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

The Dallas Mavericks have now lost three in a row to the defending champion Denver Nuggets. In each loss, Dallas has allowed Denever to score 118 or more points.

This time around, the Mavericks' defense was shredded to the tune of 130 Nuggets points. Denver shot 56.3 percent from the floor and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc.

And the offense was hard to come by without key contributors Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and Josh Green. Dallas shot 44.6 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from distance. The Mavs were even worse from the free-throw line. Dallas shot a dreadful 47.4 percent from the charity stripe.

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

Only two Mavs scored in double-digits, Luka Doncic and Dante Exum. An abysmal offensive night made defeating a top-notch team like the Nuggets more difficult.

Although Dallas held superstar Nikola Jokic in check, the rest of the team feasted. Six Nuggets scored in double-digits, including four bench players.

While there were more duds than studs in this matchup, we'll follow the typical formula and discuss the three studs and two duds from Dallas' blowout loss against Denver.

5. Studs - Mavericks' two-way players

This is more of a shoutout to A.J. Lawson and Greg Brown III than an actual stud listing. But, both two-way players looked like potential contributors in the loss to Denver.

In 15 minutes, Lawson scored six points and recorded two rebounds. He hit a nice corner 3-pointer and demonstrated high activity levels on the defensive end.

Without Green in the fold, Lawson looks like a worthwhile contributor as an energizer. The two-way wing is an athletic 6-foot-6 forward capable of making plays on defense and using his athleticism on offense for easy buckets.

Lawson's two-way-mate, Brown III appeared in nine minutes of action against the Nuggets. He quickly made his presence felt as his breathtaking athleticism was on full display.

Although Brown III lacks any resemblance of an outside shot, his elite athleticism, and shot-blocking would add a much-needed element to the Dallas lineup, especially with Lively II out of the lineup.

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.

3. Stud - Dante Exum

Dante Exum has found himself in the stud column more often than not in recent weeks and was playing some of the best basketball of his career. Despite a modest game offensively, he once again ranked as one of the Dallas studs.

Exum attempted the least amount of shots of any starter but likely should've attempted more. Exum was flawless on the night, he knocked down all five of his shot attempts, including one from behind the arc.

The Australian guard finished with 11 points, one rebound, and two assists in 23 minutes of action. He only turned the ball over once and played good defense. While Exum wasn't a difference-maker on the defense end (no Maverick was), he did a good job of staying in front of his man and cutting off driving lanes.

Several times Exum forced Nuggets guard Jamal Murray into difficult shot attempts. The Dallas guard does a great job of using his athleticism and length to cut off driving lanes and contest shots near or at the rim.

Realistically, Exum should be taking more shots. Especially without Kyrie Irving, Exum's shotmaking is needed more than ever. Leading up to last night's game, Exum had scored 14 or more points in five straight contests. Dallas went 4-1 in those games.

If Dallas wants to successfully navigate their rigorous upcoming schedule, Exum's shotmaking will be essential to reaching the win column.

2. Dud - Tim Hardaway Jr.

Remember it being said Derrick Jones Jr. was needed to fill a crucial role? Tim Hardaway Jr. was needed even more than the aforementioned Jones Jr. As the third leading scorer on the Mavericks, Hardaway Jr.'s scoring output is a necessity for Dallas' success.

In an increased role, the Dallas swingman put up an absolute dud. He finished with just eight points, his lowest output since November 22. To get those eight points, Hardaway Jr. hoisted 12 shots.

Of those 12 attempts, the Dallas guard only made three of them. Hardaway Jr. couldn't find the bottom of the net from anywhere on the floor. He made just 2-of-9 3-point attempts.

When Hardaway Jr. isn't knocking down shots, his value plummets. The Dallas guard only recorded two rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes of action. He turned the ball over twice and took some poor shots which led to easy baskets on the other end.

He finished with the second-lowest defensive rating on the Mavericks. Hardaway Jr. did draw a charge, like he's done on most nights, but failed to adequately defend his matchup.

While the responsibility doesn't completely fall on Hardaway Jr., the mediocre Denver bench destroyed the Mavericks. The Denver bench players combined for 62 points, almost half of the Nuggets' point total.

1. Stud - Luka Doncic

Coming off a Western Conference Player of the Week Award, Luka Doncic showed out once again against the Denver Nuggets.

The Dallas superstar scored 38 points on 13-of-24 shooting. He knocked down 6-of-12 3-pointers, his third time shooting 50 percent or better from beyond the arc in December.

Doncic also added 11 boards and eight assists on the night. He only turned the ball over three times against the Nuggets. The Mavericks came up short, but Doncic did all he could to keep Dallas relatively close throughout the first half of action.

Doncic has been playing out of this world as of late. He hasn't scored less than 30 points since November 19. And he's recorded at least double-digit rebounds or assists in every game this December.

The Mavericks are leaning on Doncic more than ever. Without a healthy Kyrie Irving, Doncic scoring 35-plus is almost a prerequisite for Dallas to win. Even though Doncic scored 38 last night, the Mavericks still lost in an ugly fashion to the Nuggets.

It goes to show an unbelievable Doncic performance doesn't always equate to a win. Doncic needs help. The impending returns of Irving, Dereck Lively II, and Josh Green will take such a heavy load of Doncic's shoulders.

It goes without saying that Doncic will continue to perform at an all-world level, but the Mavericks can only get so far relying completing on their superstar's heroics.