Mavs vs. Nuggets Preview: Battle of Luck (And Luka) on St. Patrick's Day?
Some stats in sports matter, while others happen to be a coincidence.
One of those stats in the NBA is the team's performance on or the day before St. Patrick's Day. US Betting Report broke down teams' records on the holiday over the last three years, and the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks are each unbeaten in their last three games on St. Patrick's Day or March 16.
Two of the unbeaten teams in their last three games on or the day before the holiday, the Mavs and Nuggets, will square off on St. Patrick's Day on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET at the American Airlines Center.
Luka Doncic drives past Nikola Jokic.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Denver (47-20) has fared the best among NBA teams in the last three years, as it has averaged 125 points per game on or the day before St. Patrick's Day. Defensively, the Nuggets have allowed an average of 104.33 points per game.
The Nuggets beat the Detroit Pistons on the road 119-100 on March 16 last season and the Washington Wizards 127-109 in another road game a year prior. In 2021, Denver beat the Charlotte Hornets at home 129-104 on St. Patrick's Day.
Dallas (38-29) has averaged 109.7 points per game in its last three outings on or the day before St. Patrick's Day, the fewest among the four unbeaten teams. While the Mavs haven't been as dominant on offense as Denver, they've been just as stout on defense, allowing an average of 103.33 points per game.
The Mavs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 105-89 at home on St. Patrick's Day in 2021 and the Brooklyn Nets on the road 113-111 on March 16 in 2022. Dallas played on the holiday again in 2023 and won a nail-biter, beating the Los Angeles Lakers on the road 111-110.
Outside of the team's being unbeaten when playing on or the day before St. Patrick's Day, both teams are vying for playoff seeding. The Nuggets are a half-game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder (46-20) for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, while Dallas is currently the No. 8 seed and one game away from being the No. 6 seed.
Luka Doncic's health is the biggest question mark heading into Sunday, as he was out due to a hamstring injury in the Mavs' 126-119 loss to the Thunder on Thursday. Kyrie Irving performed like the superstar Dallas needed him to be in Doncic's absence, as he had a double-double with 36 points and 12 assists. Denver has won five straight games heading into the St. Patrick's Day matchup and beat the San Antonio Spurs 117-106 on Friday.
If Dallas can get a little luck with Doncic's health, the Mavs will have a much better chance to knock off the reigning champions and make up some ground in their pursuit to avoid the play-in tournament.
