Mavs-Nuggets Preview: Dončić, Exum cleared to play; Green out

The status of Luka Dončić was cleared up Sunday as coach Jason Kidd said the superstar point guard would be available against the Denver Nuggets.

Luka had been dealing with left hamstring soreness, which caused him to miss Thursday’s game at Oklahoma City.

The Mavericks also found out before the game that Dante Exum (right foot) will be available. But the news was not so great regarding Josh Green.

He will miss the Denver game and probably a few more with a sprained right ankle suffered Thursday at Oklahoma City, coach Jason Kidd said.

“Long term,” Kidd said when asked about a timetable for Green’s return. “It’ll be a couple weeks.”

In Green’s absence, Tim Hardaway Jr. is one of the Mavericks who will be leaned on to pick up the slack, just as he did Thursday at Oklahoma City with 23 points.

Hardaway on Saturday said he’s trying not to jump the gun on declaring his slump over. And to be fair, the eight games after the All-Star break weren’t terrible. His 29.8 percent shooting from three-point land in that stretch was not good. But it wasn’t disastrous, either.

It just wasn’t up to his usual standards. And in the four games since, he’s hit 10-of-25 from beyond the arc (40 percent).

“Adversity hits, you try to come out of it,” Hardaway said. “I’m not trying to jinx myself. I want to put a couple games together first.

“It (his approach) doesn’t change. If it changed, I wouldn’t have been out there shooting shots. I’d have just been out there passing the ball, passing up open looks, not trying to be aggressive. So nothing changed from that standpoint. It’s just that shots were going in. My teammates always had confidence in me, ever since I’ve been here.”

Hardaway hit five of nine three-pointers on Thursday. It was the second time in four games he’s made at least half of his long balls. And he took 17 three-pointers in those games.

And there is no doubt that a hot-shooting Hardaway will make a big difference for the Mavericks as they battle it out with Sacramento, Phoenix, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers for positioning in the play-in tournament – plus the still-realistic goal of moving into the top six and avoiding the play-in altogether.

Hardaway knows the path to hitting that sizzle.

“Just continue taking good shots, not forcing the issue, but when you do have an opportunity to be aggressive, take it,” he said. “Just be confident and persistent in whatever you’re doing on the floor.”

Hardaway, by the way, had his University of Michigan shorts on during practice on Saturday. Having played for the Wolverines, he said he was saddened by the firing of Juwan Howard as their coach.

“It was a rough spot for Juwan – people not going to the school, recruits not going to the school,” Hardaway said. “Everything bad that could have happened, happened. So it was a tough situation for him. He did the best he could while being there.”

Here’s what else to watch for when the Nuggets visit on Sunday.

• Nikola Jokic probably is the MVP favorite. His numbers are outstanding (26 points, 12.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists). While Luka, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo also are in the hunt, it appears to be Jokic’s award – for now.
• When asked about what he sees when he looks at the Nuggets, Hardaway said: “Unselfish ballclub. That’s all that needs to be said. They’re unselfish, they play the right way. They defend. It’s all about winning.” Indeed, all of that is true. The Nuggets are third in the league in assists per game and they also rank in the top 10 in both total offensive and defensive rating.
• Jamal Murray (20.9 points per game), Michael Porter Jr. (16.7) and Aaron Gordon (13.8) all provide capable support behind Jokic.
• The Nuggets have won five games in a row, including the first two on this four-game trip that concludes in Minnesota on Tuesday.
• The Mavericks saw their four-game win streak snapped Thursday in Oklahoma City in one of the most competitive games of the season. Kyrie Irving had 36 points in the loss.
• Daniel Gafford saw his streak of 33 consecutive field goals made end in the early moments of Thursday’s game, but he’s still been on a splendid roll, averaging 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting an amazing 93.2 percent over the last six games.
• The Nuggets are favored by 3 1/2 points and the over/under is 226.5.

DENVER NUGGETS (47-20) at MAVERICKS (38-29)

• When/where: 2:30 p.m., American Airlines Center, Dallas.
• TV: ABC (Channel 8).
• Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

X: @ESefko