Mavericks at Nuggets
The Dallas Mavericks have been woeful for much of the season but they've managed to secure two 20-point victories in less than a week, one of which came against Monday's opponent, the host Denver Nuggets. The Mavericks shot a season-high 58.4 percent in a 112-92 rout of the Nuggets at home last Monday and wrapped up the week with a 99-79 win over Sacramento on Sunday.
Rookie Dorian Finney-Smith has had his two best scoring efforts in the 20-point triumphs, first setting a personal best with 13 versus Denver and then topping it with 17 against the Kings. Dallas' recent improvement after a miserable start has taken place at home but the squad is an NBA-worst 1-12 on the road and has dropped nine straight. The Nuggets, meanwhile, have been clicking offensively in the first two games of their three-game homestand, topping Portland and New York while averaging 129.5 points. Kenneth Faried led the way in Saturday's 127-114 triumph over the Knicks with 25 points.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (7-20): Finney-Smith was one of six players to score at least 13 points for Dallas on Sunday, and those six combined to make 13-of-31 3-pointers and 16-of-18 free throws. Center Salah Mejri did not attempt a single shot from anywhere in 23 minutes but managed seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Mejri was an underrated contributor in the win over the Nuggets last week with seven points on 3-of-3 shooting, eight rebounds and a season-high four blocks.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (11-16): Denver received 73 points from its starters against the Knicks and all five reached double figures for the second consecutive game, led Saturday by Emmanuel Mudiay (22 points). "It's two games in a row that we've never trailed," coach Michael Malone — who altered the starting lineup prior to the season-best 132-point performance against Portland — told reporters. "If that starting group can play as well as they've played on both ends of the ball then that really helps out our deep bench when they come into the game." Among the many lineup changes for the Nuggets has been the impressive return of guard Gary Harris, who missed a month with a foot injury but has scored 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting in two games since coming back.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks SG Wesley Matthews led Dallas with 25 points in the win over Denver last week.
2. Nuggets PF Nikola Jokic is averaging 15.8 points on 68.5 percent shooting and 8.7 rebounds in six games since returning from a wrist injury.
3. Three of the last six meetings have gone to overtime.