Mavs Game Observations: Game 10 @ Nuggets

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Photo by Aaron Ontiveroz / Getty Images

Frustrating again. It’s hard not to feel that way after yet another game that came down to the final possession, with the Mavericks falling 122-120 to the Nuggets. It’s hard not to be mad after losing, despite Kyrie Irving giving us a night when amazing things happened. In my preview, I wrote that “the Mavericks will likely need something special to pull off a win against the Nuggets.” The fact that they got that from Kyrie and it still wasn’t enough is tough to swallow.

The Mavericks fell to 5-5, and after being the NBA’s second-best clutch team with a 23-9 record last season, they’re now 1-4 in clutch games this season. Combined with the injuries, this makes things look worse than they probably are. The Mavericks need to get healthy and for Luka Dončić to find his groove, dominating games again. Then things should turn around.

Nevertheless, watching the Mavericks play .500 basketball as they try to fight through this stretch is not exactly fun.

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Today’s notes:

1. Amazing Kyrie Irving game that shouldn’t be lost (🎞️VIDEO)

2. The cat-and-mouse game with Jokić on both ends

3. Another last minute breakdown

4. Another night of losing the math game

5. Luka's shooting struggles carry on

Bonus point: The tale of two youth movements

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1. Amazing Kyrie Irving game that shouldn’t be lost (🎞️VIDEO)

After the game, with a head full of emotions and the events that unfolded down the stretch, it’s easy to overlook that we witnessed one of the most impressive showdowns between two NBA superstars. Watching Irving turn shot-making into an art—scoring 43 points on just 22 shots and three free-throw attempts—is something Mavericks fans should appreciate and remember, regardless of the final result.

Unfortunately for Dallas, there was another artist on the other end—one wielding a hammer and chisel instead of a gentle paintbrush, yet just as brilliant.

The fact that Irving, at one point during the game, made 16 of his 17 shots—looking like an NBA 2K character injected into a real NBA game is what should be long remembered. While the frustration of the Mavericks' process in the final minute (see item 3), which ended with his last two misses, should hopefully serve as painful lesson.

2- The cat-and-mouse game with Jokić on both ends

Facing Nikola Jokić at his high-altitude home came at the worst time for the injury-depleted, size-deficient Mavericks. Jokić finished the game with a 37-point, 18-rebound, 15-assist triple-double, forcing the Mavericks into tough decisions all night long.

Tough turns into impossible on a night when both Jokić (3-of-3) and his supporting cast (11-of-26, or 42 percent) make threes at such a high rate. Double him, and it’s an open three; play Jokić straight up, and it’s bully ball in the post.

The Nuggets did have to make some tough decisions themselves, trying to hide Jokić on the other end. As predicted in the preview, they started by having Jokić show high and blitz all Dončić pick-and-rolls, which left Daniel Gafford feasting against scrambling, smaller defenders in the paint during the first half (Gafford was 7-of-7 before halftime). Irving was another player who benefited early, attacking against a scrambling defense or going at Jokić when he sagged off on screens, getting into wide-open mid-range pull-ups.

The Nuggets adjusted their scheme in the second half, assigning Jokić to defend Naji Marshall and playing a lot of zone while doubling Irving and Dončić. The high-scoring cat-and-mouse game continued until the final minute.

3-Another last minute breakdown

As thrilling as the game was, another last-minute breakdown against a Western Conference rival was painful to watch. It was reminiscent of the first year of the Dončić and Irving partnership, when both stars took turns trying to win the game on their own. Last night, all three of the Mavericks' final field goal attempts were tough, hero-ball three-point shots.

Then, just like Nurkić’s two last-minute putbacks against the Suns, there was yet another killer clutch rebound: with 48 seconds to go, Jokić tipped in one of his rare misses over Gafford, as the Mavericks' big man couldn’t muster the energy or focus for a second jump attempt. Gafford competed as well as he could with Jokić for most of the night, but he and Dwight Powell—giving up inches and plenty of pounds—predictably couldn’t stop the three-time MVP from dominating the offensive glass (Jokić had 8 offensive rebounds).

4-Another night of losing the math game