Denver Nuggets look to continue its momentum with a victory in Dallas
Denver Nuggets must take advantage of Dallas’ interior defense
As alluded earlier, the Dallas Mavericks weakness in rebounds made apparent in Porzingis’ absence. According to Cleaning the Glass, which negates garbage time in its stats, ranks Dallas 20th percentile in opponents’ offensive rebound percentage.
Using the site’s filter, excluding the four games Porzingis missed due to knee soreness, Dallas improves to the 14th percentile. Porzingis positively affects the defensive end, something the national media fails to inform the casual viewer.
Nikola Jokic, although not facing a bar stool in the post, has a chance to continue his scoring tear against a team with Dwight Powell as its starting center. Powell falls more than a running toddler but does exert an astounding amount of energy every possession.
Dallas fails to end defensive possessions due to the lack of rebounds from its frontcourt aside from the aforementioned Porzingis. Using the metrics of NBA.com/stats, Rick Carlisle‘s interior defense isn’t as weak as advertised, but counting stats don’t tell the full story.
Maxi Kleber, deserving of a mention, possibly the second-best defender on the roster, provides relief for the rebounding-and-shot-blocking extraordinaire, Porzingis. Unfortunately, for the fans and Dallas’ defense, Porzingis is reportedly out of action for the fifth consecutive contest.
Carlisle said Porzingis continues to progress with his right knee soreness, but he felt sick when he arrived at the facility for practice today, so he went home.
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) January 7, 2020
Carlisle said Porzingis will not be available vs. the Nuggets tomorrow, his fifth straight absence.
Nonetheless, Denver can’t afford to fall asleep down low, as Doncic poses a threat on the boards.