Nuggets rally from big deficit, take down Mavs

Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, Russell Westbrook finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds and the visiting Denver Nuggets used a big fourth quarter to rally past the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 112-101 on Sunday.

Denver outscored the Mavericks 33-12 in the final 12 minutes to take a 2-1 advantage in the season series, which resumes Tuesday in Dallas.

The Mavericks played again without leading scorers Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and are 2-3 without the duo. Klay Thompson scored 25 points, Spencer Dinwiddie and Naji Marshall had 16 each and Dereck Lively II contributed 14 points and eight assists for Dallas.

Jamal Murray scored 17, Aaron Gordon returned after a nine-game absence with 13 points, Michael Porter Jr. also had 13 points and Peyton Watson finished with 10 for Denver. The Nuggets have won three straight.

Denver opened the fourth quarter on a 15-4 run to go ahead 94-93. Daniel Gafford had a dunk and Dinwiddie split a pair of free throws to put the Mavericks back in front 96-94 before the Nuggets took control.

Westbrook hit two layups, Jokic made a hook shot and then fed Watson for a corner 3-pointer to put Denver ahead 106-99 with 2:21 left.

Denver scored the first four points of the third quarter to take a 63-62 lead but the Mavericks heated up.

Lively scored six points, Marshall hit a jumper and Thompson scored the next eight Dallas points to put the hosts ahead by 12.

Thompson hit another from deep as part of a 16-2 run that gave the Mavericks an 87-69 lead with 3:59 left in the third before the Nuggets cut the deficit to 10 heading into the fourth.

Dallas was 10-for-15 from 3-point range in the first half, led by Thompson's four from deep, and led by as much as 17 before the Nuggets rallied to make it 41-34 early in the second quarter.

Denver scored the last seven points of the first half to trail just 61-58 at halftime.

--Field Level Media