Mavericks can’t rally past Nuggets in preseason opener

After losing their preseason opener 96-86 Tuesday night at American Airlines Center to the Denver Nuggets, the Dallas Mavericks quickly hopped on a plane with strong hopes that things will be significantly better when they play at Houston on Wednesday night.

Former Arlington Grace Prep star Emmanuel Mudiay scored a team-high 17 points, handed out five assists, and hit two late baskets that helped the Nuggets thwart a comeback attempt by the Mavs. Mudiay also turned the ball over seven times after committing eight turnovers in the Nuggets’ first preseason game Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Charlie Villanueva led Dallas with 18 points and eight rebounds, and he was 8-of-17 from the field. John Jenkins scored 16, but committed four of his seven turnovers in the fourth quarter.

Also for the Mavs, Devin Harris poured in 14 points, J.J. Barea distributed seven assists, and Zaza Pachulia pulled down eight rebounds in 23 minutes.

Not many NBA experts have given the Mavericks a chance to make the playoffs in the ultra-tough Western Conference. And with four starters sitting out Tuesday while nursing injuries — Dirk Nowitzki also rested — it’s hard to determine what the Mavs have after only one preseason game.

“It’s a challenging conference, there’s no doubt about that,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “You can look at the records and all those kinds of things, but if you look at the game scores night in and night out, there are thin margins of error for victory and defeat.”

The Mavericks shot only 39.5 percent from the field and were outrebounded 52-42. Once the regular season starts Oct. 28 at Phoenix, the Mavericks know those numbers have to be better.

“Execution night in and night out is going to tell the story of whether you’re winning the close games or not,” Carlisle said. “If you’re winning your share, you can hang in and make the playoffs or you can get in the top four. And if you don’t, you’re going to be up against it a little bit.”

Mudiay surprised

Mudiay played two years at Arlington Grace Prep and two years at Dallas Prime Prep before committing to SMU coach Larry Brown last year. However, Mudiay changed his mind and decided to go overseas and play in China.

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 11:27 PM with the headline "Mavericks can’t rally past Nuggets in preseason opener."