The Mavericks brought the fire on a cold night in Denver, burning the nets of the 3-point line to easily dispatch the Nuggets on Saturday night.
Luka Doncic made a double-double with 21 points and 12 assists, and Kristaps Porzingis had a great night shot with 25 points, including a 36-foot, 3-point dagger to close the game.
Nikola Jokic had another double-double with 26 points and 11 assists, but the rest of the team seemed to have eaten a double hamburger with a large fries and milkshake before the game, as the attack and defense struggled energetically in the second night of a back-to-back immediately after the All-Star break. Jamal Murray had another terrible game, unable to make his shot fall and anchoring the bench line with his play in the second half.
MPJ scored 23 points out of nine shots, but struggled with problems in the first half that limited his impact on the game when it mattered.
Paul Millsap was reinstated to the starting lineup with recovery from his injury, with Monte Morris unavailable due to a hip injury. Will Barton got off to a good start, dropping a 3-point ball from the left wing and then hitting the ball to Jokic on the post for an easy basket against Kristaps Porzingis. MPJ suffered two fouls in the first four minutes, and PJ Dozier received a call from coach Malone. Dozier immediately caught a robbery, hammering an undisputed two-handed dunk home. Porzingis scored five quick points, but a Millsap basket of 3 helped keep the Nuggets in the lead. Jokic managed to form a pair after pushing Porzingis over the post, kicking the ball to Barton for a triple and repeated the same pattern in the next possession for a medium-sized jumper.
Murray continued to struggle to convert shot attempts into baskets, barely missing both shots, and the Mavericks managed to close the room with a 10-2 run with Denver’s 29-28 lead. Vlatko Cancar was a hair too slow in a rush to win the bell, which would give Denver a three-point lead.
The Mavericks’ momentum continued in the second quarter, when they scored the first two baskets, but JaMychal Green was able to respond with a 3-point basket to keep things closed. The Nuggets bench struggled to score points with Murray’s slow start, losing jumpers and making spins. MPJ checked in again, failed Dwight Powell trying to stop an alley-oop attempt and went straight back to the bank to pick up Paul Millsap. Doncic threw a 3-point basket to put Dallas at eight points, and the game started to look like it was getting away.
Jokic returned to check-in about seven minutes from the end of the second half, shortly after Murray broke his takedown in 17 consecutive missed shots with a reversal. Jokić began to work quickly at the post, passing through Porzingis in search of a bucket of paint. Will Barton would arrive at the game within six points with a tray, but Denver would not further narrow the gap that quarter.
The Mavericks opened the third quarter with five points out of 3, setting the long distance Nuggets on fire to Malone’s chagrin. Doncic was called to a coach for verbally chasing a referee, but that was the only stop the Nuggets managed to make before, as he was left behind by double digits. Jamal Murray threw the ball away, leading to a 3-point transition, and another missed shot led to a Brunson tray to push the Mavericks’ lead to 20 points. They finally decided to start going back to Jokić, who managed to score and tie a foul against Porzingis, giving the team a quick shot of energy. They found themselves on the wrong side of a 93-73 score at the end of the third quarter.
They did not beat the Mavericks by 20 points in the fourth period. There was not enough energy, fatigue led to twists and missed kicks, there were not enough skilled players off the bench to live with a talented team. Proceed to Indiana.
The Mavericks kind of lost their foot on the gas in the first half of the fourth period, and Michael Porter Jr was more than willing to take advantage of that loss of focus. The Nuggets striker scored 15 points in the first six minutes of the quarter, with a green light on the 3-point line to try to reduce the advantage to one digit before the clock hit zero. Denver won a challenge at a Facu Campazzo block in Doncic, and a 3-point Jokic reduced the lead to 12 points. However, there were some bad offensive possessions, and the game was quickly back firmly in favor of the Mavericks with three minutes remaining. Porzingis defended a bad ball possession with a 36-foot 3-point ball with about three minutes to go, and both teams emptied their seats to end the game.