Mavs-Nuggets preview: Defense key, especially without Dončić, Irving

The Mavericks did a heroic job against Portland on snow day of overcoming a 10-point deficit in the final 4:30.

But here’s the key to that situation: Don’t get in it again.

“Definitely,” Naji Marshall said Saturday after practice. “Nobody wants to be in that position. But the circumstances were the circumstances. I’m grateful that we could come back. Hopefully in the next game we can do what we do and put the game away in the fourth quarter.”

Having to make a late comeback against a team headed to the lottery is one thing. But the Mavericks’ final two games on their home stand will be against the Denver Nuggets, who most certainly are not headed to the lottery. They remain viable championship contenders, since they won it just two seasons ago.

And any team with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is a threat to go deep in the playoffs.

And playing them two times in a row (they meet again Tuesday), even at home, won’t be easy for the Mavericks, especially given that they already have a win over the Nuggets in late November – in Denver.

“Of course,” Marshall said when asked if it’s tough to beat the same team twice in a row. “They probably had this (circled) on their schedule. We beat them at home and we were pretty excited about that. So they’re probably going to be locked in.”

Apart from, as Marshall said, following the game plan and giving supreme effort, the key to dealing with the Nuggets will be the Mavericks’ defense, which has been solid (by necessity) with the absence of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. With the loss of their two best scorers, putting up resistance is the best way for the shorthanded Mavericks to scratch out victories.

Dončić and Irving will be out again against the Nuggets, coach Jason Kidd said Saturday. That means the defense once again will have to be dialed in against a potent Denver team.

The Mavericks are No. 12 in overall defensive rating, which doesn’t sound all that impressive, but when paired with their No. 5 overall offensive rating, is strong enough to make life tough on opponents.

“The defense has been really good for us,” Kidd said. “We’ve had some high turnover games. The last two have been a lot lower. But the defense is the key for us.

“Getting the stop and getting the rebound and not giving up the second and third opportunities, and when we can do that, the numbers will say we’re playing a lot faster and we’re attacking and the ball’s touching the paint at a high clip and we need to continue to do that.”

A big part of the defense has come from Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, whose job it is to be the last line of defense when opponents try to get to the rim.

The Mavericks are fifth in the league in blocked shots at nearly six per game.

“Timing, and not being afraid to be scored on,” Kidd said about the key to having shot-blockers who can impact the game. “You’re not always going to win that battle. So the group we have is not scared.”

Gafford had a play that was a momentum-shifter against Portland when he turned the ball over, then ran the court to chase down the Blazers’ layup attempt and block it.

“When you look at Gaff, turns it over and with the hustle comes back and that was an incredible block,” Kidd said. “He could have easily given up on the play.

“Those guys are around the basket and they do their best of coming up with blocks.”

Here’s what to look for in Sunday’s early start in the first of two meetings with the Nuggets:

• In his last five games, Jokic has three triple doubles and has missed that feat in the other two games by either one rebound or one assist. And these are no wimpy triple-doubles. Against the Nets Friday, he had 35 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists. In those five games, he’s averaged 36.2 points, 15.6 rebounds and 12 assists. Hard to believe he was the 41^st overall pick in the second round of the 2014 draft.
• The Nuggets are coming off Friday’s 124-105 home win over Brooklyn, giving them a modest two-game winning streak with an average margin of victory of 21 points. During that game, Jamal Murray left with left knee soreness and did not return after 16 first-half minutes. The Nuggets also have been without Aaron Gordon (calf) since Christmas.
• Michael Porter and Murray both average 19 points for the Nuggets, but it’s the play of Russell Westbrook that has surprised some this season. When they signed him, it was viewed as a risky move, but Westbrook has been a huge asset, usually coming off the bench, averaging 12.8 points, 5 rebounds and 6.8 assists. “Russ is a future hall of famer, he understands how to play the game,” Kidd said. “He’s always played hard and so I think what he’s doing there, his ability to fit in. For him, it’s his effort and he fills up the stat sheet.”
• Denver won the championship in 2023 but was eliminated in the second round of last year’s playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games before the Wolves were whipped by the Mavericks in the conference finals.
• At the end of November, the Mavericks had a 5-1 record in games that Dončić missed. Since then, they are 4-6, although they are riding a two-game win streak going into the twin meetings with Denver. Without Dončić and Kyrie Irving? The Mavericks are 2-4 after the two victories to start this home stand.

DENVER NUGGETS (22-15) at MAVERICKS (22-16)

WHEN: 2 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: KFAA, MAVSTV STREAM.

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko