Denver Nuggets polish off Mavericks
LOS ANGELES: Nikola Jokic made a clutch go-ahead layup with eight seconds left and finished with 33 points as the Denver Nuggets outduelled Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks 107-106 on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
Jokic also had seven assists while American Jerami Grant scored 15 points and Canada’s Jamal Murray chipped in 14 in the matchup of two of the top young teams in the NBA’s Western Conference.
“We lost one at home against them before. It was long time ago but we wanted to get this game back. We needed a lot of focus and a lot of energy because it is the last game of our road trip,” said Serbia’s Jokic.
Slovenia’s Doncic flirted with a triple double, finishing with 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Dwight Powell, of Canada, scored 16, Tim Hardaway added 15, Seth Curry 14 and German forward Maxi Kleber had 13 for the Mavericks.
Dallas played its fifth straight game without injured starter Kristaps Porzingis, who has a knee injury. The Nuggets were without two starters, guard Will Barton (personal reasons) and Paul Millsap (knee).
Dorian Finney-Smith nailed a three pointer and Hardaway hit a basket to give Dallas a 106-101 lead late in the fourth.
Jokic then made a shot in the lane and Grant drained two free throws to make it 106-105 with 87 seconds remaining.
Denver got the ball back with 23 seconds left. Jokic drove for a layup with eight seconds left.
The Mavericks called a timeout, but the Nuggets trapped Doncic to force him to pass, and the defense prevented Dallas from getting a shot off before the final buzzer.
Jokic said they won because they were able to keep the ball out of Doncic’s hands at the end of the game.
Also, Serge Ibaka sank a pair of free throws with five seconds left in overtime to lift the shorthanded Toronto Raptors to a 112-110 victory against the Charlotte Hornets.
In Indianapolis, Jimmy Butler returned from a one game absence due to a back problem to finish with 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the Miami Heat’s 122-108 win over the host Indiana Pacers.
AFP