Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Nuggets take over in the fourth quarter in Dallas, winning the first game of the miniseries

The Nuggets went down big multiple times but emerged victorious in Aaron Gordon’s return. They shoot poorly from deep, but got what they wanted at the rim. And Nikola Jokić and Russell Westbrook recorded double-doubles. 

“We could not make a three tonight,” Malone said after the game. “We only made seven, 22%. But we did outscore them 27-8 [in second-chance points], we did outscore them 68-40 in the paint, and as I mentioned pregame, that’s kind of our recipe…”

The Mavericks were without Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić, but that didn’t stop them from putting the Nuggets on their back foot early in Dallas. The visitors started, making two of nine shots, and their defense offered no resistance in transition or the half-court. Coach Michael Malone called the first time out as his squad was down 14-3 after four minutes.

Yet, the Nuggets’ offense stayed in cement as Jokić, Michael Porter Jr. and Gordon were the only ones to log multiple field goals, and the team committed four turnovers because of poor handling and a bad pass. On the other side, the Wild Horses briefly extended their lead to 17 points, ending the quarter up 32-17.

Then Gordon, Westbrook, DeAndre Jordan and Julian Strawther powered an 11-7 run. In the frame, the defense was slow to get to outside shooters, but it was sharp protecting the paint. And when Jokić checked back in, the squad went on a 24-17 burst.

At halftime, the Nuggets were down 61-58. The team had 34 paint points, 11 on the break, 18 via second chances, 11 off turnovers and 20 from the bench. 

The Mavericks had 20 paint points, 10 on the breaks two via second chances, 15 off turnovers and 19 from the bench. 

Subsequently, the Nuggets took their first lead of the game on a putback by Christian Braun a minute into the third quarter. But it lasted about 13 seconds as Derek Lively II and Naji Marshall countered with three close-range buckets. This upset Malone, causing him to call another timeout, but another Dallas avalanche followed. 

The team was down 19 points with five minutes left after Thompson nailed his second trey of the period. But Jamal Murray scored in transition and hit a turnaround jumper over Jaden Hardy. 

The fourth started with the Nuggets down 89-79. Murray and AG took over, adding two mid-range jumpers and two triples, cutting the deficit to two. After Dallas’ timeout, Murray captured Denver’s second lead, hitting a jumper with contact and downing a freebie. And Westbrook took the team’s third and final lead on a fastbreak layup. After that, a 9-3 Denver run was the knockout blow.

The Nuggets won 112-101. They outscored the Mavericks on the break 24-16 and outrebounded them by 18.

Malone said at the postgame presser he gave his defensive player of the game award to Westbrook. 

Takeaways:

• Jokić is still affected by his illness, but he put up a Sombor double of 19 points on six of 13 attempts, with 18 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and four turnovers. He scored on post-ups, one jumper, a putback and on freebies. All of his field goals were logged at five feet and closer.

• Murray was having an off game as his jumper was off target until late in the third quarter. The knee is still bothering him. Malone said he is not 100% healthy and thought about shutting him down at halftime. He added, “This team will not go anywhere if Jamal Murray doesn’t play the way we know he is capable of playing.”

• Gordon didn’t miss a beat in his comeback. He made five jump shots from short-mid to long-range and spun into the lane for a powerful dunk. Malone said after the game Gordon was outstanding while on a minute restriction. He played 18 minutes.

• Westbrook had his second-straight game with at least 20 points (21), plus added 10 rebounds and seven assists. Dallas couldn’t stop him from entering the paint in transition or the half-court.

• Denver’s attack was in the half-court 74.6% of the time. They scored 84.7 points per 100 plays, good enough for the 20th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.