Ryan Nembhard, Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis powered Dallas past Jokic's Nuggets as the Mavs finally stack wins and force hard questions about this roster.
The Dallas Mavericks walked into Denver on Monday night, supposedly searching for a "good loss." Instead, they walked out with their first winning streak of the season and a 131–121 scalp of one of the NBA's heavyweight contenders.
It looked like the usual Mile High massacre early. Denver hung 41 points on Dallas in the first quarter and led by 14, cruising toward a blowout while the Mavericks played like they were still stuck in customs. Then Ryan Nembhard happened.
On a two-way contract and supposedly fighting just to stay in the rotation, Nembhard went nuclear in the second quarter, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 in the frame and injecting actual juice into an offense that’s too often looked lifeless. By halftime, the Mavs had flipped the script and grabbed the lead.
The third quarter turned into a heavyweight exchange. Neither team led by more than four, with seven lead changes and five ties as Nikola Jokic started methodically stacking his usual cheat code stat line.
But every Nuggets push met a Mavs answer, and when the fourth quarter opened, Dallas' kids decided it was time to grow up.
Nembhard and fellow rookie Cooper Flagg led an 11–0 blitz that effectively ended the night.
Nembhard finished with 28 points on a ridiculous 12-of-14 shooting and 10 assists with zero turnovers. On a roster allegedly loaded with guards, he looked like the only true point guard on the floor. Cut someone, trade someone, whatever ... this guy needs to stay.
Flagg wasn't far behind, posting 24 points and 8 boards while looking every bit like a future franchise pillar, not just a hyped prospect.
And while the rookies stole the vibes, Anthony Davis quietly reminded everyone he's still a monster when used correctly. Back at center, where he should have been all along, Davis put up 32 points and 13 rebounds, battling Jokic possession after possession.
Jokic still got his 29 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists, and Spencer Jones nearly matched him with an almost-30 piece of his own, but Denver never recovered from that early Mavericks haymaker in the fourth.
Add in Klay Thompson finally rediscovering his stroke, 5 points with three more triples a night after dropping 23, and this didn't feel like a fluky upset.
For the first time all season, the Mavs looked like a dangerous basketball team instead of just a collection of names.