A big NBA night will continue with a game between Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets. Dallas is in the 7th position with 8 wins and 6 losses but Denver is 4 positions higher with 9 wins and 5 losses. In this game, I'm taking the Mavericks as I'm confident that they will be able to cover the handicap.

The Mavericks had a 2 game-winning streak but it ended in the last game where they lost to Houston Rockets. Dallas was playing without Luka Doncic who missed the game to get some rest. The Mavericks have won 6 out of the last 7 home games and most of them have been in very tight battles. If we look at the spread stats, Dallas is the worst at home but tonight the situation will be different.

I'm so confident about their ability to cover the handicap because the Nuggets will be without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Jokic didn't play in the last game and Denver lost to New York Knicks. Aaron Gordon is questionable but the head coach said that he doesn't expect him to play. If he won't play as well, the Nuggets are going to be with a very thin roster while Dallas will miss only Maxi Kleber. If we compare net ratings, the Mavericks have a little edge but now their advantage should be pretty big.

Dallas ranks third in offensive 3-point frequency, taking 43% of its shots from deep this season. This is a massive problem for Denver as its defense has struggled to limit three-point attempts, ranking 18th in three-point frequency allowed on the season. The Mavericks maybe could have beaten the Rockets if they could make some three-pointers but they hit only 12 out of 55.

It is going to be a very tough time for Denver on offense. The Mavericks have the best 5th defense per advanced stats and they allow 2nd lowest points per game. The Nuggets scored only 103 points at home versus the Knicks who aren't the best team on defense. Now the task is going to be even harder as Denver will miss 2 out of the 3 best scorers. Even with Nikola Jokic, Denver has struggled on the road as their net rating is only -2.2 The Mavericks play very well at home because their net rating is 5.7 (10th best in the league). Dallas should be able to win this game easily.

本译文使用有道机器翻译，仅供参考：

达拉斯以8胜6负排在第7位，但掘金以9胜5负排在第4位。在这场比赛中，我选择小牛队，因为我相信他们能够克服障碍。

小牛队有两连胜的记录，但在最后一场输给休斯顿火箭的比赛中结束了。小牛在缺少卢卡·东契奇的情况下比赛，东契奇因为休息而缺席了比赛。小牛队在过去的7场主场比赛中赢了6场，其中大多数都是非常激烈的战斗。如果我们看一下分散数据，小牛在主场是最差的，但今晚的情况将有所不同。

我对他们的能力很有信心，因为掘金将失去尼古拉·约基奇和贾马尔·默里。约基奇在上一场比赛中没有上场，掘金输给了纽约尼克斯。亚伦-戈登是有问题的，但是主教练说他不希望他上场。如果他打不好，掘金的阵容将会非常薄弱，而小牛将只会失去马克西-克莱伯。如果我们比较净收视率，小牛有一点优势，但现在他们的优势应该是相当大的。

小牛在进攻三分频率上排名第三，本赛季有43%的投篮来自深处。这对掘金来说是一个巨大的问题，因为他们的防守一直在努力限制三分出手，在本赛季的三分次数中，掘金排在第18位。如果小牛队能投中一些三分球的话，他们也许能击败火箭，但是他们55投12中。

掘金的进攻将会非常艰难。小牛有最好的第五防守，场均得分第二低。掘金主场对阵尼克斯只得到103分，尼克斯的防守并不是最好的。现在的任务将更加艰巨，因为掘金将失去3个最好的得分手中的2个。即使有尼古拉·约基奇，掘金在客场的表现也很糟糕，因为他们的净收视率只有-2.2。小牛在主场表现很好，因为他们的净收视率是5.7(联盟第十)。达拉斯应该能轻松赢得这场比赛。