The Denver Nuggets (27-13) travel to Texas, where they'll take on the Dallas Mavericks (15-25) on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. The nationally-televised tilt tips at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The Nuggets are surviving without C Nikola Jokic in the lineup, as the team has a 5-4 record since he went down with a knee injury. Now they have to face the Mavericks, whom they have lost to in two previous matchups this season.
Below, we'll break down our Nuggets vs. Mavericks prediction, spread, and total on PrizePicks, including player projections for G-F Tim Hardaway Jr. and SF Cooper Flag.
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Nuggets vs. Mavericks Prediction, Spread, Total: January 14, 2026
Jokic may have another two weeks before he returns from hyperextending his knee he suffered on December 29th vs. Miami, and the offense noticeably struggles without him. From the start of the season until Jokic was injured, Denver led the league averaging 125.7 points per game; since then, they rank 20th (109.0).
The injury report for this matchup includes G Christian Braun (ankle), F Cameron Johnson (knee), G Tamar Bates (foot), and C Jonas Valanciunas (calf) with Valanciunas expected to return in two weeks and Braun missing Tuesday night’s win against the Pelicans.
The Mavericks are also without their starting center for the foreseeable future. Mavericks F Anthony Davis is expected to miss six weeks as he recovers from a hand injury. The Mavs frequently see AD in street clothes, as he has played only 29 of a possible 73 games since coming to Dallas.
Davis is just one of the few long-term injuries on the Mavs roster. It includes C Derek Lively (foot), who is out for the rest of the season, and G Kyrie Irving, who hasn’t played since suffering an ACL tear in March.
Although the Mavericks' 15-25 record seems bleak, there is optimism for the future. Rookie SF Cooper Flagg is blossoming as the season progresses. In his last 20 games, the former Dookie is averaging 22.4 points per game, as opposed to 15.7 in his first 19.
Nuggets vs. Mavericks Over/Under Spread
The Mavericks are 1.5-point favorites, returning a 1.88x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Nuggets will return a 1.85x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
- Spread: Dallas Mavericks -1.5
- Over/Under: 226.5
- Gamer Winner Payout: Nuggets 1.85x | Mavericks 1.88x
Team Picks data is live as of publishing and is subject to change.
Nuggets vs. Mavericks Numbers to Know
Here are some facts and figures to help you prep for the Nuggets vs. Mavericks game.
- The Nuggets are 4-2 against the spread coming off no rest. They play on Tuesday night vs. Pelicans.
- Denver is 4-1 ATS with a rest disadvantage.
- Dallas is 3-7 ATS with a rest advantage.
- The Mavericks are 5-9 ATS coming off a win. They beat the Nets 113-105 on Monday.
Nuggets vs. Mavericks Picks for PrizePicks Today: January 14, 2026
Here are some of the top Nuggets vs. Mavericks picks on PrizePicks for Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Player projections are via the PrizePicks real-money NBA game.
Mavericks SF Cooper Flagg Projection: 23.5 Points
- Flagg is averaging 28.5 points per game against the Nuggets, the second-highest among the 14 teams he's faced at least twice.
- The Mavericks play at the sixth-fastest pace in the league with 102.1 possessions per game, providing plenty of scoring opportunities for the rookie out of Duke.
- Denver ranks 22nd in the league by allowing 23.4 points per game to small forwards.
- Per databallr, the No. 1 overall pick's 19.9 points per 75 possessions is in the 87th percentile.
Nuggets G-F Tim Hardaway Jr. Projection: 13.5 Points
- Hardaway Jr. has more than 13 points in 10 of his last 13 road games.
- With the numerous injuries to the Nuggets, Hardaway Jr. has seen more playing time. He’s averaging 31.3 minutes over his previous nine games, compared to 27.1 for the entire season.
- The former Michigan standout scored 23 points in the previous matchup against Dallas.
- Per WOWY, the former Knick is third on the Nuggets with a 61.0% effective field goal percentage when Jokic is off the court.
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Make Nuggets vs. Mavericks Picks on PrizePicks
The Mavericks and Nuggets will meet for the third time this season. Despite having a sub-.500 record, the Mavs have the 2-0 advantage in the season series over the three-seed Nuggets.
With this Western Conference matchup, Wednesday is the perfect time to make your Nuggets vs. Mavericks picks at PrizePicks, where you can earn real-money rewards if your predictions are right.
Just choose players — including Cooper Flagg and Tim Hardaway Jr. — predict More or Less on their projected stats, and follow the hoops action to see if your picks hit. You can make picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 30 states.
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