The Dallas Mavericks (15-14) have dropped three straight match-ups, their latest defeat coming on the road on Tuesday night to the first place Denver Nuggets, 126-118. While the Mavs were simply outgunned in the affair, two of their starters were beneficiaries of double-doubles, including rookie Luka Doncic, who recorded 23 points and 12 assists, shooting 10-of-12 from the free throw line in the process. DeAndre Jordan dropped 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes led the team in scoring on the back of a 30-point performance, going 10-of-16 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Jordan is averaging 13.8 boards per game, second only to Andre Drummond. Wesley Matthews delivered 14 points and 4 three-pointers of his own for a Dallas team that has won only two games away from home this season. The Mavs have fallen to ninth place in the Western Conference, a half game behind the eighth place Sacramento Kings.

Monday night saw the Los Angeles Clippers (17-13) lose a heartbreaker to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, 131-127, dropping their fourth straight and six of their last seven. The defeat wasn't for a lack of trying for Tobias Harris, who had a monster outing with 39 points, 11 rebounds, shooting 15-of-22 from field goal range, 3-of-6 from long deep and 6-of-8 from the foul line. Rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 24 points, going 9-of-15 from the paint, while Danilo Gallinari recorded 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, making all eight of his shot attempts from the charity stripe. Patrick Beverley had a double-double in a reserve capacity, with 10 points and 11 assists to his credit, as L.A. tumbles to sixth place in the West. Things may get tougher for the Clippers through the holidays, with tough contests against the Nuggets and Golden State Warriors in the next week.