DALLAS — In a game that swung back and forth all night, the Dallas Mavericks had just enough answers late, outlasting the Denver Nuggets 131–130 on Tuesday to complete a 2–0 start to the season series.
Dallas matched one of its most explosive offensive outings of the year, once again hanging 131 points on Denver — the same number it posted in the teams’ November meeting. The Mavericks rode high-efficiency shooting throughout, finishing above 57 percent from the floor and clearing the 50-40-90 thresholds as a team for only the second time this season.
Rookie forward Cooper Flagg was at the center of nearly everything. The 18-year-old delivered a career night with 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, coming within a whisker of his first triple-double. He knocked down 14 of 21 shots and four 3-pointers, joining a short list of Dallas rookies to post that level of all-around production. Flagg piled up 22 of those points before halftime, missing only once from the field in the opening two quarters.
Anthony Davis added the power game inside, following up a 35-point performance the previous night with 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. It marked his first stretch of back-to-back 30-point games since joining the Mavericks, and he paired with Flagg to give Dallas two 30-point scorers who both shot better than 62 percent from the field — a rarity in franchise history.
Naji Marshall continued his steady run, scoring 15 points with four rebounds and three assists. He has now reached at least 15 points in nine straight games while shooting 50 percent or better, matching one of the longest such streaks by a Maverick.
Denver didn’t go quietly. Jamal Murray countered with 31 points and a season-best 14 assists, logging his sixth double-double of the year and orchestrating a Nuggets offense that piled up 39 assists. Former Maverick Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 points and tied his Denver high with seven made threes, while the Nuggets were flawless at the line, going 10-for-10.
Dallas improved to 3–2 over its last five meetings with the defending champions, winning another tense finish between two Western Conference contenders. For the Mavericks, the headline was clear — a statement win fueled by efficient scoring across the lineup and a rookie who continues to look unfazed by the stage.
