Mavericks face tall task vs. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

A couple weeks ago, it looked as if the Dallas Mavericks were starting to turn their season around after a tumultuous start.

The Mavericks won five of six games, including victories against contenders such as the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.

Since then, however, the Mavericks have lost three of four games heading into Tuesday night's contest against the visiting Nuggets.

Dallas' latest setback came on Monday, a 119-113 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Mavericks were outscored 40-26 in the fourth quarter.

"It's a lot of plays we could've had," said Dallas star Anthony Davis, who finished with 35 points and 17 rebounds. "Loose balls, protecting the rim. ... Simple things. We missed shots. Late-quarter turnovers. That was the game right there. We missed 10 free throws, and the other team scored 40 in the fourth quarter."

The Mavericks won't have much time to dwell on that result as they get ready to host the Nuggets, who like the Mavericks are playing on the second night of a back-to-back set.

Denver continued to show why it is one of the best teams in the NBA by posting a dominant 135-112 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Nuggets opened the game on a 19-0 run and made 24 3-pointers, tying a franchise record.

The Nuggets also had 37 assists on their 46 made field goals.

"It's a testament to the guys," coach David Adelman said. "Everybody to a man was trying to make the right play for each other, and usually that leads to a low turnover night, and it was tonight. ... It's a really good win."

Nikola Jokic recorded his 24th triple-double of the season with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists. He's just three triple-doubles shy of matching Oscar Robertson (181) for the second-most in NBA history. Russell Westbrook is first with 207.

The Nuggets are 2-1 on the second night of back-to-back games this season and will put their 12-2 road record on the line.

"That's probably one of the most underrated parts of having veteran guys that have played in so many back-to-backs," Adelman said. "This is a tough one because you lose an hour back to Dallas. But I think it's that, they know what this is like."

This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Dallas won the first matchup 131-121 on the road on Dec. 1.

Davis collected 32 points and 13 rebounds while rookie Cooper Flagg added 24 and eight, respectively. Ryan Nembhard also had a career-high 28 points.

Jokic recorded a monster triple-double against the Mavericks, putting up 29 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists.

"We didn't get stops," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said following Monday's loss to New Orleans. "We have to go back and look. We have a quick turnaround; we have Denver (on Tuesday), but our defense has to be better."