Irving scored 43 points in the air and missed a three-point shootout Jokic's 136th triple-double, and the Nuggets beat the Mavericks in double figures

On November 11, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA regular season continued, with Porter Jr.'s 6.5-second throwing hit and Irving's missed three-point shot, the Nuggets finally narrowly defeated the Mavericks 122-120, the Mavericks suffered 2 consecutive defeats, and the Nuggets ushered in 5 consecutive wins.

Statistics

Mavericks: Doncic 24 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, Irving slashed 43 points; Klay Thompson scored just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting and 1-of-6 three-pointers

Nuggets: Jokic had 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists, the 136th triple-double of his career, just two short of Magic Johnson (138), who ranked third in the NBA league's overall triple-double list; Jamal Murray had 18 points and Westbrook had six points, four rebounds and five assists

Background

The Mavericks haven't lived up to expectations and are currently in 10th place in the West with a 5-4 record. Injuries have been a big factor in the team's performance, with the likes of Derrick Lively II (shoulder), Maxi Kleber (hamstring) and PJ Washington (knee) all missing the team's last game against the Suns. In addition, the inaction of the bench players was also a factor in the team's loss, with the Mavericks bench adding up to just nine points in the 113-114 loss to the Suns, forcing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to play more than 40 minutes. After the game, coach Kidd also criticised the substitutes. Injuries and substitutions weren't the only things Kidd was worried about – the team's slow start was also a problem. In their last game against the Suns, the Mavericks trailed by 13 points at halftime and didn't equalize until near the end of the game. In this regard, Kidd bluntly said that the team must resolve this problem, and the players must show some vitality.

The Nuggets got off to a slow start to the season, but are back on track, winning four in a row after beating the Heat 135-122 in their last game, and winning six of their last seven games, leaving the team in fifth place in the West with a 6-3 record. What's even better for the Nuggets is that Jamal Murray, who missed three games due to a concussion, has returned. With Murray's containment, Jokic has also played more calmly, averaging 28.9 points (fifth in the scoring list), 13.2 rebounds (first in the rebounding list) and 11.3 assists (first in the assist list) per game so far this season.

Game recap

With only 14 seconds to play, Murray hit 2+1 on Irving, and Porter Jr. scored 6 points alone, and the Nuggets got off to an excellent start of 11-3 at home. Gafford dunked and Irving's layup didn't disrupt the Nuggets' offensive rhythm, and under Jokic's instigation, Murray and Watson sent the ball to the basket one after another, and the Nuggets still held a nine-point lead. Klay's jumper opened the Mavericks' scoring mode, and after a 6-0 offensive wave, the Mavericks chased the score to 13-16. The Nuggets immediately called a stoppage, and the game restarted, Jokic first hit a three-pointer, Porter Jr. followed up with 7 consecutive points (he has scored 13 points in a single quarter), Watson and others also made contributions, and the Nuggets led 32-23. However, in the final 2:42 of the quarter, the Nuggets scored just one goal by Jokic. At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets led the Mavericks 35-29.

In the second quarter, Doncic advanced to the front court with the ball and made a decisive shot, hitting a long-range three-point shot steadily, and under his leadership, with a wave of 11-4 counterattacks, the Mavericks overtook 40-39. Strawther's three-pointer and Westbrook's layup couldn't stop the Mavericks. When the Mavericks extended their advantage to four points, Watson and Jokic hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Nuggets 54-50 back to regain the advantage. At the critical moment, Irving's pull-up jumper helped the Mavericks stabilize their position, and then Irving gave Braun a hot pot shot. In the final four minutes of the quarter, Irving became the team's main point of attack, scoring seven points on consecutive free throws to help the Mavericks lead the Nuggets 63-60 at the end of the first half.

When the Nuggets took the lead 68-66, Irving immediately stepped up and scored five goals to help the Mavericks regain a three-point lead. At the critical moment, Jokic scored six points on consecutive free throws, and then assisted Strauser to hit a three-pointer, and the Nuggets once again took a 90-83 lead. The Mavericks immediately called a timeout, and after the game restarted, Doncic put the ball into the basket in quick succession, but Jokic responded immediately. The Mavericks relied on Klay's three-pointer to tie the score at 94-97 at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, the unstoppable Irving continued to bomb the basket and hit three consecutive three-pointers into the net, and the Mavericks took a 105-102 lead. At the critical moment, Murray scored two goals in a row, and the Nuggets regained a one-point lead. After the Mavericks came back from a timeout, Irving hit another three-pointer from the outside, but Jokic immediately led a 7-0 offensive run that put the Nuggets up 113-108. As the leader, Doncic did not show weakness, scoring 5 points in a row, and the Mavericks tied the score at 113. The two sides are going back and forth, and they are inseparable. At 2 minutes and 41 seconds, Murray caused Doncic to foul on the outside, and the Mavericks immediately challenged, and the referee upheld the original decision after reviewing the video, and Murray made only 1 of 3 free throws. Irving scored back-to-back balls, but Jokic responded immediately, and the game was tied at 120 with 49 seconds. With Porter Jr.'s 6.5-second throw, the Nuggets narrowly won.

Both sides start

Mavericks: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and Naji Marshall

Nuggets: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Payton Watson, Michael Porter Jr., Christian Braun