DALLAS, TEXAS – The Mavericks were extremely close to securing a second comeback win against the Nuggets, but couldn’t pull out the win at home losing 117-113. For the Mavericks the way they started the game determined the outcome.
It was an up and down first quarter for the Mavericks only knocking down two out of eight shot attempts to start the game and the Nuggets took advantage of the poor shooting performance taking an early lead. The Mavericks struggled from beyond the arc in the first quarter converting on 1 out of their 6 attempts and put up a subpar defensive effort in the first quarter. By the will and strength of Luka Doncic in the scoring and distribution department, Dallas wasn’t far behind.
Luka Doncic either assisted or scored on most of the Mavericks first quarter possessions and finished the first quarter with 14 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and a block starting the night in great fashion on both ends of the floor. As a team, Dallas finished the quarter converting on 42% of their shots from the field and connected on all ten of their free throw attempts to keep the game within reach. The trend that has continued to haunt the Mavs appeared and the Mavericks ended another first quarter this season facing a deficit, trailing the Nuggets 38-31.
The Nuggets maintained their hefty lead and did so by way of the three ball knocking down four out of seven shots from beyond the arc. Despite being down, the Mavericks were able to hang around because of their better performance from the floor in the second quarter converting on 53% of their shots, but their defensive swagger never resonated or settled. The Mavericks trailed at the end of the half 70-58, but a Mavericks comeback was not too far-fetched since the Mavericks faced a similar deficit in their first matchup against the Nuggets.
The Mavericks offense got some breaks early in the third quarter when Paul Millsap missed two free throws after getting fouled. Dallas knocked down 4 out of their 5 shot attempts to start the quarter narrowing the Nuggets lead to 7 points. A big momentum shift came in the third quarter when the Mavericks forced two shot clock violations on defense and Dallas scored on the other end bringing the game to within 5 points. On the following possession the Nuggets started a small run scoring on two straight possessions to eventually increase their lead to 9 points.
A critical point in the game happened with 4:51 left in the third quarter when Jamal Murray appeared to hit Tim Hardaway Jr in the groin area which resulted in a flagrant penalty two foul and Murray was ejected from the game. Dallas parlayed Denver’s misfortune into a 12 point run led by Tim Hardaway Jr who scored 16 points to help the Mavericks take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the first quarter. Dallas played their best quarter of the night from the field knocking down 64% of their shots and finished with a 94-92 lead.
To start the fourth quarter the Mavericks only scored from the floor once after a James Johnson three leaving room for the Nuggets to attack and take a 102-97 lead. Shortly after, the Mavericks went on a scoring spree led by James Johnson who accounted for 7 of the Mavericks 10 fourth quarter points and hit a big time three pointer and easy lay in to tie the game 104-104. Michael Porter Jr secured a 30 point night and accounted for all of the Nuggets points on a 10-1 run to help them take a lead late. Luka scored two straight baskets for the Mavericks to bring the game within 4 points late and forced a late turnover to get the ball back, but it just wasn’t enough time for the Mavericks to pull off another thrilling comeback.
