The Dallas Mavericks (7-15), played their best game of the season to date in Monday’s 131-121 win over the Denver Nuggets (14-6) at Ball Arena.
Here are three stats (or quasi-stats) that stood out as key ingredients in the back-and-forth battle in the Mile High City.
2: Mavericks opening day starters still starting on Monday
That’s the number of opening night starters the Dallas Mavericks were able to field in Monday’s starting five against the Denver Nuggets, and Anthony Davis only just recently became available to suit up for the Mavs after another 14-game absence due to a calf injury.
Some of the names on Dallas’s injury list for the Nuggets game included P.J. Washington (ankle), Daniel Gafford (ankle) and Dereck Lively (foot). Outside of Davis, who is obviously the most forceful defensive presence on the team (when healthy) Dallas was without three of their other four most defensively capable players. Thankfully, Naji Marshall was healthy and did play. Fortunately for Dallas, Davis provided an offensive spark in the first half, producing 21 points in just under 17 minutes. He helped the team battle in the paint enough for the defense to keep them in the game.
41 and 42 points: Denver’s first quarter, Dallas’ second-quarter scoring
The first half was comprised of identically dominant quarters, with Denver’s first-quarter dominance see-sawing into Dallas’ second-quarter brilliance. The Nuggets scored 41 points in the first quarter before the Mavs one-upped the home team with 42 points in the second quarter. Both teams scored 27 points in the quarters they lost.
With Dallas’ thin roster, they needed some help from anyone and everyone tonight. Ryan Nembhard answered the call in the second and third quarters after a scoreless first. He shot 5-of-6 from the field in just under 17 minutes in the first half and was instrumental to Dallas’s pivotal 18-2 second-quarter run that brought them back into the mix after a slow start. He went on to score a season- and career-high 28 points as he continues to prove his worth on an injury-prone Mavericks’ roster.
After the rough first quarter, Dallas took over the second by beating Denver in transition and outpacing them. The Mavs are currently ranked fifth in the league in pace. That speed certainly helps when the shots are falling. To make it even smoother sailing for Dallas, Denver struggled defensively in the second, perhaps an effect of their decision to rest Jokic for a good chunk after they’d hopped out to that 41-27 lead after one. Jokic came into the game listed as questionable with a wrist injury.
Overall, this was a high scoring game, with both teams struggling on defense at times, and both riding peaks on the offensive end. It’s not a surprise that the final stat below would play a deciding factor in this game that had a combined 252 points.
51.6%: Mavericks’ 3-point shooting
As expected, Nikola Jokic put together another masterclass in combined effectiveness. He finished with 29 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists. Good god, man.
But Dallas’s 3-point shooting, much to everyone’s surprise, put Monday’s win away. Dallas went 16-of-31 (51.6%) from distance to stun the Nuggets and hand them their fourth straight loss at home. Monday night was perhaps Dallas’s finest performance of the season thus far, with strong offensive performances from Cooper Flagg (24 points, eight rebounds), Anthony Davis (32 points, 13 boards), Ryan Nembhart (28 points, 10 assists) and Klay Thompson (15 points, five rebounds).
Granted, Denver was without two of its better defenders — with Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Christian Braun (ankle) both nursing injuries — but Dallas also showed up and showed out, with several guys putting their stamp on a major win.