The 10-piece breaks down 10 things to know from each of the Nuggets’ 82 regular season games. Today’s edition discusses the Nuggets’ 118-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
1. 45 points: This was an unbelievable Jamal Murray performance. 18-of-26 from the field and 5-of-9 from three. Murray had 32 points in the first half alone. He was absolutely scorching.
2. Murray isn’t “back” but that was still so much fun: He will still be inconsistent, but this was exactly what Nuggets fans needed to see from Murray. The ceiling remains intact. He can go to the next level. It was just his second 30-point game of the year.
3. Casual Jokic night: Nobody was happier than Jokic to see Murray going off. Jokic took seven shots, had 10 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, perhaps the most casual triple-double of his career.
4. Kyrie locked up: 11 points on 4-of-18 from the field in his return. Christian Braun can claim some credit there, as can Peyton Watson, Russell Westbrook, and even Jamal Murray. Nobody on the Mavericks scored over 13 points.
5. MPJ and Russ adjust: With Murray hot, Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook took fewer shots on purpose. They wanted to feed Murray while he had it going. Porter still found his looks, and Westbrook made an all-around impact as usual.
6. Bench up and down: DeAndre Jordan had some fun moments. So did Peyton Watson. Julian Strawther mostly got hunted defensively though, and Aaron Gordon shot just 2-of-9 from the field on some open jumpers. It didn’t end up mattering much, but it’s important to remember that the bench will still be inconsistent, especially with cramped spacing on offense.
7. Mavs remain a threat: Don’t be fooled. The Mavericks weren’t full strength in basically any of their matchups against Denver. When Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Dereck Lively are on the floor, the Mavericks have a +21.8(!) Net Rating in roughly 400 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass. They can be elite on both ends of the floor, and Lively has the size to battle Jokic.
8. Two bits of history: Jokic became the fastest player in NBA history to achieve 15,000 points, 7,500 rebounds, and 5,000 assists, doing so in 709 games. Larry Bird was the next fastest. He did it in close to 800 games, about a full season’s worth...Also, Murray became the first player in NBA history to score 45+ points when nobody else on either team scored at least 15 points. Wild.
9. HUGE pivot point: The Nuggets end up winning the season series 3-1 against the Mavericks. That tiebreaker could have massive ramifications for playoff seeding in about three months.
10. Up Next: The Nuggets play a back-to-back tonight against the 2-seed Houston Rockets. This is a massive matchup, so let’s see if Denver can keep up their undefeated streak on SEGABABAs.
