The Denver Nuggets host the Dallas Mavericks to begin – and end – a brief one game home stand. In the three previous meetings between these two teams, the games have ranged from an eleven point blowout win for the Mavs and two overtime thrillers one going to Dallas and the other won by the Nuggets. Perhaps if this trend continues, we can look forward to a comfortable win by Denver tonight. Both teams come in with major injury concerns. Neither Chandler Parsons nor Deron Williams are scheduled to play for the Mavs and we all know the ongoing injury issues for the Nuggets. The Mavs, however, still have the ageless shooting of Dirk Nowitzki and a wealth of NBA experience. Additionally, they are coached by Rick Carlisle, among the top three to four coaches in the league in my book.
As is expected from a team playing as much youth and inexperience as the Nuggets are, Denver has been up and down all season. On both offense and defense, they have shown flashes of brilliance intermixed with downright awful play. When Denver has been good, they have been downright dominating at times, giving us fans hope for next season. With a year of experience under their belts, and some expected (hoped for?) growth from the youngster cavalcade, it's not impossible for this team, even without major roster changes, to make the jump to playoff team…or could continue to be on the outside looking in. Time will tell.
