It took eight games, and a thrilling second half and overtime on Thursday night, but the Dallas Mavericks finally have their first winning streak of the season.
Behind Luka Doncic, and big late contributions from Maxi Kleber and Josh Richardson, Dallas pulled out a 124-117 over Denver at At Ball Arena.
Doncic dominated with 38 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds, including nine points in overtime, as the Mavericks pulled themselves to the .500 mark (at 4-4).
Richardson scored five of his 14 points in overtime and the Mavericks overcame a 38-point, 11-rebound performance by Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
Kleber broke out of a scoring slumber at the perfect time for the Mavericks, making 3 3-pointers in the final 3:56 of regulation after going scoreless for 45 minutes over two games, both starts.
Kleber’s third trey gave the Mavericks a 109-107 lead with 2.4 seconds left in regulation, but after a timeout Jokic took the inbounds pass and sent the game into overtime with a 19-footer.
Jamal Murray scored 21 points for the Nuggets, but only six after the first period. His missed jumper with 10 seconds left gave Dallas one last possession in regulation, trailing 107-106, and Kleber’s dagger briefly gave Dallas the lead.
Doncic’s late offensive heroics came on a night when he committed seven turnovers, including travels on consecutive possessions with Dallas trailing 94-92.
Barely 24 hours after rioting at the Capitol rocked America, both teams before the game locked arms, kneeled in a circle at midcourt and bowed their heads during the national anthem.
“We’re getting ready to play a really good Dallas team,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said before the game. “Forget their record. They’re a really good team with a great player in Luka Doncic.
“But there are so many other emotions that I’m sure all of us are feeling right now. Not just us and our players, you guys (reporters), as well.”
Both teams started sluggishly, but the momentum turned against the Mavericks in the waning seconds of the first quarter. Officials reversed a foul call against Murray with 3.2 seconds left was reversed, then he made a buzzer-beating 32-footer to give Denver a 28-22 lead.
The Mavericks trailed 52-43 at halftime, and it was a wonder they were that “close.”
At that point they had committed nine turnovers, four of them by Doncic, leading to 14 Nuggets points. And the Mavericks were an unsightly 4-of-21 on 3-point attempts.
The Mavericks, though, heated up in the third quarter, outscoring Denver 33-26, with Hardaway scoring eight points in the period and Dorian Finney-Smith chipping in six points.
With starting center Willie Cauley-Stein in foul trouble, the Mavericks got a major contribution from Boban Marjanovich. Marjanovich, remember, last season rocked the Nuggets for 31 points and 17 rebounds on March 11, the night before the league’s coronvarius hiatus began.
