Jokic's big night
Helps Nuggets hold off Mavericks
DENVER — Michael Malone wasn't all that thrilled about the lack of composure in the final quarter. Or all the turnovers. Or the shot selection. Or even the defense.
Still, he won't quibble with the outcome.
"We survived," Denver's coach said.
Nikola Jokic scored 29 points and grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds, Gary Harris hit two late free throws and the Nuggets held off the Dallas Mavericks 105102 on Tuesday night after nearly blowing a 23-point lead.
"We lost focus in the fourth quarter and we gave them a chance to come back in the game," Jokic said. "That was bad."
The Nuggets led 82-59 with 4:04 left in the third before Dallas staged a mas- sive comeback. The Mavericks cut the deficit to one on a threepoint play by Dennis Smith Jr. with 10.4 seconds remaining. After Harris made two free throws, the Mavericks had a chance for a last-second shot, but Dwight Powell couldn't corral a long pass as the buzzer sounded.
"We never give up," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "There are some things to build on here."
So, what exactly changed in the fourth?
"I don't know. I'll have to go back and watch film to figure it out," said Smith, who finished with 25 points.
The Nuggets unraveled during a fourth quarter in which they were outscored 33-19. They turned the ball over several times, leading to 10 points, hit just 3 of 7 free throws and allowed Dallas to drain three 3-pointers.
"I thought we looked like a poorly coached team in that fourth quarter," Malone said. "I take that very personally. We all have to be better down the stretch. If that game is 10 seconds longer, we probably lose.