Anthony Davis delivered his best performance of the season with 32 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 131–121 win over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. It was just his second game back after missing 14 contests, and he looked every bit like the All-NBA force Dallas expected.
Ryan Nembhard turned in a breakout performance with career highs of 28 points and 10 assists, while fellow rookie Cooper Flagg added 24. The Mavs stayed hot from deep all night, knocking down 16-of-31 from beyond the arc and winning back-to-back games for the first time this season.
The loss extended Denver’s home skid to four games, three of them against teams below .500, and overshadowed a brilliant night from Nikola Jokić, who posted his 11th triple-double of the season with 29 points, a season-high 20 rebounds, and 13 assists. Spencer Jones added a career-high 28.
The shorthanded Nuggets were dealt another blow when Jamal Murray left the game early in the third quarter. He returned briefly but did not play in the fourth.
Denver led by 17 in the first half, but the Mavericks stormed back with a 42–27 second-quarter surge—the third time in six home quarters the Nuggets have allowed 41-plus. The game remained tight until Dallas erupted late, turning a four-point deficit with 9:31 remaining into an 18–5 run that pushed the lead to 129–117 with 1:29 left. During the stretch, Denver went ice cold, missing 10 straight shots, six from three, before Peyton Watson finally broke the drought.
Dallas slammed the door from there, securing one of its most complete wins of the season.
Up next:
Mavericks: Host the Heat on Wednesday.
Nuggets: Open a four-game road trip Wednesday in Indiana.
