On January 15, 2025, Beijing time, the 22-win and 17-loss Mavericks hosted the 23-win and 15-loss Nuggets. Just two days ago, the two teams faced each other, with the Mavericks leading the Nuggets by 19 points at one point despite the absence of Doncic and Irving. However, they were eventually reversed and lost the game by an 11-point margin. Today, Irving returned to the lineup, although Doncic continued to be absent, the Mavericks' combat effectiveness has been significantly enhanced. Can they defeat the Nuggets? The Mavericks' starting lineup: Irving + Clay + Marshall + Washington + Levli, while Gordon from the Nuggets continued to come off the bench, with the starting lineup: Murray + Westbrook + Braun + Porter + Jokic.
In the first quarter, Levli made two dunks, Porter hit a three-pointer, Braun made a layup, and Murray made two three-pointers, giving the Nuggets an 11-4 lead. Gafford made a hook shot, followed by Murray, Porter, and Westbrook scoring eight points in a row, extending the lead to 13 points. Dinwiddie and Irving also scored, but Porter and Murray continued to extend the lead to 15 points. Dinwiddie made a 2+1 play, while Watson and Jokic responded, maintaining a 17-point lead. Gafford and Grantham scored, but Murray added four more points, ending the first quarter with the Nuggets leading 36-21. Murray scored 19 points in the first quarter alone.
In the second quarter, Gordon extended the lead to 21 points. Clay, Marshall, and Irving scored for the Mavericks, but Jordan responded with consecutive alley-oops, keeping the lead at 20 points. Grantham, Irving, and Washington also scored, but Murray responded with four points, maintaining an 18-point lead. Kleber hit a three-pointer, but Watson, Murray, and Jokic responded strongly, extending the lead to 27 points. Dinwiddie hit another three-pointer, but Porter and Murray scored five points in a row, extending the lead to 29 points. At halftime, the Nuggets led 71-45.
In the third quarter, Jokic made a layup, extending the lead to 28 points. Clay and Kleber scored for the Mavericks, but Murray and Westbrook responded strongly, extending the lead to 31 points. Kleber, Washington, and Gafford scored, but Murray, Braun, Porter, and Jokic responded, maintaining a 29-point lead. Washington and Gafford reduced the lead to 24 points, ending the third quarter with the Nuggets leading 91-67.
In the fourth quarter, Marshall scored seven points in a row and Prosper hit a three-pointer, while the Nuggets only had Murray scoring two points, reducing the lead to 16 points. After a timeout, Hardy made a layup, reducing the lead to 14 points. Struth, Murray, Gordon, and Watson went on a 10-0 run, extending the lead back to 24 points. Grantham, Marshall, and Prosper reduced the lead to 19 points, but Braun and Watson extended it back to 23 points. With over three minutes left in the game, the suspense was lost, and the Nuggets ultimately won 118-99.
Jokic scored 10 points with 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals, not exerting himself fully. This was his 16th triple-double of the season, breaking the league record. Murray scored 45 points with 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals (shooting 18 out of 26, including 5 out of 9 from three-point range), setting a new personal scoring record for the season. Westbrook scored 9 points with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Porter scored 13 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and Gordon scored 8 points with 2 rebounds.
Irving scored 11 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals on 4 out of 18 shooting, still needing to find his form. Clay scored 8 points with 3 rebounds on 3 out of 8 shooting, Gafford scored 13 points with 4 rebounds, Marshall scored 11 points with 2 rebounds and 4 assists, Grantham scored 10 points with 5 assists, Prosper scored 10 points with 2 rebounds, and Kleber scored 10 points with 3 assists.
After the win, the Nuggets have achieved a four-game winning streak and are now only half a game behind the third-placed Grizzlies in the West, with hopes of moving up to the top three. The Mavericks, after the loss, were overtaken by the Clippers in the standings. Without a game today, the Clippers became the fifth seed in the West, while the Mavericks dropped to sixth.
The Nuggets have been performing exceptionally well recently, with Westbrook playing a significant role. Since Westbrook started playing, the Nuggets' combat effectiveness has been noticeably improved. When Westbrook starts, the Nuggets have a record of 14 wins and 4 losses, with a win rate as high as 77.8%. As a minimum-salary player, Westbrook has had a tremendous impact on the Nuggets, creating a miracle.