On a back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks, the Denver Nuggets approached things the right way and won it with their effort and execution early on.
The Nuggets defeated the Mavericks 118-109, improving their record to 28-13 at the exact mid-point of their season. Denver jumped up to the 2-seed in the Western Conference with the win and continues to prove their depth, star power, and versatility without Nikola Jokic on the floor.
Jamal Murray led the way with 33 points and 5 assists in 38 minutes, managing the game as a scorer and consistently finding opportunities as a driver in isolation and pick and roll. His scoring around the paint and off the dribble helped slow down the game for the Nuggets, allowing a tired team with tired legs an opportunity to set their defense consistently.
Jamal Murray scores 33 in Denver’s W over Dallas!
It’s his 11th straight game with 20+ points… which is his longest streak since 2021 @nuggets win their 3rd straight! pic.twitter.com/LItly69ghj
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2026
Aaron Gordon also had a strong game on both ends of the floor with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. It was surprising that Gordon played both ends of the back-to-back, but he looked great out there, hitting some tough shots consistently and defending really well in isolation and around the paint. Gordon shot 8-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 from three, picking up the slack as a scorer.
The Nuggets were clearly tired tonight, and having to defend a Mavericks squad that drove hard to the paint (because they couldn’t shoot) led to foul trouble for several players.
Peyton Watson had five fouls and was limited to 30 minutes as a result, but his 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists were valuable when he was on the court. His jump shooting efficiency continues to impress.
HEARTWARMING STORY: Peyton Watson grew up admiring Kevin Durant.
Durant helped Watson believe that even if he was skinny, he could still be a “killer” on the court with his body type. When Watson was 16 years old, Durant saw him play.
Impressed, Durant invited him to play… pic.twitter.com/Abw4hGBo4u
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2026
Murray had 5 fouls, though that didn’t limit his minutes. Spencer Jones had 5 fouls and had trouble guarding without fouling as the Mavericks drove with reckless abandon. Jones hit two three-pointers in the first half that helped Denver build up their lead.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was another example of Denver getting steady contributions from all over. The shooting guard piled in 12 points on 4-of-10 from three, and the Mavericks were forced to overreact to his spacing. That freed up Murray, Watson, and others with driving lanes throughout the contest.
It’s not easy to do what the Nuggets are doing. They’re running on fumes in the middle of January at the mid-season point of their schedule. 17 games in this calendar month, and they just completed another back-to-back. Maintaining the motivation and focus necessary to play this well is a championship caliber quality.
The Nuggets established a baseline level of dominance when everyone was healthy. Then, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun got hurt, so they adapted. Then, Cam Johnson and Nikola Jokic AND Jonas Valanciunas got hurt, so they adapted again. Denver’s been a different team and had to solve different types of problems for a long time. The original starters have played 159 minutes together on the season and are shooting 27% from three as a unit. This version of Peyton Watson didn’t exist in that timeframe.
There’s still SO much room for growth, so much room for experimentation, lineup shuffling, and style changes when everyone’s healthy. Denver still needs to GET healthy, but there’s a clear shift that’s transpiring with the Nuggets winning six of their last nine games, all without Jokic.
Are they at an easy point of their schedule from an opponent perspective? Sure. Is it going to get more challenging in February? Absolutely.
But the Nuggets have shown, through all of the adversity, that they are the leading challenger to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a spot in the NBA Finals this June.
And they might not be underdogs if they can keep this up.
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