Dallas Mavericks vs Denver Nuggets 10/29/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets Matchup Preview (10/29/21)

Dallas (3-1) will make the short flight to Denver (2-2) to face a struggling Nuggets team on Friday, October 29. As a matter of fact, both of these teams are struggling in their own ways early in the 2021-22 season. Despite having MVP-candidate Luka Doncic, Dallas has been morbidly bad offensively, ranking 25th in points per game, last in FG% (field goal percentage), and 28th in 3P% (three-point percentage). Kristaps Porzingis has not been the “Robin” to Doncic’s “Batman” that many Mavs fans were hoping he would be. They may struggle periodically this season if the Mavs don’t have better offensive chemistry or guys to step up into bigger offensive roles. For Dallas to beat the Nuggets in Denver, it will have to shoot the ball very well from the field and get a monster game out of Luka. That is, of course, within the realm of possibility, but the Mavs’ shooting woes early on in the season have made me skittish. Denver is much more likely to come out with the win, but it had a strange game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Monday where it only put up 87 points. As long as the Nuggets can avoid having a game like that and have a healthy Nikola Jokic playing, they should come away victorious in this bout.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Odds

The Dallas Mavericks (+1.5) are a slight road underdog against the Denver Nuggets (-1.5). Denver has a Moneyline at -120, while Dallas is at +102. The point total has not been set on FanDuel or several other major sportsbooks when this article was written, so keep an eye out for when it drops.

If we are assuming that Jokic plays, then Denver has to be the choice here. Dallas has been absolutely miserable on offense through three games. This won’t continue long-term, but for now, there are chemistry and efficiency issues. The Mavericks are dead-last in FG% (field goal percentage) and 28th in 3P% (three-point percentage). These aren’t super indicative of the Mavs’ actual offensive talent because it is such a small sample size; however, they indicate where they are now. I like Denver to play a bit better and get the win at home in this one as long as Jokic is cleared to play.

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TV Schedule

Date: 10/29/21
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Ball Arena – Denver, CO
Channel: ESPN

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Dallas Mavericks Starting Lineup

PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.
SF: Dorian Finney-Smith
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Dwight Powell

Dallas Mavericks Analysis

The Dallas Mavericks just won a gutsy game against the San Antonio Spurs, but the game should not be that close in the first place. The Spurs have a lot of young guys who still need to gain experience, while the Mavs have more talent on both sides of the floor. Still, this game is an example of what the Mavs have been this year: just good enough. If they want to win meaningful games and compete throughout the season in a tough Western Conference, they will need to do better than ranking 25th in both points per game and offensive efficiency. Defensively, they have looked decent; however, they will need to defend the perimeter better as teams are shooting at a high clip from behind the arc against them. Sadly, this team will live and die at the hands of Luka as there aren’t enough offensive weapons outside of him to be as consistent as teams like Brooklyn, Milwaukee, or Utah.

Denver Nuggets Starting Lineup

PG: Monte Morris
SG: Will Barton
SF: Michael Porter Jr
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets Analysis

Denver has had a rather inconsistent start to its 2021-22 season. The Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns on the road in their first game and then lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers two games later at home while only putting up 87 points. Clearly, there is an offensive void in their offense the size of Jamal Murray, but it will be a while before they get him back. Luckily, Nikola Jokic is still playing, and he has been spectacular as usual. Had he not gotten injured late in the second quarter of their game against the Utah Jazz, they could have won, and he could have had a triple-double with 40 or 50 points. Denver tends to get great looks from the field when he is on the floor, as evidenced by its ranking of first in FG% and second in eFG% (effective field goal percentage). Improvements in offensive efficiency (24th) and rebounding (28th) should also help the Nuggets long-term. If Jokic plays, they should get the win.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets Daily Fantasy Picks

Nikola Jokic has looked fantastic through the Nuggets’ first few games; however, the rest of the team has not looked too good. Jokic is averaging 26.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, including the game against the Jazz, where he had to exit the game late in the second quarter due to a knee contusion. Jokic did not even finish the half and had 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists. He was on pace for a 50-point triple-double. His injury was likely minor, and Denver’s staff was playing it safe. If he plays against the Mavs, he should put up massive numbers, as their bigs aren’t near as capable as Rudy Gobert, and even Gobert couldn’t stop him.

Doncic has had a slow scoring start to the 2021-22 season, much like his start to last season. He averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists through the Mavericks’ first three games. This will correct itself sooner versus later, and Luka will be back to dropping 30 points in most games that he plays in. Nothing has changed in Dallas except that it is struggling offensively. Luka should turn it on quickly, and there is no better time to do it than now.

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Drew is one of the NBA Lead Writers at Lineups.com, specializing in betting content such as game predictions and player props. With a deep knowledge of players and prospects, Drew has an extensive edge in covering everything NBA.

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