The Denver Nuggets came into tonight looking to sweep their five game homestand. In their way was the reigning Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks were missing several key rotation players but nobody told Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving that they were supposed to lose. Kyrie had an unconscious shooting night while Luka had a somehow quiet 24/9/9 line. Nikola Jokic was anything but quiet on the other side with a monster triple double once again. The game came right down to the final possession but the Nuggets find a way and finish perfect on their homestand with a 122-120 victory.

The Mavericks were a bit cold to start the game and that let Michael Porter Jr. lead a rally to grab an early lead. Jamal Murray also chipped in while the Mavs shot a lot of threes that were finding iron. They started to attack the basket more and that coupled with some sloppy play from the Nuggets got Dallas on a run to close the gap. Porter remained hot halfway though the quarter and after a timeout he built Denver’s lead back up. They maintained a near double digit advantage heading into the back end of the quarter with the subs checking in. On the Dallas side Irving was doing most of the damage. Jokic also had a great quarter but the Nuggets got a bit sloppy right at the end and after one only led 35-29.

Jokic started the second quarter on the bench and the game was very dysfunctional. Lots of turnovers and missed opportunities. It was not great minutes for Zeke Nnaji who looked lost on defense and more than once that resulted in his man getting an easy opportunity under the bucket. The Mavs came back to tie the game with the bench struggling and Michael Malone took a timeout. They were still struggling coming out of the TO but rallied to take the lead back before Jokic checked back in at the halfway point. Denver held serve after that with Jokic settling everything down and setting up his teammates. Coming down the stretch they got a little out of control though with the refs swallowing their whistles. That let Dallas take the lead back and at the half the Mavs led 63-60.

Denver hit some shots to start the second half but continued to have defensive lapses as well, Daniel Gafford in particular seemed to always find himself right under the basket with no one defending him. Christian Braun started working a two man game with Jokic that bore fruit but on the other end he struggled mightily staying in front of Irving who was torching Denver. Jokic secured a triple double by the midway point of the third with the Nuggets still trailing by a possession. There wasn’t a ton of offense in the third outside of Jokic but Irving went to the bench for a rest and Luka wasn’t hitting a ton of shots so Denver got back in front by a few points. Jokic plus the Booth Boys continued to pay dividends and helped Denver build their lead. Luka responded but Denver kept playing at a high pace to keep in front. After three the Nuggets led 97-94.

To start the fourth Jokic was out while Irving was in and Kyrie was absolutely unconscious. He got the lead back for Dallas and an early fourth quarter timeout from Malone. The bench group held on for dear life while Irving kept canning threes until Jokic came back in at the 8:30 mark. Murray got his shot going to get momentum on Denver’s side. After a nice move to get a mid range jumper he signaled that Jason Kidd should take a timeout with Denver leading and Kidd obliged. Kyrie was not going to let Denver win it easily though and continued to just shoot the lights out. The Nuggets stars responded and the game was heading towards a tight finish. Luka got on a run to tie the game and then Kyrie got a mid range jumper with a hand in his face to put Dallas up by two. That was the lead with one minute to play. Denver fed Jokic for a bucket, then Watson had another unreal block to set up the Nuggets for a chance to win. Porter hit a midrange floater and gave the Nuggets a two point lead with six seconds remaining. Irving got a three with Braun’s hand in his face at the buzzer and finally missed. Denver wins a nail biter 122-120.

Jokic vs Kyrie in a matchup of superstars

Jokic put up yet another ridiculous stat line. He scored thirty-seven points, grabbed eighteen rebounds and dished out fifteen assists. Like coach Maoone said in his post game press conference, we’re starting to run out of superlatives to describe the guy. He’s simply just on another level than everyone else on the court. On the other side, Kyrie was also absolutely insane tonight. He flat out could not miss a shot. Braun couldn’t stop him, Watson couldn’t stop him, no one could stop him. Denver played some great defense on most of his shots but it just didn’t matter. The Nuggets in the end get the victory but tip of the cap to Irving tonight for an incredible performance.

The Booth Boys are for real

Nov 10, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) collides into Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) in the second quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

We got a stretch of Jokic + Braun, Watson & Strawther tonight and like it has so many times, that lineup injected energy into the game and some tough defense. All three of the young wings also had their moments. Strawther knocked down some big threes and had some big defensive stops, Braun had a great run with Jokic at the start of the third and Watson suddenly has become a knock down three point shooter who saves games by finger tip blocking superstars on the regular. These guys seem to be growing game after game and Denver’s wings look like they may be locked down for the foreseeable future.