The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Denver Nuggets 122-120 on Sunday night in Denver. Kyrie Irving led the way for Dallas with 43 points, while Nikola Jokic scored 37 himself for Denver. The loss drops the Mavericks to .500 on the season at 5-5. It’s not the start of ten games that any of us wanted or envisioned.

Dallas again got off to a slow start, falling behind 11-3 within the first few minutes of the game. Buckets from Klay Thompson and Daniel Gafford helped the Mavericks steady themselves, but the Denver offense just kept bombing. The Nugget lead grew to as many as 10, but Dallas did just enough on offense to stay connected, ending the first quarter trailing by six at 35-29.

The second quarter started with a flurry of Maverick points and they eventually took a small lead. Luka Doncic played under control and made some beautiful passes, Gafford enjoyed the paint and Dallas was on the verge of building a lead. But Denver responded and the two teams seesawed back and forth for a while. The lead changed hands several times before Dallas, led by incredible shooting from Kyrie Irving and strong inside scoring from Daniel Gafford, took a 63-60 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Defense was optional in the third quarter; both teams traded blows, and neither could stop the other. Irving continued his brilliance, hitting eight straight shots. Unfortunately, Maverick’s offense went cold when Irving was fouled out, allowing Denver to build a nine-point lead. Dallas rallied to end the period, and a big three from Klay Thompson helped them get within three at 97-94 heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter started with Kyrie Irving hitting back-to-back huge threes from downtown, putting Dallas ahead 102-100. Once again the two teams exchanged baskets. It looked like the Mavericks had a chance to build a lead, but their bench guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy played poorly and prevented them from breaking up. Denver responded with a mini-run, and a Nikola Jokic three gave Denver a 113-108 lead with 4:45 to go. The Mavericks took back the lead with some great shooting from their stars, but Doncic made an ill-advised three-on-two with less than a minute left. Denver led with a Michael Porter Jr. floater with six seconds left and Irving missed a three at the buzzer. The Mavericks lost. Here are three observations from a Denver heartthrob.

Kyrie Irving is a basketball prodigy

Although Irving couldn’t hit the game-winning three-point attempt, he didn’t miss much else tonight. The Mavericks’ superstar guard went 17-of-22 from the floor and 6-of-8 from three for a career-high 43 points. The difficulty of most of his attempts was absurd. It was a joy to watch Irving destroy Denver’s defense, even if his heroic effort fell short.

The bench protector rotation is weird

The bench duo of Spencer Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy combined for seven points on 3-of-13 shooting. The big offseason addition Quentin Grimes was a decision made by the DNP Coaches. In a game where Dallas was desperate for backcourt production off the bench, it seems odd that Hardy and Dinwiddie were allowed to falter while Grimes watched on the sideline. Grimes hasn’t shown much this year, but he hasn’t gotten a good look either. You have to wonder if Kidd is playing some kind of political game here. I’m not even sure Grimes would help that much, but what have you got to lose at this point?

Luka Doncic has to be better

Doncic didn’t have a bad game, especially considering he’s dealing with a groin injury. His 24-9-9 line tonight looks very nice, and he was appointed as a playmaker. But his decision-making in late-game situations has been poor all year, and tonight it very well could have cost Dallas the game. After Dallas led by two with just over a minute left, they had a chance to give themselves breathing room after grabbing a defensive rebound. But Doncic slowly dribbled the ball up the court, narrowly avoiding an eight-second foul, and then proceeded to dribble the ball at half-court before launching a terrible, contested three. Denver tied the game on its next possession. This wasn’t the only ill-advised jumper Doncic took tonight. His shot diet this year was terrible. He doesn’t get to the rim, he doesn’t get to the line as much and he doesn’t shoot the ball well.

Simply put: he has to be better. He’s been acting immature for far too long. And if he doesn’t play like the best player in the world, that’s annoying. Luka wasn’t the only reason the Mavericks lost tonight, but he wasn’t good enough. He hasn’t been there all season.

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