3 Takeaways From Nuggets' Demolition of the Mavericks

Kyrie Irving returned on Tuesday night, but it made little difference in this game against Denver.

Jan 14, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell (7) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks were never competitive in a 118-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, as Jamal Murray lit them up for a season-high 45 points. Kyrie Irving returned in this game after missing the previous five with a back injury and looked rusty, scoring just 11 points on 4/18 shooting. The leading scorer for the Mavericks had just 13 points.

Denver looked like the more motivated and more energetic team from the tip, looking to make up for their bad first quarter on Sunday. They were able to overcome that deficit on Sunday, something Dallas never got close to doing on Tuesday. Jamal Murray set the tone from the beginning while the Mavericks were missing layups and open shots.

The Mavericks will need to have a quick memory before playing the Pelicans on Wednesday night. before then, here are three takeaways from Tuesday's disappointment.

READ MORE: Mavericks' Luka Doncic Now Ineligible For NBA Postseason Awards, Including MVP

1. So No One Wanted to Guard Jamal Murray?

Jamal Murray torched whichever Maverick was guarding him, whether it was P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes, or whoever else. He's been dealing with knee inflammation, but you wouldn't have known it by his performance on Tuesday night, as the next-highest scorer for either team had just 13 points. He was simply doing whatever he wanted: scoop lefty lay-ups, pull-up threes in transition, floaters fading in the wrong direction... He had it rolling, and no one on Dallas had an answer.

2. Are We Sure Daniel Gafford is Good?

Acquiring Daniel Gafford at the 2024 trade deadline was a big reason the Mavericks made a run to the NBA Finals last season. He has not been good this year, especially as of late. This is now two games in a row where he looked outmatched by 2025 DeAndre Jordan. And now that Dereck Lively II is dealing with an ankle injury, we'll be seeing a lot more of Gafford over the next few games. The rotation of Lively and Gafford was a reason to be excited about this team, but Gafford isn't playing at the level he played at last season. Ignore his stats from this game, DeAndre Jordan outplayed Gafford in this two-game mini-series.

3. Give O-Max More Minutes

Olivier-Maxence Prosper seems to only play when the team gets down by 20, but he always makes an impact with his energy. Even if he can be erratic, his bursts of energy are needed, and Dallas had none for the entire first half. But with O-Max in the lineup to start the fourth quarter, he helped fight the lead down under 20 for the first time in the second half, forcing a brief moment of panic from Michael Malone. The team is already losing games while they await Luka Doncic's return. Why not give a young player some minutes to provide a spark?

READ MORE: Jamal Murray Spoils Kyrie Irving's Return, Nuggets Destroy Mavericks, 118-99

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