Mavericks-Nuggets Game 5 Tonight at 8pm.

It looks to get physical again tonight as the Mavericks are fighting for their lives while the Nuggets might end up just fighting.

The Mavericks are going back to Denver tonight, a place in which they have not won since December 31st 2006(6 games including playoffs), with a chance to make the series 2-3 and have another game in Dallas. There has been a lot of bad blood between the Nugget players/family and the Dallas fans so it will be interesting to see how Denver fans respond. There have also been some issues between Antoine Wright and Carmelo Anthony (cheap shot from Anthony pictured above) that have still not been resolved

Three Keys to the First Win in Denver in a LONG time.

1. Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk is going to have to put up the same numbers he did in Game 4 in order for the Mavericks to have shot. Other players on the Mavericks are scoring adequately, but Dallas is playing such terrible defense that they are going to have to score in or near the 110's in order to win and even though Dirk had been averaging 32 points a game before Game 4, it didn't result in a Mavericks victory. That's why this game is going to be so difficult, the Mavs will be in a hostile environment and Dirk will have to score 40+ in order for them to win. If things change on the defensive end (which they won't) Dallas might have a better chance.
2. Jason Kidd: Kidd almost had a triple-double in the last game (15 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) and must continue to play aggressive yet controlled basketball. He only had 1 turnover in Game 4 and added 3 steals which helped the Mavericks tremendously. J-Kidd is the glue that holds this team together, if he can ramp up his defense and make the 4th quarter plays that he has made all season long, the Mavericks have a chance in this one.
3. Jason Terry: Mavericks fans have been waiting all playoffs for that one breakout game from Terry, especially in the 4th quarter where the Mavericks have struggled the most against Denver. JET has shown that (when he wants to) he can get to the basket on this Nugget team. If he can mix in the occasional drive to the basket while also shooting a good percentage from downtown, Dallas has got a shot. They need 25+ from Terry tonight.

All-in-all it doesn't look good for Dallas this evening. Denver hasn't lost at home thus far in the postseason and their average margin of victory is 18.2 points in their home arena. The Mavericks need big scoring games from Dirk, J-Ho, and JET in order to get this series back to Dallas. The good news for Dallas is that Dirk will post his usual 35+, but unfortunately for the Mavs J-Ho will continue to throw the ball away at inopportune times and throw wild shots toward the rim from the perimeter, Terry will continue to struggle with his shot, and most importantly the defense will be non-existent just as it has been all series long.

Mavericks Lose-Season Over 4-1