Denver’s biggest concern heading into the season was whether the bench could maintain leads or keep the team competitive. Recently, the Nuggets’ reserves have stepped up, but the same cannot be said for the Dallas Mavericks. Coach Jason Kidd criticized his bench after Friday’s last-second loss to the Suns, raising concerns ahead of Sunday’s game in Denver.
Only two Dallas reserves played significant minutes on Friday night — Spencer Dinwiddie (28) and Dwight Powell (26) — and the bench contributed just nine points. This has forced Kidd to rely heavily on stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, both playing over 40 minutes.
Doncic and Irving are averaging 37.2 and 35.7 minutes per game, respectively, and are the team’s top scorers. Injuries have also disrupted the rotation, with P.J. Washington (knee), Maxi Kleber (hamstring), and Dereck Lively II (shoulder) all sidelined against the Suns.
Kidd is also concerned about his team’s slow starts. The Mavericks trailed by 13 at halftime on Friday before rallying to tie the game late.
Denver has had slow starts as well but has managed to rally and win three of those games. After an 0-2 start, the Nuggets have won four straight and six of their last seven, thanks in part to strong performances from the bench. In Friday night’s 135-122 win over the Heat, the bench didn’t score much, but Russell Westbrook dished out 10 assists, and Julian Strawther and Hunter Tyson played solid minutes.
Westbrook had started the previous three games for Jamal Murray (concussion), but Murray returned on Friday to score a season-high 28 points.
The Nuggets are also without starting power forward Aaron Gordon (right calf strain) for multiple weeks, but Peyton Watson has filled in admirably. Of course, having Nikola Jokic in the lineup is a significant advantage. The three-time MVP is making a case for a fourth with his play in the first nine games.
Jokic entered Saturday fifth in scoring (28.9 points per game) and first in rebounds (13.2) and assists (11.3). He recorded his fifth triple-double of the season on Friday night, consistently drawing double teams and finding open teammates.
