Denver Nuggets (46-28) beat Dallas Mavericks (23-50) 142-135 at home on Wednesday, March 25 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 277 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets had the better start, winning the first 34-33 to lead by 1 after one. The Nuggets kept the pressure on with a 34-26 second quarter, carrying a 9-point lead into halftime.
The Nuggets won the third 43-41 to create some separation, taking a 11-point lead into the fourth. The Mavericks took the fourth 35-31; the Nuggets held on for a 142-135 regulation win.
What decided it
The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 66.9% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.7% for the Mavericks. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Mavericks did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 3.8 against 8.5. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 106 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 134.1 points per 100 possessions to 127.5 for the Mavericks.
Who made the difference
Jamal Murray was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 53 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast on 19-28 shooting. His Game Score of 41.6 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 26 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast on 10-18 shooting, good for a 27 Game Score.
Nikola Jokic (23 pts, 21 reb, 19 ast) and P.J. Washington (19 pts, 15 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Nuggets about a 88% chance.
Across the last 7 meetings in our records, Denver Nuggets lead 4-3.
The Nuggets are now 46-28, and the Mavericks are 23-50. The Nuggets last five before this game: W-L-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.