DENVER _ Dwight Powell made his season debut, but understandably showed rust. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis never got going offensively.
Yet the Mavericks, with, remarkably, nine players scoring in double figures, pulled out a gritty 109-106 victory over Denver Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center.
Doncic (12 points) made a floater in the lane with 47 seconds left to account for the final score, and the Mavericks (3-1) withstood Doncic missing a pair of free-throws with 26 seconds left and 4-of-10 free-throw shooting as a team in the fourth quarter.
"It just shows you how deep we are," said Mavericks forward Dorian-Finney Smith, who scored 12 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers in the third quarter. "Whenever anybody's name is called, they're ready to play."
On a night when Doncic and Porzingis shot a combined 7 of 29 from the field, the Mavericks broke a six-game losing streak at Pepsi Center.
"They (the Nuggets) were locked into those guys," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "Luka and K.P. are going to be at the top of everybody's gameplan list, with a mixture of double-teams, physical defenders.
"You name it, plus the kitchen sink, that's what's going to be thrown at those guys. This is another growth game for us because on a night when our two best players weren't having great offensive nights, the bench picked us up and then the defense is what closed the game for us."
One game after losing a pivotal coach's challenge in Sunday's 2-point home loss to Portland, the Mavericks got a key replay-overturn when Maxi Kleber's block of a Jamal Murray layup with 1:05 left was deemed legal, not goaltending as originally called.
Powell, meanwhile, made his season debut _ and not a moment too soon if you ask Carlisle.
"We've really missed him," Carlisle said.
The setting, Pepsi Center, at altitude, against an unbeaten Denver team that made last season's Western Conference semifinals, wasn't ideal, but the Mavericks have been anxious to incorporate projected starting center Powell into the lineup.
Tuesday's results were mixed. In 13 minutes, all during the first half, Powell scored four points, pulled down four rebounds and the Mavericks were plus-four while he was on the court.
During the 6:21 he was on the court in the opening quarter, however, the Mavericks were outscored by 10, but Powell fared much better while playing with the second unit that overcame an 11-point Nuggets lead and pulled the Mavericks within 61-60 at halftime.
One Powell sequence stood out: Left in the game by Carlisle after getting whistled for his third foul, Powell soared into the lane to snare an offensive rebound, passed the ball outside and got a return pass from Jalen Brunson for a dunk.
Carlisle said before the game that Powell's minutes would be limited due to Denver's altitude, which explains why he didn't play in the second half.
"We know he's going to help us," Carlisle said. "We really need help at both ends. As well as we've played during stretches offensively, you can always do better. And defensively is where we need a lift.
"We need his power. We need his force. We need his energy."
Powell's return occurred 24 days after he strained his left hamstring on Oct. 5, the fifth day of training camp, causing him to miss all five preseason games and the first three regular-season games.
The Mavericks this summer signed Powell to a three-year, $33 million contract extension, adding to the $10.3 million he makes this season.
Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson on the eve of training camp told The News that Powell is "a really important piece for us moving forward," adding "He's the ultimate teammate. He'll take the charge, get the hard rebound. He knows exactly how to play with teammates."
The Mavericks coaching staff appreciates Powell's ability to rim-protect as well as guard stretch-fours and stretch-fives on the perimeter.
Defensively and offensively, the organization believes Powell's skills complement those of Kristaps Porzingis, with both players having interchangeability between the center and power forward positions.
"Obviously Rick is in charge of those decisions," Nelson said, "but he (Powell) is in a lot of respects the quintessential running mate for K.P."
