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

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Denver Nuggets 123-120 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 took down Denver despite the return of Nikola Jokic after a short absence due to the birth of a child. Seemingly every Maverick that played contributed in some way to secure the win.

Things started off well, with Dallas leading after the first 33-31 and then exploding in the second quarter to outscore 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 sputtering offense.

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 seal the win. Naji Marshall was huge all night as well, as he came 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 second-half lead, but found themselves trailing by five points with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. All the good vibes from the first half were gone, and it looked like Denver was poised 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 on the other end, scoring 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 awfully small past Nikola Jokic. Dallas took advantage right of the gate, using Washington’s size and skill to score in the paint repeatedly, whether off post ups or Washington driving into the Nuggets smaller defenders and finishing over them. That happened again late in the fourth quarter, as Washington’s final bucket saw him driving over and past the small defender in Nuggets guard Jamal Murray.

Lively used his size more defensively than offensively — after a weird first three quarters that saw Lively in foul trouble again, he turned the energy up 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 defensive and just good enough offensive. They came through again tonight when Dallas needed them the most.

The bench stepped up

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

Even with Quintin Grimes being inserted into the starting lineup with Luka Doncic out due to a right wrist sprain, 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, and he even went 3-of-4 from three, snapping a cold streak that hadn’t seen him make a three pointer in almost three weeks. Fittingly enough Marshall’s first made three of the night was a wild, running three pointer at the shot clock buzzer — sometimes that’s all it takes to break out of a slump. Marshall then canned two more traditional three pointers after that, and sprinkled among those were his regular drives and floaters in the paint.

Marshall’s presence was huge, especially as Kyrie Irving looked gas 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 showcased the vision of what these Mavericks can do

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

Dallas went all in on defense last season, especially once 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 goal was simple, but difficult to pull off: maintain that defensive edge, but tune the dial so the offense doesn’t suffer as much. That’s why the Mavericks exchanged Jones, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Josh Green for Nashi Marshall, Klay Thompson, and Quintin Grimes.

Even with the sloppy second half, the vision was clear: Dallas finally has options. Without Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving struggling, the Mavericks still scored 66 points in the paint. 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 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 isn’t something previous Mavericks role players could do well. Bless Jones for all his contributions last season, but seeing Marshall score an important bucket late in a tight game by driving to the hoop really meant 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 once Doncic returns from injury and hopefully regains his shooting form.