5 Most crucial games left for the Dallas Mavericks this season

3. March 17 game versus Denver Nuggets

Anytime Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic face off against each other, the game typically yields a pretty exciting result. Dallas played two games against Denver last season that ended with a one-point margin of victory, but the Mavericks haven't drawn the same kind of luck against the Nuggets this year. However, the Mavericks have a unique opportunity to turn heads in regard to their perception as a championship caliber team if they can beat the Nuggets in decisive fashion.

Nikola Jokic will be presented with a new challenge from Dallas given the increased size in the frontcourt that the Mavericks hauled in during the trade deadline, but not much is stopping a fully optimized Jokic in this Nuggets offense currently. Nuggets coach Michael Malone has implemented a series of actions in the Nuggets' offense that feature a ton of off-ball movement, screening, and cutting, so the Mavericks will need to be fully prepared to stop the potential onslaught of passing from Denver in this contest.

The Nuggets are a likely team that the Mavericks will face in the playoffs in the first two rounds (if Dallas makes it that far) given the Nuggets current positioning at third in the Western Conference with a record of 39-19. The Nuggets starting lineup along with the Murray-Jokic duo is performing as lethal as ever, and Denver has recouped some energy off the bench on defense that was lost with the departure of Bruce Brown, as the likes of Christian Braun and Peyton Watson have proven their worth in Denver's main rotation.

This game will draw a lot of eyeballs given that it is a Sunday matinee game being broadcasted on ABC, so the Mavericks will need to show that they can at least keep up with the 2023 NBA Champions, as it's one of Dallas' toughest and more crucial regular season games left. The Mavericks can hopefully get at least one win in their season-series with Denver in this closing game, as it would assuredly rest some Mavs fans consciouses who are eerie of Luka Doncic potentially leaving to go team up with Nikola Jokic one day.