The Denver Nuggets will visit the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Arena on Friday evening.

After competing in his first All-Star Game this past weekend, superstar big man Nikola Jokic will take the court with the Nuggets (39-18) again as the team looks to compete for first place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets fell out of first with an uncharacteristic three-game losing streak in early February, but managed to turn things around with two consecutive wins before the break. After starting the season as one of the league's top defenses, the Nuggets have seemingly reverted back to an offense-first identity in line with the past few years. Denver ranks third in the league in offensive efficiency, behind only Golden State and Houston, while owning just the 14th-place defensive rating in the league. Still, the Nuggets have been one of the league's powerhouses all season, with Jokic's near-triple-double averages helping the team to play at an elite level.


Dallas (26-31) is also headlined by a European star, as rookie sensation Luka Doncic has turned heads with impressive play in his first season. The 19-year-old out of Slovenia is averaging 20.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season. The Mavericks shook things up before the deadline, trading center DeAndre Jordan and point guard Dennis Smith, Jr. to the Knicks for All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis, though, remains out as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL. It will not be until next season that the two European stars have the chance to play together. In the meantime, Dallas has a tough road to the playoffs this year, occupying 12th place in the West and sitting five games back from the eighth-place Clippers.