DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks take on the Denver Nuggets at 9:00 p.m. CT Saturday on KFAA! Not sure how to watch? Here's a breakdown on how to tune in – and guarantee you get the clearest signal possible of the broadcast.
The ebb and flow of the NBA season has jostled the Dallas Mavericks through the first four weeks of action. The reigning conference champion Mavs rallied over the last week for three wins in four attempts, which sees them now on a three-game winning streak following a run of close but no cigar one-possession losses saw them drop in the conference.
After the turnaround, however, Dallas now faces a short term without their best player as their first true trial of the young season.
Their lone loss last week came in yet another close affair that was not closed out against the Utah Jazz which saw Luka Doncic go for 37 points and 9 assists. That loss dropped the Mavericks to 5-7 on the year to raise concerns about the pieces they’d put together during the offseason gelling, and the unit came together during their run to the NBA Finals over the summer.
However, after winning over the San Antonio Spurs by 17 points at home and then closing out a playoff rematch against the OKC Thunder in Oklahoma City that saw their neighboring state rivals go down for just the second time this season, Dallas had righted the ship.
P.J. Washington, who returned to the rotation in the previous game against San Antonio after missing time with a knee sprain, was an immediate contributor, scoring 27 in the win over the Thunder. Washington’s season-high was reminiscent of when he averaged 17.7 points per contest as the Mavericks advanced over Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals.
Following the win over the Thunder, the Mavs enjoyed a 41-point blowout of the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Wednesday. That victory allowed Dallas to climb above .500 just as the Doncic news dropped to dampen the good vibes.
There will be no Balkans rematch clash in Denver as Doncic is expected to miss at least a week with a wrist sprain. Dallas will hope that the time off also helps heal lingering issues for Doncic that have led to a diminished superstar in the early season. The station will flip to the Kyrie Irving Show for the foreseeable future, as Irving continues a torrid pace that is seeing him average career highs in shooting percentage efficiency.
Irving lit up the Nuggets for 43 points just 11 days ago, and with Nikola Jokic also questionable, the game may turn into an Irving basket run beatdown. With Doncic out, reinforcements for Dallas come by way of Dereck Lively II and Washington’s return to the rotation, both missing the previous Nuggets clash that saw Jokic score 37 in a 2-point Denver win, the second in a stretch of four straight losses for the Mavericks by a combined eight points.
There are other implications for Dallas on Friday night as a win would also mean that they survive elimination from the NBA Cup knockout stage.
After the Nuggets, the Mavericks will traverse to the Southeast, beginning with a matchup in Miami on Sunday night. Despite sitting at 6-7, the Heat are 5th in the East with a surprising Tyler Herro averaging 25 points on the young season.
Immediately following their time in South Beach is a trip to Atlanta on Monday night for a Trae Young Mavs draft picture reminder before their pre-thanksgiving clash with Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks at home.
Doncic will likely miss the annual Young comparison game and Brunson’s homecoming on the court, though the drama will center on the win-win for both teams as Irving continues to shine in Dallas after Brunson left his role as Doncic’s running mate to become New York’s top dog.
The hope for Dallas will be to continue building chemistry with their rotation as they wait for Doncic to return to the form that made him the most dangerous player in the NBA playoffs just six months ago.
Do you think the Mavericks can sustain their winning ways with Doncic on the shelf? Share your predictions with Irvin on X (formerly Twitter) @Twittirv.