DENVER -- The stakes were significantly lower the last time the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets played against each other, just 12 days ago.
Not this time around. The implications were higher for Friday's meeting between the two teams because they entered the matchup with identical 1-1 records in the second-annual NBA Cup.
Despite squandering a 24-point lead, the Dallas Mavericks made enough timely plays to escape Ball Arena with a 123-120 win over the Denver Nuggets -- their fourth straight win. The Mavericks finished the game on a 13-5 run over the final 2:34.
There were several reasons why Dallas emerged victorious against Denver. Quentin Grimes made two clutch free throws and secured a crucial offensive rebound, leading to a second-chance score by P.J. Washington. Dereck Lively II rejected a layup attempt by Nikola Jokic. And Naji Marshall scored the most important bucket of a career-night when his team needed him most.
Marshall made a floater with 18.8 seconds left to give the Mavericks a 119-115 lead. After a back-and-forth battle at the free-throw line, Dallas held on for the victory.
For the third consecutive game, the Mavericks had seven players reach double figures in scoring.
Naji Marshall scored a career-high 26 points off the bench to lead the Mavericks. After scoring 15 points in the second half of Tuesday's game against the Pelicans, Marshall scored 16 points in the first half on Friday. That marked Marshall's career-high for points in a half. Marshall had two 15-point halves in his career prior to accomplishing the feat in consecutive halves.
Dallas (9-7) improved to 2-1 in West Group C to keep its hopes of being one of eight teams to advance to the Knockout Round. The Mavericks trail the Golden Warriors, who improved to 3-0 in Group Play after Friday's win over New Orleans.
It appeared as if the Mavericks would run away with a dominant win after leading by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter, but the Nuggets responded with a fierce 28-9 run in an eight-minute span to bring the game within single digits going into the final quarter.
The Nuggets captured their first lead of the game with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter when Jokic found Peyton Watson in the corner for a 3-pointer. It was one of 10 assists for the reigning MVP, who missed Denver's last three games because of personal reasons. He stuffed the stat sheet with 33 points and 17 rebounds.
Dallas built a 20-point lead by the halftime break by ending the second quarter on a 26-9 run. The Nuggets entered the game 0-154 when trailing by 20 or more points at the half.
Marshall's made three triples on Friday, his most impressive was his first of the night when he threw up a heave off of one leg. He missed his last 14 attempts from beyond the arc before that 3-pointer splashed through the net.
Jokic produced a massive triple-double on Nov. 10 to lead the Nuggets to a slim win over the shorthanded Mavericks, who were without P.J. Washington and Lively II.
The last time Kyrie Irving stepped foot inside Ball Arena resulted in a 43-point masterpiece, but it wasn't enough to lead the Mavericks to a win.
This time around, Irving finished with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Washington recorded a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Dallas prioritized getting the ball to Washington in the post early and often.
Quentin Grimes, who was out of the rotation for the last meeting in Denver, reclaimed his place in the starting lineup for Luka Doncic, who is sidelined for at least the next week with a right wrist sprain. Grimes tied his career-high for most points in an opening quarter after scoring 10 points in the first quarter. He finished with 14.
Klay Thompson struggled on Friday, going scoreless on 0-of-8 from the field. He missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Denver's bright yellow court set the scene inside Ball Arena but it didn't appear to faze the Mavericks, who avenged their loss from earlier in the month.
The Mavericks have one Group Play game remaining, which is at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 3.
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