3 Studs, 2 duds in Mavericks' blowout loss to Nuggets

4. Dud - Derrick Jones Jr.

More was expected from Derrick Jones Jr. Without two starters and a key reserve, Jones Jr. needed to produce at a higher level than usual. However, the athletic forward only chipped in six points, one rebound, and one assist.

To make matters worse, Jones Jr. failed to net a 3-pointer. He missed all five of his attempts from deep. On the night, Jones Jr. finished 3-of-9 from the field.

In December, the Dallas forward averaged 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 3-pointers per game. He had taken his game to the next level without several players in the lineup.

Unfortunately against Denver, he wasn't able to muster much on the offensive end. And despite recording two steals for the third game in a row, his defense was less than stellar.

On a positive note, Jones Jr. did finish with the best plus/minus of any starter, at minus-11. However, in games like these, plus/minus isn't usually the best metric to grade a player. As the number one stud on this list finished with the worst plus/minus, but more on him later.

In the blowout, the Dallas wing played in just 24 minutes of action, thus he didn't receive much of an opportunity to redeem himself offensively in the second half. His slow start coincided with the Mavericks' slow start, which made it too difficult to overcome an unsurmountable lead in the end.