The Dallas Mavericks fell to a 101-112 loss to Conference rivals Denver Nuggets tonight, with the Mavs blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in the loss.
The Mavs were without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but their inability to hold onto the win against Nikola Jokic and company reinforced head coach Jason Kidd’s belief that Jokic is the best player in the world. He proclaimed the same after the game.
“He’s one of the best at it. If he does miss, he finds a way to come away with that offensive rebound and put-back. It’s something we’ve got to get better at. Understanding that he’s the best in the world and so we gotta try to take something away.”
Jokic ended the night with 19 points (6-13 FG), 18 rebounds, and nine assists. It wasn’t a shining example of why Jokic deserves to be the MVP given the momentary struggles he had while matched up against sophomore Dereck Lively II, but his perseverance and ability to raise his teammates ensured that fourth quarter swung their way.
The Serbian center is averaging 31.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists this season, locked in a ferocious MVP battle against OKC Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
This was a hard-fought win for the Nuggets, who looked completely outmatched in the very first quarter, falling to a 32-17 deficit. They responded by outscoring Dallas 41-29 in the second quarter and heading into halftime down by just three. The third quarter went 28-21 in Dallas’ way, prompting the fourth-quarter avalanche where the Nuggets outscored the Mavs 33-12.
Jokic was supported by another great Russell Westbrook performance, with Westbrook putting up 21 points (10-17 FG), 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Jamal Murray had 17 points (7-18 FG) while Aaron Gordon returned from injury with 13 points (6-7 FG) and six rebounds off the bench.
The Mavericks were led by Klay Thompson’s 25 points (9-19 FG), with no other Maverick scoring 20 points. Naji Marshall (7-12) and Spender Dinwiddie both had 16 points, with Dinwiddie also dishing out 10 assists.
Unfortunately, the lack of offensive creation with both Doncic and Irving out led to the Mavericks sinking in the fourth quarter.
This win helped the Nuggets improve to 23-15, with an improving regular season record likely bringing Jokic back into the lead of the MVP race as his statistics continue to be mind-boggling. The Mavericks fall to 22-17, trying to hold their spot in the middle of the West while their stars heal up.
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