The Denver Nuggets picked up their fifth-straight win on Sunday night, defeating the Dallas Mavericks despite a 43-point explosion from Kyrie Irving. Nikola Jok

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) brings the ball up the court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game in San Francis

The Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz will go head-to-head on Thursday night, but the Mavs received a concerning update before the game. Luka Doncic (right knee contusion) and PJ Washington (right knee sprain) were already among the Mavericks on the NBA injury report.

As urgent as it might be for Dallas to course-correct and level out their record, getting Irving and Doncic both 100% healthy is far more important than a few games in November. T