Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving set the tone with two 3-point baskets in the first possessions. Irving is just as strong defensively, and all of Dallas follows suit. Nikola Jokic is entitled to preferential treatment from the Dallas interior (2/9 shooting, 3 lost balls in the 1st quarter), with the complicity of the referees who choose to let the contacts take place.
Denver enters its match by tirelessly attacking the Texan racket. Michael Porter Jr. is aggressive, and the Nuggets take control with ten free throws in the first act.
Luka Doncic is untenable with an 8-0 alone including two huge stepbacks from afar. Denver limits the damage well with Nikola Jokic on the bench, then finds color by limiting bad choices as much as possible. The maneuver takes effect for a while (+3 at the break). But the visitors are sailing in the lead without controlling the momentum. Above all, the Mavericks put much more heart and intensity into the work. Jason Kidd's players signed a new series in the third quarter, a 9-0 in which everyone contributed, when the Nuggets collective fell apart.
Unbreathable money time
The Mavericks are omnipresent in offensive rebounding, like a super Derek Lively II. The talent of the Irving – Doncic duo made the difference to offer a 13-point lead, just under seven minutes from the end (98-85). Enough to take the break? This is not knowing the reigning champion. Denver finds skill behind the arc at the best time with Porter Jr, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Jamal Murray.
Dallas' hand is shaking in money time. Quite the opposite of Nikola Jokic, who equalized, then Jamal Murray who allowed his team to take a three-point lead 28 seconds from the end (102-105)!
Luka Doncic responds straight out of the timeout, and Jamal Murray fails to be the hero until the end. Dallas inherits the last possession with 2.8 seconds on the clock. Who else than Kyrie Irving to kill the game? The leader manages to pass over the arms of Nikola Jokic but has no choice but to attempt a desperate floater not far from the free throw line, and with his weak hand, the left. And it falls in! Luka Doncic bursts out laughing, the Nuggets lower their heads. The champion has just been crucified by what will undoubtedly go down as one of the shots of the season.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– 28 seconds where everything changed. We thought Denver was going to pull off the perfect heist when Jamal Murray put his team back in charge. But the Nuggets were fooled by an impeccably executed system to release Luka Doncic from eight meters away. Then Jamal Murray, so fair until then in the last quarter with 12 of his 23 points, missed the winning shot, while shooting too quickly, leaving a little less than three seconds for the Mavs. Just enough time for Kyrie Irving to work his magic.
– Dallas has outclassed Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets inside. The Nuggets were clearly not in their mood, anything but sharp and dominated by desire. Above all, they were perfectly disrupted by Dallas' plan, which frustrated Nikola Jokic all match to prevent him from taking his preferred positions before exhausting him athletically with Derek Lively on the rack. The Mavs finished with a +24 number of points in the paint, 21 offensive rebounds for 23 points on second chances (compared to only six for Denver).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
