DALLAS — The Nuggets dug themselves a 17-point hole, rallied to take the lead, then decided one comeback wasn’t enough.
So they fell behind again by 19 late in the third quarter, just to storm back at expedited pace for a 112-101 win over the Mavericks on Sunday at American Airlines Center.
Jamal Murray bounced back from a terrible start in on-brand fashion, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the last 15 minutes of game time. Nikola Jokic was substandard for most of the night as Dallas doubled him and made him work for positioning, but he finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. Russell Westbrook continued to thrive as a cutter and finisher alongside Jokic, going for 21 points and 10 boards.
And perhaps most importantly, Aaron Gordon announced his return from injury with a phenomenal 13-point, 6-for-7 shooting performance that sparked both comebacks.
“He was outstanding, obviously on a pretty strict minutes restriction right now,” coach Michael Malone said. “I talked to him this morning about it, and he was just happy to get out there and play. He said, ‘I’ll take any minutes I can get right now.'”
The power forward came off the bench after a nine-game absence caused by a right calf strain, which has plagued him all season. He played 18 minutes. When he returned from the same injury after missing 10 games in November, he also came off the bench in the first game back. But before this season, he estimated with a laugh, the last time he came off the bench was “a decade ago? Ten years?”
“I think we’ll probably stay right around 20 (minutes) for a while, and then probably go to about 25,” Gordon said. And then I don’t know. We’ll probably stay around there for a little while. … I don’t care whether I start or come off the bench. It does not matter to me. As long as I can contribute to winning the game for us and help us win, I don’t care.”
The Nuggets (23-15) have now won seven games this season after trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter. This time, they were especially definitive in their comeback capability, winning the fourth 33-12.
“That’s a catch-22 because I don’t like the fact that we’ve been down that many times, double figures, but what I love about this group is how resilient they are,” Malone said. “We get down. We stay the course. There is no panic. There is no whatever. We just stay the course. We find a way. We try different guys. We find something that works.”
One thing that worked in Dallas, where the Nuggets will complete a two-game series on Tuesday, was Peyton Watson. Malone closed with the 22-year-old forward, who made one of the defining plays of the afternoon when he closed out on a Naji Marshall corner 3-point attempt for an astounding block with five minutes to play. That protected a one-point lead. With 2:40 to go, Watson buried his own corner 3 to give Denver a 104-99 edge. The Mavericks (22-17) never got back within one score.
The Mavs were playing without star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. In their absence, Klay Thompson stepped up with a 6-for-13 game from the perimeter, leading Dallas with 25 points. The Nuggets couldn’t buy a jump shot for most of the day. An 0-for-10 third quarter almost cost them the game.
But Murray and Jokic finally got going late in the third with baskets at the rim to chip away at an 86-67 deficit. They shepherded a 12-3 run to end the frame.
That was enough to set up the onslaught. Murray and Gordon led a 12-0 run in the first three minutes of the fourth, knocking down consecutive 3s before Gordon threw a game-tying alley-oop to DeAndre Jordan. By the time Jokic checked in, Denver was down two in a rock fight. The Mavericks double-teamed his post touches, and he responded by feeding Westbrook a steady diet of assists for layups.
After the 4:45 mark of the third, the Nuggets outscored Dallas, 46-16.
“Not only were they double-teaming Nikola, but then they were pre-rotating to the guy that fed him,” Malone said. “So somebody’s open. Two on the ball, somebody’s open. And Russ has a great understanding of reading when the double-team happens, slow-playing it and then putting himself on the rim.”
Denver somehow made it to halftime trailing by only three despite shooting 29% from the 3-point line, missing seven free throws, giving up 61 points and getting subpar production from Jokic, Murray and Michael Porter Jr. (whose night ended with a 1-for-8 line beyond the arc).
But after falling behind by 17, the Nuggets also got their first comeback boost from the second unit, featuring Gordon. He was able to comfortably get to his 15-foot fadeaway, contributing eight early points without missing a shot. With Murray in early foul trouble, the bench lineup was bigger than usual. Gordon, Porter and Jordan all shared the floor for a few minutes.
It was a successful stint — almost as successful as the second-half reprisal. Jordan went for six points and five rebounds, and Denver won Jokic’s rest minutes by 13.
“I would definitely like to be up in the fourth quarter, double digits,” Jokic said. “But I think the most important (thing) is we find a way, and maybe that’s a character (trait) that this team has. We find a way to win the game. I like that it’s that way.”
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