Mavericks vs Nuggets Prediction 15 January 2025

🔊Can Denver upset their opponent once again? A few days ago, Dallas lost to the Nuggets at home with a score of 101-112. Back then, Jason Kidd's team was very close to victory, but a dreadful performance in the final quarter (12-33) prevented them from achieving the desired result. The upcoming match will start fresh, and the result of the previous head-to-head meeting will have no overall impact on the game. In this situation, we will try to analyze all the details to provide you with an accurate prediction.

Head-to-Head

In head-to-head confrontations, Denver holds a slight advantage. Over a span of 50 games, the Nuggets have secured 27 victories, while Dallas has managed to defeat their opponent only 23 times. Therefore, the result of the last meeting (101-112 in favor of Denver), which took place on the night of January 12, cannot be considered a surprise.

Dallas Mavericks

Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are in the infirmary, and Dallas is in terrible form. Without their leaders, the team has started losing one game after another and has dropped to fifth place in the Western Conference standings. Over the last 8 matches, the Mavericks achieved the desired result in only 2 instances. Although in the game against Denver (101-112), Jason Kidd's team performed at a high level for the first three quarters, they simply lacked strength for the final twelve minutes. Dallas blatantly failed the fourth quarter, losing this segment with a score of 12-33.

Denver Nuggets

Denver, on the other hand, continues to sweep everyone in their path. The team has won 7 out of their previous 9 matches, confidently handling their opponents in most cases. Overall, the Nuggets did not face serious problems in their game against Dallas (112-101), aside from a disastrous first quarter (17-32). Perhaps Mike Malone's team did not expect such "audacity" from Dallas from the first minutes, considering they are experiencing significant personnel issues. Notably, the team managed to turn the game around even considering that their three-point shots were not landing at all (7/32, conversion rate of 21.9%).

Editorial Prediction

According to sportsbooks, Denver is the favorite for the upcoming matchup. However, we would like to argue with them on this matter. Yes, Dallas is forced to play without Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić, who are key players for the team. But the Mavericks have repeatedly proven that they can play well without them. Jason Kidd's team, for example, crushed a strong opponent like the Lakers (118-97). In the previous head-to-head meeting, the Mavericks led for more than 40 minutes of actual playing time (lead time 40:41) and only slowed down towards the end of the fourth quarter. Therefore, our key betting option is Dallas to win with a handicap (+6.5).