Mavs-Nuggets Preview: Dončić, Exum cleared to play; Green out

The standing of Luka Dončić was cleared up Sunday as coach Jason Kidd said the well-known individual degree guard could possibly be on the market in direction of the Denver Nuggets.

Luka had been dealing with left hamstring soreness, which triggered him to miss Thursday’s sport at Oklahoma Metropolis.

The Mavericks moreover found sooner than the game that Dante Exum (correct foot) shall be on the market. Nonetheless the data was not so good regarding Josh Inexperienced.

He’ll miss the Denver sport and presumably a few further with a sprained correct ankle suffered Thursday at Oklahoma Metropolis, coach Jason Kidd said.

“Future,” Kidd said when requested just a few timetable for Inexperienced’s return. “It’ll be a pair weeks.”

In Inexperienced’s absence, Tim Hardaway Jr. is no doubt one of many Mavericks who shall be leaned on to pick out up the slack, merely as he did Thursday at Oklahoma Metropolis with 23 components.

Hardaway on Saturday said he’s trying to not soar the gun on declaring his stoop over. And to be truthful, the eight video video games after the All-Star break weren’t horrible. His 29.8 % taking footage from three-point land in that stretch was not good. Nonetheless it wasn’t disastrous, each.

It merely wasn’t as a lot as his frequent necessities. And throughout the 4 video video games since, he’s hit 10-of-25 from previous the arc (40 %).

“Adversity hits, you try to come back out of it,” Hardaway said. “I’m not trying to jinx myself. I want to put a pair video video games collectively first.

“It (his technique) doesn’t change. If it modified, I wouldn’t have been available on the market taking footage pictures. I’d have merely been available on the market passing the ball, passing up open seems, not trying to be aggressive. So nothing modified from that standpoint. It’s merely that pictures had been getting in. My teammates always had confidence in me, ever since I’ve been proper right here.”

Hardaway hit 5 of 9 three-pointers on Thursday. It was the second time in 4 video video games he’s made a minimal of half of his prolonged balls. And he took 17 three-pointers in these video video games.

And there is not any doubt {{that a}} hot-shooting Hardaway will make a large distinction for the Mavericks as they battle it out with Sacramento, Phoenix, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers for positioning throughout the play-in occasion – plus the still-realistic purpose of transferring into the best six and avoiding the play-in altogether.

Hardaway is conscious of the path to hitting that sizzle.

“Merely proceed taking good pictures, not forcing the issue, nonetheless when you do have an opportunity to be aggressive, take it,” he said. “Merely be assured and persistent in regardless of you’re doing on the bottom.”

Hardaway, by the best way wherein, had his School of Michigan shorts on all through observe on Saturday. Having carried out for the Wolverines, he said he was saddened by the firing of Juwan Howard as their coach.

“It was a tricky spot for Juwan – people not going to the faculty, recruits not going to the faculty,” Hardaway said. “All of the items unhealthy that will have occurred, occurred. So it was a tough state of affairs for him. He did probably the greatest he might whereas being there.”

Proper right here’s what else to watch for when the Nuggets go to on Sunday.

• Nikola Jokic almost definitely is the MVP favorite. His numbers are glorious (26 components, 12.2 rebounds, 9.1 assists). Whereas Luka, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo are additionally throughout the hunt, it appears to be Jokic’s award – for now.
• When requested about what he sees when he seems on the Nuggets, Hardaway said: “Unselfish ballclub. That’s all that should be said. They’re unselfish, they play the becoming strategy. They defend. It’s all about profitable.” Definitely, all of that is true. The Nuggets are third throughout the league in assists per sport and they also moreover rank throughout the prime 10 in every full offensive and defensive rating.
• Jamal Murray (20.9 components per sport), Michael Porter Jr. (16.7) and Aaron Gordon (13.8) all current succesful assist behind Jokic.
• The Nuggets have obtained 5 video video games in a row, along with the first two on this four-game journey that concludes in Minnesota on Tuesday.
• The Mavericks seen their four-game win streak snapped Thursday in Oklahoma Metropolis in one of many important aggressive video video games of the season. Kyrie Irving had 36 components throughout the loss.
• Daniel Gafford seen his streak of 33 consecutive space aims made end throughout the early moments of Thursday’s sport, nonetheless he’s nonetheless been on a splendid roll, averaging 15.7 components and eight.7 rebounds whereas taking footage an unimaginable 93.2 % over the last six video video games.
• The Nuggets are favored by 3 1/2 components and the over/beneath is 226.5.

 

DENVER NUGGETS (47-20) at MAVERICKS (38-29)

• When/the place: 2:30 p.m., American Airways Center, Dallas.
• TV: ABC (Channel 8).
• Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

X: @ESefko