Milestones were narrowly missed, but the Nuggets’ top two made their case as the league’s best duo and All-NBA selections together for the first time.
With 53 points, Jamal Murray finished a bucket shy of matching his career-high in Denver’s 142-135 win over the Mavericks on Wednesday at Ball Arena. With 23 points, 21 rebounds and 19 assists, Nikola Jokic finished an assist shy of becoming the first player in NBA history to record multiple games with 20 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists.
The dueling performances reminded the Nuggets’ coach of their matching triple-doubles in Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Finals.
“Tonight was just really special, man,” David Adelman said.
“Just outrageous numbers from the best tandem in the NBA.”
Murray was a menace from the jump, scoring 15 of his points on nine shots in the first quarter. He went 4 of 5 from 3-point range in the second quarter and headed back to the tunnel with 33 points on 15 shots. It was the second-highest scoring half of his 10-year career. He didn’t force it in the third, adding three points to his tally on just two shot attempts, after the Mavericks adjusted at halftime.
“Patience is a virtue. He wanted to shoot the ball, obviously, but they adjusted,” Adelman said.
“We scored points in that quarter because of the way they guarded him. They put two people on him. As the game went on, I thought he did a really good job of rejecting vs. where the set defense was, so he could find space for himself. You’ve got to do what’s right for the team. He always does, and the right thing was to find the pocket and our center, who’s arguably the best passer alive.”
The first-time All-Star got back in a rhythm, scoring the final 17 points of his night in the final quarter and finished 19 of 28 from the field, 9 of 14 from 3-point range and perfect on six free throws. It was the sixth 50-point performance of his career between the regular season and playoffs.
“I was making some shots and kept making them,” Murray said. “I mean, Jok had 23, 21 and 19. We can talk about him, too.”
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, left, looks to pass the ball as Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell defends in the first half of an NBA game Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Jokic recorded his 10th assist before halftime and finished off another triple-double in the first minutes of the third quarter.
“When Jamal is having that kind of game, you’re just trying to get him open,” Jokic said. “I know he’s going to take and make shots. Then, when they started blitzing him, it was my turn to get everybody involved or score.”
The 20-point, 20-rebound game was accomplished in the final minutes of the fourth. He didn’t commit his first turnover until the final minute.
“The ball is in his hands a lot, and for him to get doubled most of the time, (he’s) making passes, making reads over high hands, teams are game planning for him,” Murray said. “I think it’s just super impressive. … He just gets better at doing it.”
Peyton Watson added 21 impactful points off the bench, while Cam Johnson (12) and Christian Braun (11) rounded out Denver’s five scorers in double figures.
Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Jokic is a lock to receive All-NBA honors for the eighth time of his career, as long as he doesn’t miss two of Denver’s final eight games. Murray’s case isn’t so clear, but nights like Wednesday certainly help the cause.
“Just another special night for Jamal, he’s had so many of these,” Adelman said. “I really hope that All-NBA is something that’s obvious and not an argument.”
The win marked the 400th time Jokic and Murray won a game they played in together. That’s the most of any pair of teammates since the start of their respective careers.
“The growth that we’ve had together, it’s something that is really unique,” Jokic said. “Hopefully, we can continue to play like this.”
NUGGETS 142, MAVERICKS 135
What happened: Denver led by one after the first quarter and increased the lead to 68-59 at halftime. Dallas fell behind by 11 to start the fourth, and the Nuggets survived a late scare to improve to 46-28.
What went right: The Nuggets finished with a 27-12 advantage in fast-break points.
What went wrong: Dallas finished with a 19-7 advantage in points off turnovers. Denver committed nine turnovers to four for the Mavericks.
Highlight of the night: Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg drove baseline and threw down a double-pump dunk early in the second quarter. Peyton Watson got the bucket back a couple of possessions later, using a hesitation move to beat Flagg to the bucket for a layup.
Up next: The Nuggets have a day off before hosting the Jazz on Friday at Ball Arena.