Nuggets face Mavericks on Denver7 Sunday in game with playoff implications

The Denver Nuggets, tied for the top seed in the NBA’s Western Conference as of Friday night, will play the No. 8-seed Dallas Mavericks Sunday afternoon in a game that will air on Denver7.

It’s a game that will feature two of the league’s best at filling up the stat sheet. Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic ranks second in the league in triple-doubles with 21, while Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ 25-year-old phenom, ranks third with 17.

Jokic and Doncic also have a friendship, which was on display during the NBA's All-Star weekend. This moment, in which Jokic poured water on Doncic mid-interview (which has been part of Jokic's playbook since last year's Finals run).

Denver is the NBA’s hottest team since the All-Star break, posting an 11-1 record since Feb. 22, the only blemish being an overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on March 5.

Dallas, meanwhile, has shown flashes this season – like its seven-game win streak that followed some strategic trade-deadline acquisitions – but is a tepid 6-6 since the break.

The Western Conference playoff race is a tight one, with just 8.5 games separating the top eight seeds as of Friday night. The gap between Nos. 1 and 8 in the East was 16 games, for comparison.

Sunday’s game tips off at 1:30 p.m. on Denver7. Stay tuned for a special postgame edition of Denver7 News at 4 p.m. ABC World News Tonight with David Muir will air at 5 p.m.

Denver Nuggets 2023-24 Schedule

Mar. 17: Nuggets at Dallas - ABC, Denver7
Mar. 19: Nuggets at Minnesota - NBA TV
Mar. 21: Nuggets vs. New York
Mar. 23: Nuggets at Portland
Mar. 25: Nuggets vs. Memphis
Mar. 27: Nuggets vs. Phoenix - ESPN
Mar. 29: Nuggets vs. Minnesota
Mar. 31: Nuggets vs. Cleveland - NBA TV
Apr. 2: Nuggets vs. San Antonio
Apr. 4: Nuggets at Los Angeles. - TNT
Apr. 6: Nuggets vs. Atlanta
Apr. 9: Nuggets at Utah
Apr. 10: Nuggets vs. Minnesota - ESPN
Apr. 12: Nuggets at San Antonio
Apr. 14: Nuggets at Memphis