The last time Dallas faced Denver, they lost a heartbreaker, 122-120, despite a monster 43-point performance by Kyrie Irving. They may need a similar outing tonight due to the fact the Mavericks are down Luka Doncic for their second game against the Nuggets, the first coming on November 10. On the other side, Denver could potentially be missing superstar center Nikola Jokic, who has been out due to undisclosed personal reasons for the last three games. Another road test for the Mavericks, this will be the second time they have traveled to Colorado this season, and tonight’s iteration of this series will be part of the NBA Cup’s Group C games.

Both teams are roughly in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, with Denver holding a two-game lead over Dallas with a record of 8-5 to the Mavs’ record of 8-7. They have each dealt with the injury bug throughout the season, as Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun are the only two starters to have played every game for the Nuggets in 2024.

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Point guard Jamal Murray, who has missed three games this year, is tied for second on the team with Porter Jr. at 18.3 points per game, though his efficiency has been subpar this season at 41% from the field and 33% from deep. He’s also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists, and when Jokic isn’t on the floor, is the driving force behind the Denver offense.

Christian Braun has done an admirable job filling the void left on both sides of the ball by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who left to join the Orlando Magic this offseason. A candidate for Most Improved Player through this point in the year, Braun is averaging 16.2 points and 5.3 boards per game, nearly nine points more per game than he put up in 2023-24. He’s also a solid perimeter defender who harasses the ball handler and forces tough shots.

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Small forward Michael Porter Jr. has been a consistent force for Denver this season, tied for second on the team in points per game while managing to record 6.9 boards, also good for second. Primarily a spot-up threat that relies on movement shooting, Porter Jr. no doubt plays better when Jokic can find him on the perimeter for open threes, as in his last two games without the Serbian big man, he is 0-for-8 on three-point attempts. Still, he’s shooting 43.7% for the year on shots from deep and will be a primary focus of the Dallas defense tonight.

In the absence of Aaron Gordon, power forward Peyton Watson has stepped in as a starter, playing an excellent game against the Mavericks the last time the two teams faced off. He scored 16 points on 6-for-9 and 4-for-4 from three while providing excellent defense; his ability to pressure opposing bigs is his calling card and one of the primary reasons he is currently a rotational player in the league. This performance against Dallas was a bit of an aberration from his typical production, as he is putting up 9.3 points per game overall this season.

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Assuming Jokic does not play tonight, it will be some mix of players filling his role starting with DeAndre Jordan, as well as shuffling the lineup around to accommodate the lacking center position. It could mean Julian Strawther starts at the shooting guard spot or wing spot, Watson plays the five, and Porter Jr. plays the four; it could also mean that Dario Saric gets a lot of minutes, as he did against Memphis in Denver’s November 19 win over the Grizzlies. Russell Westbrook will also get plenty of opportunities to play backup ball handler minutes as he has so far this season, averaging nearly 25 minutes per.

If Jokic is still out, Dallas has a perfect opportunity to improve to 2-1 in NBA Cup Play, even without Doncic on the floor. They have proven they can win games without the Slovenian superstar, as they did beating the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday evening in this exact scenario. After dropping the first Cup game to the Golden State Warriors and then rebounding against a heavily injured Pelicans team, the Mavericks need a victory here to improve their Western Conference standing.

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