Nuggets shut down Mavericks’ offense
FILE – Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets high fives Aaron Gordon #50 during the first half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on October 20, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Nikola Jokic scored seven of his 11 points in a 21-3, third-quarter flurry Friday night as the host Denver Nuggets held the Dallas Mavericks to their lowest point total since March 2017 in a 106-75 trouncing.
Jokic added 16 rebounds and eight assists, and Will Barton led five Nuggets in double figures with 17 points. Denver ended a two-game skid while snapping the Mavericks’ three-game winning streak.
11 PTS | 16 REB | 8 AST | 25 MIN
Just another night at the office for the MVP. pic.twitter.com/ilf0RfgpM5
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 30, 2021
Luka Doncic had a team-high 16 points for Dallas, which was limited to its fewest points since a 116-74 loss at Philadelphia five seasons ago.
Clamps were activated 🔒 pic.twitter.com/qemTmiljiu
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 30, 2021
After the Nuggets led just 54-47 in the second minute of the third quarter, Jokic had two hoops in a 10-0 run that began the run-away and opened a 17-point advantage.
After Doncic ended the Dallas drought with a three-point play, Denver came right back with 11 more in a row, with Barton, Aaron Gordon and Jokic contributing 3-pointers.
The Nuggets led 75-50 at that point and coasted home, allowing coach Michael Malone to rest his starters with a trip to Minnesota on tap for Saturday.
Barton shot 7-for-12 for the Nuggets, who outshot the visitors 51.8 percent to 29.5 percent.
Jeff Green, who had totaled just 28 points off the bench in Denver’s first four games, contributed 14 to the win, while Gordon had 13 and Michael Porter Jr. scored 12.
After having been listed as questionable because of a bruised knee, Jokic finished 13 points under his previous season-low point total. His game-high rebound total in just 25 minutes gave him 16 or more in three of Denver’s five games.
Playing the second night of a back-to-back, Doncic also scored a season low. He shot just 5-for-18 in 26 minutes.
With Kristaps Porzingis missing a second straight game with a sore back, no other Mavericks starter scored in double figures. Backup Trey Burke was second on the team behind Doncic with 11.
Doncic also chipped in with six rebounds and a team-high four assists.
