Doncic nets 38 in near triple-double, Mavs top Nuggets in OT

DENVER (AP) – Luka Doncic came within one rebound of his second straight triple-double, finishing with 38 points and 13 assists to lead the Dallas Mavericks over the Denver Nuggets 124-117 in overtime Thursday night.

Doncic sat out Sunday’s loss to Chicago and responded with his first triple-double of the season against Houston on Monday. He followed that up with a season high in points.

Nikola Jokic scored 20 of his 38 points after halftime and grabbed 11 rebounds for Denver. Jamal Murray added 21 points and nine assists.

Josh Richardson scored 14 points, including five straight in overtime to give the Mavericks the lead for good. His 3-pointer from the wing with 1:25 left put Dallas ahead 119-114. Denver got within three on a 3-pointer from Jokic, but Doncic scored four straight to ice it for the Mavericks.

Dallas rallied from four down to take a 101-97 lead on Maxi Kleber‘s 3-pointer, his first points of the night, but Jokic scored the next five to put Denver ahead.

Kleber’s 3-pointer put Dallas up 109-107 with 2.4 seconds left, but Jokic capped a 17-point fourth quarter with an 18-foot jumper at the horn to send the game to overtime.

TIP-INS

Mavericks: G Trey Burke wasn’t with the team but coach Rick Carlisle said “to my knowledge, it is not COVID-19 related.” … F Kristaps Porzingis (knee) is on the trip and making progress but there is no timetable for his return, Carlisle said. “He is ramping things up and the hope is that his progress can continue without issue and then we can see where things are as we move forward.”

Nuggets: F Michael Porter Jr. was expected back Thursday night but he was ruled out hours before tip-off due to health and safety protocols. Porter missed the previous three games because of COVID-19 contact tracing.

UP NEXT

Mavericks: Host the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

Nuggets: At the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.