Nuggets at Mavericks
The Denver Nuggets attempt to wrap up a four-game season sweep of Dallas when they visit the Mavericks on Friday. Denver has won four of its last five games as it begins a stretch of three of four on the road and is too far back to get back in the Western Conference playoff mix. Dallas is in a virtual tie for seventh place with the Memphis Grizzlies despite falling in overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
The Mavericks are 1-1 on an eight-game homestand and own a 1 1/2-game lead over the ninth-place Phoenix Suns in the West. The upcoming stretch includes three games against teams that Dallas trails in the West – Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State. Denver has been receiving stellar play from power forward Kenneth Faried, who is averaging 22.1 points and 10.8 rebounds over the past eight games. “He’s getting down the floor before the other team’s defense can set,” coach Brian Shaw told reporters, “and our guys are doing a good job getting the ball into him inside and he’s just turning and scoring on everybody inside.”
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Altitude2 (Denver), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (31-37): Point guard Ty Lawson missed Wednesday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons and Aaron Brooks put on a show while replacing him in the starting lineup. Brooks scored a season-best 27 points and posted a career-high 17 assists while playing 47 minutes in a superb individual performance. “Aaron did a great job of picking those guys apart,” forward Darrell Arthur said afterward. “He did whatever he wanted to. He got to the rim, he got guys open for easy looks. He did a great job managing the floor.” Lawson is expected to play Friday.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (41-28): All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 23 points over the past two games, a misleading statistic due to his shooting woes. Nowitzki is just 17-of-44 from the field during the stretch and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts in the loss to Minnesota. Adding insult to the poor shooting was a defeat that horrified Nowitzki. “This is a tough one,” he said afterward. “This feels like a playoff loss. It really does. I don’t even know what to say.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Denver is 5-1 against Dallas over the past two seasons.
2. Mavericks G Monta Ellis is 7-of-12 from 3-point range over the past five games.
3. Nuggets C J.J. Hickson has posted three consecutive double-doubles and is averaging 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds during the stretch.