Spiraling Mavericks face tall order vs. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
The Dallas Mavericks have fallen on tough times, and their season likely won't get any easier when they visit the surging Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Dallas (23-49) has lost four games in a row and 23 of its last 27 to plummet firmly into a lottery position with three weeks left in the season. All four of those wins have come on the road.
The Mavericks might have a slight advantage on Wednesday because Denver will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back set. The Nuggets held on at Phoenix, 125-123, on Tuesday night in a game that didn't end until 11:45 p.m. MST.
Dallas needs as many advantages as possible to end its downward spiral. The Mavericks have not won at home since Jan. 22 and have endured losing streaks of 10 and eight games over the last 27 games.
The past two losses have come in overtime at home to the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
"The players are competing," Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. "We just run into teams that have been better. For us to come out and execute and compete, it shows guys are playing late in the season. Especially knowing we aren't going to be in the play-in or the playoffs. Guys are competing at a high level."
Despite the losing ways, Dallas has won two of its first three games against Denver this season, including a 10-point road win on Dec. 1, when Cooper Flagg scored 24 points. The 19-year-old rookie leads the Mavericks in scoring at an average of 20.3 points a game.
He is averaging 21.0 points in three games against the Nuggets this season.
Denver (45-28) has won three straight games and is fighting for a top seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Nuggets will play seven of their final nine games at home and have a full roster for the stretch run after a season full of injuries.
Peyton Watson, who missed 16 games with a right hamstring strain, returned to action Sunday against Portland. He was held out Tuesday night but should be in the lineup vs. Dallas.
Aaron Gordon, who has missed 34 games with two separate hamstring strains, likely won't play on Wednesday after logging 26 minutes against the Suns.
Watson was playing the best basketball of his career before he suffered the hamstring injury at New York on Feb. 4. He scored 14 points Sunday in his first game back.
"Like everybody, he will need some time, but it's good to have him back," Denver center Nikola Jokic said. "I think he's going to (need) a lot of time to get back to shape -- not shape, but like playing shape. He missed a lot of time. ... He did good. But I think he will need more time to get back to how he played before."
Jokic has a triple-double in each of his last two games and 29 for the season. He finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and a season-high-tying 17 assists Tuesday night and hit what proved to be the game winner on a floater in the lane with 11.5 seconds left.