Jamal Murray explodes for 53 as Nuggets hold off Mavericks

Jamal Murray scored 33 of his season-high 53 points in the first half, Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 21 rebounds and 19 assists, and the host Denver Nuggets held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 142-135 on Wednesday night.

Jokic, who has triple-doubles in three straight games, recorded his 6,000th career assist on Murray's layup midway through the second quarter -- becoming the first center in NBA history to reach that milestone -- on his way to a season-high assist total.

Peyton Watson scored 21 points and Cam Johnson finished with 12 for Denver (46-28), which has won four in a row.

Cooper Flagg had 26 points, Naji Marshall scored 22, P.J. Washington had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Brandon Williams and Khris Middleton added 11 points each for Dallas (23-50), which has lost five straight and 24 of its last 28.

Both teams were dealing with injuries. Daniel Gafford was sidelined with a right shoulder strain and Caleb Martin was sidelined with a right plantar fascia strain for Dallas.

Aaron Gordon didn't dress for Denver after logging 26 minutes in a late game at Phoenix on Tuesday night. Watson, who missed 19 games with a strained right hamstring before returning Sunday against Portland, was back in the lineup after sitting out Tuesday night.

The Nuggets looked in control when Murray's three-point play gave them a 127-116 lead midway through the fourth, but Dallas went on a 10-0 run to get within a point. Christian Braun, who finished with 11 points, split a pair of free throws, Jokic hit a floater, fed Watson for a corner 3-pointer and Murray hit a 3-pointer and 19-footer that made it 138-128 with 1:42 left.

Denver led by nine at half and 70-59 early in the third but Dallas cut it to five on a three-point play by Marshall. Jokic secured his triple-double with a floater and moments later fed Braun for an alley-oop on a three-point play that pushed the advantage to 80-71.

A trio of three-point plays got the Mavericks within 93-92 with 3:07 left in the third, but Jokic sparked an 18-6 run that gave Denver a 111-98 cushion. The Nuggets took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter.

--Field Level Media