Nuggets at Mavericks
The Denver Nuggets looked like they would keep their playoff hopes alive on Sunday while leading most of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder before a last-second 3-pointer eliminated them from contention. The Nuggets will begin playing out the string when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Denver went into Sunday 1 1/2 games behind the Portland Trail Blazers and needing a win to keep its playoff hopes alive, but a double-digit lead fell away as Russell Westbrook took control before burying the back-breaking 3-pointer. "I don’t know what to say," Nuggets center Nikola Jokic told reporters. "He hit a crazy shot. Jamal (Murray) was right there and he hit the shot. That’s what an MVP does." The Mavericks fell out of the race for a playoff spot last month and are losers of four straight and eight of their last nine games. Dallas will give its fan something to cheer about before the game, when former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is expected to become "a Maverick for a day."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), FSN Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (38-42): Denver dropped five of its last eight games to open the door for Portland and will sit out the playoffs for the fourth straight season but does have some room for optimism about the future. Jokic emerged as a star and averaged 19.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists after Jan. 1 to put himself at the top of the list of candidates for the Most Improved Player Award. Jokic (age 22), shooting guards Gary Harris (22) and Jamal Murray (20) and point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (21) give the Nuggets a solid young core around which to build.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (32-48): Romo will sit on the bench in uniform for the game according to an ESPN.com report, though it might be better if Dallas brought in a few of the Cowboys defenders instead. The Mavericks allowed the lowly Phoenix Suns to shoot 55 percent from the field in a 124-111 loss on Sunday and are surrendering an average of 109 points during the four-game slide. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle is opening up the rotation over the final handful of games to get extended looks at seldom-used rookies A.J. Hammons, Nicolas Brussino and Jarrod Uthoff.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Mavericks shut SG Seth Curry (shoulder) down for the rest of the season.
2. Denver SF Danilo Gallinari scored a season-high 34 points on Sunday.
3. The Nuggets took the two meetings in Denver but dropped a 112-92 decision in Dallas on Dec. 12.