NBA Game of the Week: Nuggets vs. Heat

A matchup featuring two of the best players and two of the best-scoring offenses in the entire league.

Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic know how to make plays when it matters most, whether it’s getting where they want on the court and putting up a shot, or making ridiculous cross-court passes setting up their teammates for open shots.

The defending champs are looking for the season sweep against the Mavericks as they have won comfortably in their first two matchups.

While the Mavericks' defense has greatly struggled this year their offense is up to par, this is the first time these teams have played in months and I think it’s going to be a different game.

At the trade deadline, the Mavericks made some big moves, shaking up their lineup and acquiring Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington as strong supporting pieces.

Big men are what the Mavericks need defensively in this one as the Nuggets average the sixth most points in the paint per game this season with 53.4.

While the Nuggets may not have the biggest lineups, only Doncic can make plays, hit step-back threes, and get triple-doubles on a game-to-game basis the way that Jokic does.

People also need to remember that Jamal Murray and Kyrie Irving are two of the best scorers in the league, Irving averaging 25.2 points per game this season and Murray averaging 21 points per game.

Jokic and Doncic may be the number one guys but these two can steal the spotlight on any given night if they get hot, don’t be surprised if it’s going back and forth with them.

The Mavericks have been on both hot and cold winning streaks this season, recently losing their last 6 out of 11 games while the Nuggets have won 10 out of their last 11 games and have looked nearly unstoppable.

This is a pivotal game for both teams as the regular season is coming to an end. The Mavericks are trying to make their push for the playoffs and out of the play-in, as the Nuggets are going for the number one seed in the west.

The Mavericks give up the 23rd most points in the league at 117.7 points per game while the Nuggets give up the 7th least points in the league at 110.3 points per game.

On the contrary, though, the Mavericks are the sixth highest-scoring team in the league with an average of 119 points per game while the Nuggets are the 15th highest-scoring team with an average of 114.8 points per game.

Although the Mavericks do have a high-powered offense, it’s not stable enough to make up for the lack of defense.

Ultimately it’s going to come down to whether or not the Mavericks can guard the perimeter and prevent Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from getting hot.

Porter Jr. is averaging 16.7 points per game this season while shooting 39.9% from three and Caldwell-Pope is averaging 10.1 points per game on 39.1% shooting from three.

While the points may not be eye-popping in any way, when you have Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on your team, it’s going to be tough to be a top-tier scorer.

It doesn’t matter whether they’re top scorers or not, but more so that they can knock down open jumpers and be solid defensive players.

Overall, I think that the Mavericks' defensive struggles are going to get the best of them, and while Luka Magic will do all that he can, the Nuggets are going to come out on top with the win.

Pick: Denver Nuggets

Michael Landis is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mpl5930@psu.edu.