Nuggets hoping for a bounce-back game from Nikola Jokic against Mavericks

DENVER — The Denver Nuggets are looking to bounce back at home after dropping three of their last four but face the Yogi Ferrell-led Dallas Mavericks, who are hot, having won six of their last seven games. With Denver playing four games this week, three on the road, and then returning to the Pepsi Center to play the Golden State Warriors, it’s paramount to secure a win tonight.

Regular season game No. 51 | Denver Nuggets (22-28) vs Dallas Mavericks (20-30)

Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado  | 7:00 PM MST | TV: Altitude

Jokic looking to bounce back

Nikola Jokic is coming off one of his worst games of the season when Denver lost to San Antonio and he was only able to contribute just 11 points, two rebounds, and a single assist. His struggles bled into the rest of the Nuggets’ roster and Denver ended up losing by 24 points.

If the Nuggets are to bounce back against the red-hot Mavericks they will need Jokic to round back into shape.

“Obviously he is coming off of one of his not-so-great performances, if you will, at San Antonio, and our team followed suit,” Malone said at shootaround Monday. “He is a focal point but the great thing is that the way we play you can’t sit on one action or one thing. We play a very free-flowing offense which has a lot of movement and moving parts and Nikola is kind of the guy who runs the show. He knows he is being focused on now but other guys need to step up and help him in that.”

Jokic also shared a similar sentiment prior to taking on the Mavericks when he explained that bad games can lead to good games. Being able to learn from mistakes and come back with a positive attitude is huge for a player that has as much pressure on his shoulders as Jokic does. He is the engine that runs Denver’s offense and his ability to bounce back from bad performances will be crucial to the overall success of the Nuggets going forward.

“It is really important. In the NBA you have to have a short-term memory. You cannot allow your last game or last play to affect the next play or next game,” Malone said. “As Bill Murray, one of my favorite philosophers would say: ‘Only a fool chips at what is behind him,’ so what happened in San Antonio happened. The night before he had his first career triple-double. So, I have no doubt that Nikola Jokic will be back to the player that we all expect him to be and need him to be tonight.”

The Mavericks have elected, as of late, to play small and have been starting Dirk Nowitzki at center with Andrew Bogut out as of late. Tonight’s game against Dallas is a great opportunity for Jokic to get back into the swing of things with Nowitzki not exactly defensively imposing at this stage in his career. Denver will need a big night from Jokic if they hope to start the week with a victory.

Footnotes

Kenneth Faried is questionable versus Dallas due to personal reasons. It is not known what the odds are of him playing tonight but if he is not able to go expect Darrell Arthur, fresh off of resting at San Antonio, to fill in.

Danilo Gallinari with miss another game with his groin injury. He is expected back early next week.

Emmanuel Mudiay (low back pain) is doubtful for tonight’s game.