Breaking Down the Nuggets' Lineup For Dallas Mavericks' Sunday Night Game

The Mavericks travel to Colorado for a matchup against Denver.

Mar 17, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) hugs Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) after the game at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The 2023 NBA Champion Denver Nuggets host the Mavericks tonight in a matchup that will feature two of the NBA's best players in Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic. Doncic was just announced as a go for tonight after being listed as questionable yesterday.

The Nuggets sit at 6-3 on the season so far, with wins over the Raptors (twice), the Jazz, the Nets, the Heat, and the Thunder. A year removed from being defending champs, Denver has had fluctuations in their lineup throughout the season. Jamal Murray has missed some time (though he will play tonight), and power forward Aaron Gordon will be out for a few weeks with a calf strain.

READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic Gets Huge Injury Update Before Denver Nuggets Game

Murray, starting at point guard for Denver, is a player that was instrumental in their 2023 championship run, was a player that was maligned early in the season for having lost a step, but showed off his ability in the Nuggets' last game versus Miami, where he scored a season-high 28 points on 9-for-17 shooting on top of recording six assists and four boards. If Denver is going to get back to the championship level, they'll need his production to stay at a higher level than it was for most of the beginning of the season.

At shooting guard will likely be Christian Braun, a defensive-minded wing type of player who has stepped in to replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope after he left for Orlando and done a more-than-adequate job on both sides of the ball. A national champion at Kansas in 2021, Braun was the 21st-overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and has mostly played a bench role for Denver until this season. On the year, he's averaging 16.6 points and 5.3 boards on extremely efficient shooting splits of 55.8% from the field 48.5% on three pointers.

READ MORE: Mavericks Injury Report at Denver Nuggets

Michael Porter Jr. will hold down the small forward spot, another player that was a starter on the Nuggets' title run of two years ago. Scoring 18.1 points per game, also on impressive splits of 46.9% and 41.4% from three, he is one of the players helping Denver to the fourth-best percentage from beyond the arc in the NBA this year (39.6%). His 7.0 boards per game are also crucial to the team's success, as the Nuggets are also fourth in rebounds per game.

Losing starter Aaron Gordon for a few weeks is a problem, but in his stead will be Peyton Watson, whose minutes have hit a career high in Gordon's absence. In his last three games, he's played 98 minutes, averaging 14.0 points and 3.6 rebounds across this stretch. A very good defensive forward, Watson has blocked six shots in the last three contests despite not being a massive player (stands at 6-foot-7).

READ MORE: Mavericks at Nuggets: How to Watch, TV, Time, Odds, & Preview

The star of the show is center Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP who has dazzled the league over the last half-decade with highlight-reel passes and overall ability on the offensive end and the glass. He's currently averaging a triple-double on the year at 28.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, 11.8 assists per game, all of which rank in the top five in the NBA in their respective categories (fifth in points, first in rebounds, fourth in assists). A truly unstoppable force, Jokic has been arguably the best player in the league for the last few seasons, and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Off the bench will be Russell Westbrook (11.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists), Julian Strawther (9.0 points, 46.9% field goals), Zeke Nnaji (6.6 minutes per game), and Hunter Tyson (12.7 minutes per game). While they don't have the greatest depth, their three-point shooting and rebounding make Denver a very dangerous team, especially against a banged-up Mavericks squad that will be down Dereck Lively II and PJ Washington.

In order for Dallas to win, they're going to have to rotate well on the perimeter, closing out on players like Braun and Porter Jr. who will get open looks due to Jokic's wizardry in passing out of the post. Dallas, at 5-4 on the year, is looking to get even with the Nuggets in the Western Conference and hand them a loss to put both teams at 6-4.

READ MORE: Luka Doncic Goes Viral After Obvious Flop in Mavericks-Suns Game

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