'Out Of Gas': Mavs' Win Streak Snapped By Nuggets In 106-75 Rout

The Dallas Mavericks had their three-game win streak snapped in Denver with a demoralizing 106-75 loss to the Nuggets on Friday night. What's wrong with Luka Doncic?

Less than 24 hours after winning their third consecutive game against the San Antonio Spurs, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks went into Denver on the second night of a back-to-back and got demolished by the Nuggets, 106-75.

After getting off to yet another slow start in the first quarter, something the Mavs have done in every game this season, there would be no spectacular comeback this time around like there was against the Spurs the night prior. Luka Doncic, who continues to struggle shooting the ball early on this season, finished the game with a season-low 16 points on 5-of-18 from the field to go with six rebounds and four assists. Doncic was tied with Dorian Finney-Smith for a team-worst plus-minus of negative-32.

Doncic and Trey Burke were the only Mavericks to score double-digits, and the team as a whole shot 30-percent from the field and 22-percent from deep. The Nuggets out-rebounded the Mavs 51-to-36 and outscored them 50-to-22 in points-in-the-paint.

Despite looking like he was in the best shape of his young career going into training camp and the preseason, Doncic just looks to be out of gas right now. And although we don't know for sure, a lot of that could have to do with the fact that he has no spacing around him and is continuously having to play from behind in every game due to how the starting lineup has performed to open games (a more extensive piece on Dwight Powell and Jason Kidd will be posted on DallasBasketball.com soon).

But whatever the case may be, Doncic won't make excuses, and we will try our best to not make them for him as well. When you've been an All-NBA First Team player two years in a row, you get held to a higher superstar standard than other guys, and Doncic needs to find a way to break out of his current early-season funk sooner than later.

“It starts with me,” said Doncic after the loss. “I have to be way better. That game is on me.”

Doncic and the Mavs will now head back to Dallas for a Sunday matinee tussle against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Dallas lost all three of its matchups against the Kings last season by an average margin of 11 points per game. Can the Mavs flip the script? Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for extensive coverage before and after every single Mavs game this season.