Mavericks vs Nuggets Recap: Mavericks win 123-120 in Denver

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Denver Nuggets 123-120 on Friday night in Denver in what is probably the most impressive win so far for the Mavericks this season.

Without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving struggling in the second half, Dallas downed Denver despite Nikola Jokic’s return from a brief absence due to the birth of a child. Seemingly every Maverick who played contributed in some way to secure the win.

Things started well, with Dallas leading after the first 33-31 and then exploding in the second quarter, outscoring Denver 40-22. Dallas dominated most of the first half through its size, scoring in the paint and controlling the paint defensively despite Jokic’s presence.

As great as the first half was, most of the second half was the complete opposite. Dallas built its lead to 24 points early in the third quarter, but the Nuggets roared back behind Jokic and the Mavericks’ offensive sputtering.

Irving struggled to get anything going for most of the third and fourth quarters, but the Mavericks combination of PJ Washington and Dereck Lively made plays on both ends of the floor to secure the win. Naji Marshall was also big all night, coming off the bench to score a team-high 26 points. Washington finished with 22 points.

Here are our thoughts.

PJ Washington, Dereck Lively saved the day

The Mavericks not only gave up a 24-point lead in the second half, but found themselves trailing by five points with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter. All the good vibes from the first half were gone and it looked like Denver was ready to take it home. That’s when the Mavericks’ starting frontcourt of PJ Washington and Dereck Lively went to work.

Lively controlled the game at the rim, blocking two shots in the final minutes, while Washington picked up the slack at the other end and scored crucial buckets near the rim to help the Mavericks retake the lead.

With Aaron Gordon still out with injury for the Nuggets, Denver’s frontcourt is woefully short past Nikola Jokic. Dallas took advantage right out of the gate, using Washington’s size and skill to score in the paint repeatedly, whether it was off post ups or Washington driving into the Nuggets’ smaller defenders and finishing over them. It happened again late in the fourth quarter, when Washington’s final bucket saw him drive over and past the diminutive defender of Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.

Lively used his size more defensively than offensively – after a strange first three quarters where Lively again got into foul trouble, he turned up the energy in the fourth quarter, especially down the stretch. Lively blocked two shots and battled on the glass, changing the momentum of the game for the Mavericks in the final moments.

The Washington/Lively duo has been killer for the Mavericks all season, stingy defensively and just as good offensively. They came through again tonight when Dallas needed them the most.

The bench rose

While it’s not that hard to show up on the Nuggets bench, one of the worst benches in the entire league, it was still fun to see the Mavericks bench play well – led by Naji Marshall’s 26 points.

Even though Quintin Grimes was inserted into the starting lineup with Luka Doncic out with a sprained right wrist, the Mavericks bench still scored a whopping 57 points – led by Marshall’s 26, Daniel Gafford’s 13 and Spencer Dinwiddie’s 10.

It was Marshall who really impressed, even going 3-of-4 from three, snapping a hot streak that hadn’t seen him make a three-pointer in nearly three weeks. Fittingly, Marshall’s first three of the night was a wild, driving three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer — sometimes that’s all it takes to break out of a slump. Marshall then conserved two more traditional three-sticks after that, and among these sprinkled his regular drives and floats in the paint.

Marshall’s presence was huge, especially when Kyrie Irving looked gassed in the fourth quarter. Dallas having another player they feel comfortable handling the ball makes such a big difference when the Mavericks are shorthanded.

This game showed the vision of what these Mavericks can do

The first half for Dallas was the most dominant half they have played all season, considering the opposition. It showed the vision of what the Mavericks front office has for this team — maintaining the dominant, physical defense of a season ago, but paired with a more balanced offensive approach.

Dallas went all-in on defense last season, especially when they started Derrick Jones Jr., but seemingly hit the limit of what that type of roster could do when they lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Dallas’ offseason goals was simple but hard to achieve: keep the defensive edge but adjust the dial so the offense doesn’t suffer as much. Therefore, the Mavericks traded Jones, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green out with Nashi Marshall, Klay Thompson and Quintin Grimes.

Even with the sluggish second half, the vision was clear: Dallas finally has options. Without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving struggling, the Mavericks still scored 66 points. The offensive versatility of this roster is off the charts compared to what the Mavericks were working with a season ago. Marshall, Grimes and Thompson all add more dimensions to what the Mavericks can do offensively, and the defense hasn’t dropped off too much. Thompson was 0-for-8 from the field, but still a positive on the floor thanks to his floor gravity. Marshall led the team in scoring by dribbling the ball toward the basket, which sounds silly, but it’s not something former Mavericks role players could do well. Bless Jones for all of his contributions last season, but watching Marshall score a key bucket late in a close game driving to the hoop really spoke to why the Mavericks prioritized him in free agency. Grimes did a little bit of everything – he had a good score in transition, he made two three pointers and kept the ball pinging. Meanwhile, you still had Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively eating up most of the paint on both ends of the floor like a season ago. That’s what this front office wanted, and it should only continue to look better as Doncic returns from injury and hopefully regains his shooting form.