The Nuggets flew into Dallas in the wee hours of the morning on the second leg of a road back-to-back. Not that road back-to-backs seem to concern a team that is 4-2 on the second night and 3-1 on the road. Nor indeed were they phased by Christian Braun being scratched after he recently attempted a return from a high ankle sprain. No, the deepest team in the NBA apparently has no need for sleep or a healthy roster or hot shooting, even. Jamal Murray playing at an All-NBA level bolstered by the emergence of Peyton Watson as a scorer mixed with Aaron Gordon’s versatility seems to be all this squad needs to brush aside competent defense.
Here’s how the Nuggets moved ahead of the San Antonio Spurs in a game they easily could’ve dropped.
1st Quarter
Both teams struggled offensively through the first six minutes. KD Reborn got the scoring started for the Nuggets from three, where he’s shooting 42% over the last 10. Murray added a layup and pair of free throws to match six early points from Cooper Flagg. After a THJ foul on Brandon Williams, the Mavericks led 10-7 at the six-minute mark. Aaron Gordon regained control of the game with five unanswered. Mal piled on with a long three, and after a Nnaji layup on a nice feed from him plus a Spencer Jones trey and Watson turnaround jumper, the Nuggets had built a 25-18 lead.
Murray closed out the quarter strong, giving him a near first-quarter flurry. He matched a Martin jumper with a turnaround of his own, then a quick layup in transition, securing a six-point lead for Denver and giving the future All-Star 14 in the quarter.
2nd Quarter
The Nuggets came out running to open up a quick double-digit lead in the second. Pickett scored the first five, and after a Holmes three, the Nuggets lead had grown to 38-23. At the 6-minute mark with the Nuggets still defending a 15-point lead, Rookie-of-the-Year favorite Cooper Flagg went down with a leg injury, seemingly, and didn’t return to the game—yet another blow to the only team more injured than the Nuggets.
Watson slammed the door on the half with an aggressive two-minute stretch. The Nuggets new star forward hit a tough and-1 floater in the lane followed by a step back jumper and one of two from the line after another hard drive. As AG closed out the half with a cutting layup, the Nuggets were solidly in control with a 63-46 lead.
3rd Quarter
The Mavs opened the second half trying to make it a game. Marshall and Nembhard scored four in a row, but shooting fouls on Jones and Murray offset the attempted run. Washington and Murray then traded twos, retaining a 69-54 lead for the good guys. After a Pickett three and Murray fadeaway, the rout was on with eight minutes left in the quarter. THJ’s three with under five left ballooned the Nuggets’ lead to 84-61.
Both offenses stalled until for a couple minutes until Dallas mustered a gasp. Gafford got the run started with two free throws, followed by four(!) Pickett turnovers and a Murray offensive foul that led to 7 straight points for the Mavs and forced Coach Adelman to bring PWat back into the game with four fouls. Bruce and Powell traded makes, but after a Caleb Martin dunk, the lead was cut to 13. Peyton stopped the bleeding with his 13th of the game, but five straight on drives got the Mavericks to within 10 as the period ended with a Hardaway miss.
4th Quarter
The final stint picked up where the 3rd left off with the Mavs scoring on three straight possessions, cutting the lead to 6. THJ found Brown for a layup to halt the momentum, and PWat drilled a three to push the lead back over 10. A beautiful drive by Murray followed by a corner three topped off a 10-point run, and in the blink of eye, the Nuggets had regained a 101-85 lead with 8:47 left, prompting a Dallas timeout.
On a broken play, AG hit a step-back three as the shot clock expired followed by another Murray bucket to all but seal the win with 6 minutes left. Two scores in a row for the Mavs, though, kept them within 13 and led to DA calling a timeout to reset for the final push. Jamal continued to cook, scoring his 31st point and finding BB on a cut, which sent him to the line (1/2). AG added four in a row, but fatigue and fouls let the Mavs hang around. The home team scored 7 straight, dwindling the Nuggets lead to 113-107 with 1:12 left.
Not interested in allowing a comeback, Murray drained a jumper from the charity stripe. The Mavs turned it over on the following possession, forcing Dallas to foul AG with :33 left and an 8-point deficit. The Mavs traded a layup for free throws as a gassed, but victorious, Nuggets team improved to 28-13
FINAL SCORE
Denver Nuggets 118, Dallas Mavericks 109
GAME NOTES
- The Nuggets 17-7 road record is the best in the NBA, 6-3 without Jokic
- The win moved the Nuggets into sole possession of 2nd place in the West
- Jamal Murray scored over 30 again, further cementing the case for his first All-Star nod
