The Dallas Mavericks dropped their fifth straight game Wednesday, falling 142-135 to the Denver Nuggets as Jamal Murray scored a season-high 53 points.
DENVER — The Dallas Mavericks trailed 127-126 against the Denver Nuggets with just over four minutes left, and Brandon Williams stepped to the line with a chance to tie the game. He missed both free throws, and Denver never looked back.
Jamal Murray scored a season-high 53 points, and Nikola Jokić recorded 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 19 assists as the Denver Nuggets held off the Dallas Mavericks 142-135 on Wednesday night at Ball Arena. Dallas lost its fifth consecutive game and has now dropped 24 of its last 28 games dating back to late January.
The Mavericks had given themselves a chance. Down 13 late in the third quarter, Dallas chipped away and pulled to 93-92, only for Jokić to take over the final three minutes of the period with six points and three assists, pushing the lead back to 11 heading into the fourth.
When Williams's free throws rattled out, the Nuggets went on a quick 11-2 run to close it out. Jokić hit an 8-foot floater, found Peyton Watson for a corner 3-pointer, and Murray knocked down a 3-pointer and a step-back jumper to make it 138-128 with little time remaining.
Murray was as good as anyone in the NBA has been this season. He finished 19-of-28 from the field and 9-of-14 from 3-point range, piling up 33 points before halftime alone. At one point in the first half, he scored 14 straight. His career high is 55 points.
Jokić hit a quieter milestone in the second quarter, dishing an assist to Murray with 4:56 left in the half for the 6,000th of his career. He entered the night at 5,992.
Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, adding six rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes. Naji Marshall scored 22, going 7-of-17 with seven made free throws. Klay Thompson finished with 11 points off the bench. The Mavericks shot 49% from the field but went only 12-of-35 from 3-point range and committed just four turnovers, which wasn't enough against a Denver offense that shot 56% and 50% from deep.
P.J. Washington added a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double, and Max Christie scored 9 points in the starting lineup. Dallas finished 27-of-34 at the free throw line.
The loss dropped the Mavericks to 23-50 on the season. Dallas has the second-worst record in the Western Conference and remains in the mix for lottery positioning with seven games left on the schedule.
Denver improved to 46-28 and is tied with Minnesota for fourth in the West, holding the tiebreaker by way of the season series against the Timberwolves.
Dallas visits Portland on Friday night.