DALLAS (AP) – Jamal Murray scored 33 points and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 118-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without Cooper Flagg in the second half after the rookie, the No. 1 overall pick, sprained his left ankle Wednesday night.
The Nuggets were comfortably ahead when Flagg sprained his ankle stumbling on the court after being called for a foul while guarding Peyton Watson with 6:01 left in the second quarter.
Flagg limped to the locker room, but returned and played the final 2:35 before halftime. He didn’t come out for the second half before the announcement that he wouldn’t play again that night. The 19-year-old former Duke standout scored six points in 15 minutes. Aaron Gordon added 22 points and Watson added 18 for Denver.
Naji Marshall scored 24 points and Brandon Williams had 20 for Dallas, which had its worst 3-point percentage of the season at 14.7% (five of 34).
Dallas had cut a 23-point deficit to five early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer from rookie Ryan Nembhard when former Maverick Tim Hardaway responded with a 3-pointer to start a 13-2 run that put Denver ahead 101-85. Murray capped the streak with a triple.
The Mavericks got within six in the final 1:12 before Murray hit a shot just above the free throw line and Gordon scored a pair from the penalty line.
The Mavericks ruled out Daniel Gafford in the second half due to a sprained right ankle that has bothered the starting center most of the season.
