Key stats from the Mavericks’ gutsy 123-120 win at the Denver Nuggets

The Dallas Mavericks (9-7) showed a little backbone in crunch time on Friday, posting a 123-120 victory over the Denver Nuggets (8-6) at Ball Arena. Sure, the Mavericks blew a 24-point lead in the process, but they didn’t fold, even without Luka Dončić, who missed the game with a sprained wrist.

Dereck Lively II blocked two big shots in the game’s final two minutes to help PJ Washington on a late 9-0 Mavs run to preserve the victory. Naji Marshall led seven Mavericks scorers in double figures with 26 points in the win, but Washington also struggled down the stretch, finishing the night with 22 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in the loss.

Here are five statistics that tell the story of what happened in Denver on Friday night.

7-of-9: Quentin Grimes’ and PJ Washington’s shooting start

Playing without the safety net that is Dončić, scoring had to come from somewhere for the Mavericks. As they have done a few times before this season, the Mavs force-fed Washington in the post early in the first. He made his first three shot attempts on two post-up opportunities against smaller Denver defenders and a mid-range banker that gave the Mavs an early 9-3 advantage just two and a half minutes in. Quentin Grimes took Dončić’s place in the starting lineup and promptly hit his first two 3-point attempts to put some early pressure on Denver’s home court.

Kyrie Irving found Grimes’ streak in transition for an easy dunk that put Dallas up 18-9 with just under seven minutes left in the first. Grimes hit his fourth straight shot attempt to start the game less than two minutes later, a mid-range jumper with a hand in the face that kept the Mavericks ahead, 22-15 at the time.

Grimes led all scorers with 10 points in the first, but Denver chipped away at the lead in the final four minutes of the frame and Dallas led 33-31 after one.

15-2: Mavs’ late run in the second quarter

Irving and Naji Marshall ignited a 15-2 Mavericks run as the second quarter closed to give Dallas some breathing room before halftime. Jokic scored underneath after rebounding his own miss over Lively to pull the Nuggets within 47-44 midway through the second, but Irving and Marshall combined for 17 of the game’s next 20 points as the Mavs built their lead to as many as 19 points. Irving’s drive down the court with 2:19 left in the first half gave the Mavericks a 63-46 lead. Marshall kept Dallas’ momentum going about a minute later with a tough drive in transition through multiple Denver defenders to give the Mavs a 67-49 advantage.

Irving and Marshall each scored 15 in the first half, while Jokic led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Nuggets. The Mavs scored 40 in the second quarter and led 73-53 at halftime. The second quarter was the second time Dallas has scored 40 or more in a quarter this season.

13-of-15: Dallas’ first-half shooting in the restricted area

Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

No matter how you look at it, Dallas was dominant inside the first half. It would be a very repeatable way to win if the Mavs choose to repeat the effort soon. There was a concerted effort by everyone to get to the rim, whether it was in the transition or half court offense.

The Mavs shot 13-of-15 in the restricted area in the first half in Denver. They outscored the Nuggets 44-20 in the paint in the first half as well. It wasn’t just Lively and Daniel Gafford who partied in the middle either. Seven of Irving’s 12 shot attempts in the first half came at or near the rim. Marshall and Washington got involved and consistently got shots in the lane, if not right at the rim. That was a big part of the reason the Mavericks shot 30-of-49 (61.2%) from the field in the first half.

27-6: Denver’s run in the third quarter powered by Michael Porter Jr.

Dallas held Michael Porter Jr. to just four points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half. Without Aaron Gordon (calf strain) in the lineup, Porter Jr.’s lack of production was no small part of what set Denver back in the first half.

He hit a finger roll in the lane and a mid-court step-back on back-to-back possessions early in the quarter before driving through the teeth of the Dallas defense for a dunk and following it up with a long 3-pointer. next down to bring the Nuggets within 81-69 midway through the third. It all stretched to an excruciating 27-6 Nuggets run that brought Denver all the way back to within six, down just 83-77 after Jokic’s layup with 3:29 left in the third. Porter Jr. scored 11 on 5-of-6 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point range) in the quarter, and the Mavs led 95-89 heading into the fourth.

26: Naji Marshall, a career-high scoring night

Marshall provided the big bucket the Mavericks needed time and time again down the stretch. He never shied away from the big moment and showed that ability to get into the lane and score on tough leaners. He weaved through the Denver defense and finished with a high banker late in the shot clock with 20 seconds left to give the Mavs a 119-115 lead. That basket also gave Marshall another career night with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

He wasn’t just a dead-end threat, either. After missing his last 14 3-point attempts entering the game, Marshall hit 3-of-4 from distance in the win over the Nuggets. The Dallas bench outscored the Denver bench 57-24 behind Marshall’s 26 in the win.

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