Kristaps Porzingis had 29 points and 11 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks beat visiting Denver 111-101 on Monday, snapping the Nuggets’ five-game winning streak.
Porzingis made five 3-pointers and Luka Doncic added 23 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists before heading to the locker room in the final minute with a left ankle injury.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for Dallas, which won for the fifth time in its last six games.
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for Denver. Monte Morris had 17 points and Aaron Gordon recorded 14 points and seven rebounds.
Denver led 83-79 before Dorian Finney-Smith, Reggie Bullock and Hardaway opened the fourth quarter with three straight 3-pointers to put the Mavericks ahead by seven with 10 minutes remaining.
Tempers flared early in the fourth quarter after Nuggets forward JaMychal Green shoved Dallas guard Frank Ntilikina to the ground, but cooler heads prevailed and Green remained in the game.
After Jokic scored with 2:46 left to pull Denver within 108-98, Hardaway’s 3-pointer extended the Mavericks’ lead with 1:59 remaining.
Both teams shot a blistering 63.6 percent in the first quarter, which ended when Jalen Brunson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Dallas ahead 35-32. Brunson finished with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Nuggets center Bol Bol provided a spark off the bench with seven quick points to open the second quarter. Dallas was held to 14 points on 5-of-22 shooting in the period and trailed 58-49 at the break.
Jokic had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the opening half for Denver, which closed with a 14-5 run.
Porzingis scored 17 points in the first half and remained hot in the third quarter, when his 3-pointer cut the Mavericks’ deficit to 73-66 with 5:50 left.
Denver, which completed a 5-0 homestand with a 124-95 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, was looking to repeat a 31-point victory over the Mavericks on Oct. 29.
Nuggets guard Will Barton missed his second straight game due to low back tightness while forward Michael Porter Jr. remained out with lower back pain.
–Field Level Media