The Mavericks brought a fire on a cold night in Denver, snatching nets from a 3-point line to easily send nuggets on Saturday night.
Luca D’Nick doubled with 21 points and 12 assists, and Christaps Porzings shot a hefty night with 25 points, including a 36-foot-pointer to propel the game forward.
Nicola Joaquim was the second double-double with 26 points and 11 assists, but like the rest of the team it looked like she had to eat a double double burger with a big fry and milkshake before the game, as crime and defense struggled with energy on the other. . Back-to-back nights immediately after the All-Star break. Jamal Murray had another terrible game, unable to drop his shots and anchored the bench lineup with his game in the second quarter.
MPJ had 23 points on nine shots, but struggled with a foul difficulty in the first half that limited his impact in the game.
Paul Millsap was admitted to the starting lineup after recovering from his injury, with Monte Morris not available with a quad injury. Will Barton got off to a great start to the game, knocking down a 3-pointer from the left wing and then the ball came into the jockey in the post for an easy basket against Christophs Porzingis. MPJ took two fouls in the first four minutes, and PJ Dossier received an initial call from Coach Malone. Dossier immediately made a burglary, knocking the house unopposed with two hands. Porzingis scored five quick points, but Millssep’s 3-pointer helped keep the Nuggets ahead. Jockey managed to draw in a double-team by kicking the ball to Barton for a triple, moving Porzingis around in the post, and repeating the same pattern on the front possession for the midrange jumper.
Murray continued to struggle to convert early attempts into basketball, losing two of his worst attempts, and the Mavericks closing the quarter at 10-2 with a score of 29-28, giving Denver the advantage. Only one hair was too slow on the Vlatko Cancar scramble layout to beat Blazer, which would have given Denver a three-point lead.
The Mavericks continued their momentum in the second quarter, as they scored in the first two baskets, but Jemichal Green was able to respond with a 3-pointer to keep things close. The Nuggets bench struggled to get Murray’s slow start, missing jumpers and turnover sending issues. The MPJA re-investigated, Dwight Powell tried to break the ally-op attempt, and directly Paul went to the bench for Millsap. Duck put Dallas with eight points in a Dal-pointer, and the game began to feel like it was slipping away.
Jockey, who had about seven minutes left in the second quarter, re-checked, Murray smashed his shooting plot then hit backbacks on 17 consecutive missed shots. Jock quickly went to work at the post, spinning past porcelains for buckets in paint. Will Barton will get the game within six points with the layout, but Denver will not cut that quarter.
The Mavericks opened the third quarter with five 3-pointers, burning the Nuggets from a long range to the Chagrin of Mallon. Donetsk was technically asked to go verbally behind the referee, but this was the only stop Nuggets could get early, as they fell behind by two points. Jamal Murray threw the ball, which led to a 3-pointer transition, and another missed lead from the lead led Bravson Layout to the Mavericks for 20 points. Eventually they started going back to Jokic, who managed to score a goal against Porzings and draw pride, giving the team quick power. They found themselves on the wrong side of the 93-73 score at the end of the third quarter.
They could not outsource the Mavericks by 20 points in the fourth quarter. Not enough energy is released, fatigue leads to turnover and missed shots, not enough skilled players on the bench to stick with a talented team. On Indiana.
The Mavericks kind of shut off gas in the first half of the fourth quarter, and Michael Porter Jr. was more than willing to take advantage of the loss of focus. Nuggets Forward had 15 points in the first six minutes of the quarter, trying to cut a one-point lead before the clock appeared zero, with a greenish light from the 3-point line. Denver won the challenge on the block by Feku Campazo over Donetsk, and the Joaquin 3-pointer cut a 12-point lead. A couple bad offensive assets though, and the game quickly bounced back in favor of the Mavericks with three minutes left. Porzings saved an ugly possession, with three minutes left from the g-36-foot pointer, and both teams emptied their benches to end the game.
