The duel between Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, the respective stars of Dallas and Denver, did not take place on Friday in the NBA, during the reception of the Mavericks by the Nuggets (unlike the match on November 10 won by the Colorado franchise , with 37 points from Jokic and 24 from Doncic). But, even diminished by the absence of their Slovenian leader, injured in the right wrist, the Texans came back victorious from their trip (123-120).
Dallas blows 24-point lead
The Mavericks narrowly won. They could have won more widely, they who, at the start of the second half, had a lead of 24 points (77-53, 25th). But, led by Michael Porter, author of 11 points in the third quarter, and Jokic (nine points) – back after missing three matches for personal reasons – Denver managed to erase its deficit. At the end of the quarter, the Nuggets were only trailing by six points (95-89). The locals even managed to take the lead for a few minutes and have a slight gap (113-108, 44th).
But PJ Washington put Dallas back on par with their opponent. The meeting was unbreathable until the final buzzer, including a long-distance shot from Jamal Murray for the Colorado team ten seconds from the end (119-118). The rest was only series of free throws on both sides of the floor. And, three seconds from the end of the game, Peyton Watson, the Denver winger, saw his pass intercepted by PJ Washington, thus sealing the outcome of the match.
Marshall and Washington most effective
Coming from the bench, Naji Marshall was Dallas’ top scorer, with 26 points scored in… 26 minutes. PJ Washington signed a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. For his part, Kyrie Irving was credited with 19 points. Klay Thompson, on the other hand, returned a blank copy with a 0/8 shooting. In the ranks of the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic achieved his sixth triple-double of the season (33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists). All players in Denver’s major five have exceeded the ten-point mark.
In the Western Conference standings, the Colorado franchise lost one place and is now sixth. The Dallas Mavericks won one. They are eighth. Denver will play again on Saturday, against the Los Angeles Lakers. We will see Dallas again on Sunday on the Miami Heat floor.
