NBA: Jamal Murray, Nuggets top Mavs as Cooper Flagg exits with ankle injury

Jamal Murray poured in 33 points as the Denver Nuggets defeated the host Dallas Mavericks 118-109 on Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to three games.

Aaron Gordon finished with 22 points and Peyton Watson added 18 for the short-handed Nuggets. Murray, playing his second game in as many nights after missing two contests due to an ankle injury and illness, set the tone early by scoring 14 points in the first quarter as Denver took a 29-23 lead.

The Nuggets tightened their grip on the game with a 13-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second. Dallas suffered a setback midway through the second period when Cooper Flagg injured his left ankle in a collision with Watson and limped to the locker room. Flagg later returned to finish the half, but the Mavericks struggled offensively, missing all nine of their 3-point attempts in the second quarter and trailing 63-46 at halftime.

Naji Marshall led Dallas with 24 points, while Brandon Williams added 20. Aside from Marshall, who made all four of his shots in the second quarter, the Mavericks went cold from long range and continued to misfire in the third, opening the half by missing eight straight attempts from beyond the arc.

A 3-pointer by Denver’s Tim Hardaway Jr. gave the Nuggets an 84-61 lead midway through the third, but Dallas closed the period with a 17-4 run to cut the deficit to 10. With Murray on the bench during that stretch, Denver struggled with turnovers, rebounding and defensive lapses.

After Dallas finally snapped a streak of 19 consecutive missed 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to pull within five, Murray returned and took control. He sparked a decisive 10-0 run in just over a minute, pushing the Nuggets’ lead back to 16. Denver maintained its cushion down the stretch to seal the victory. -Field Level Media/Reuters