged on first quarters, our record wouldn’t be that good,” Kidd said. “It’s early in the season, so you’re going to go through things like this.
“We have to pay attention to it. We would like to get off to a good start. As a coach, I don’t like seeing the score 20-3 but I think the positives that we take away is no one let go of the rope. We continued to grind.”
Despite the loss against the Nuggets, the NBA and the Mavericks themselves have yet to see the full potential of the Dallas team as they are playing without one of their leading stars according to a Dallas Morning News article from October 29 which reports,
“Hours before tipoff against the Nuggets, the Mavericks announced the 26-year-old forward/center would not play because of the injury he suffered Tuesday in Dallas’ win over Houston.
Coach Jason Kidd said the team reevaluated Porzingis on Friday morning in Denver, and he was “doing better” and wanted to play, but the medical staff didn’t clear him to return.
“He wants to play,” Kidd said. “But unfortunately he’s not up to playing right now. We can only hope he gets better tomorrow and he’s ready to play in the afternoon game on Sunday, and so it’s a team game. Next guys up. We’ve talked about that.”
The Dallas Mavericks will be playing the Sacramento Kings on November 1 with some new implementations and rotations set up by Coach Kidd and hopefully, some improvements from the players themselves in the first quarter.
