Mavericks rookie makes franchise, NBA history in upset win over Denver Nuggets

The Dallas Mavericks were led by an unlikely hero in Monday's upset win over the Denver Nuggets, as Ryan Nembhard put up 28 points and 10 assists on 12/14 shooting, and he did it all with no turnovers in his 9th NBA game. Any time someone does that, they're part of a significant piece of NBA history.

Nembhard became the first guard in NBA history to record a line of at least 25 points, 10 assists, and no turnovers on a true shooting percentage of 100%. It helps that Nembhard was 4/5 from three, which impacts true shooting more.

The guard also 5th-most points by an undrafted rookie in franchise history and the most assists, and he's the third player in team history where a rookie has put up 25 points and 10 assists in a game. The other two are Luka Doncic, who did it five times, and his now head coach, Jason Kidd, who did it twice.

Ryan Nembhard entered rare air with his performance last night!

He joined Stephon Marbury and Michael Finley as the ONLY rookies in NBA history with 25+ points, 10+ assists, and 0 turnovers in a single game since 1977-78, the first season turnovers were fully recorded. https://t.co/SCGnnrXVsD pic.twitter.com/zxcJMDJ85r
— NBA (@NBA) December 2, 2025

To take it one step further, Nembhard joined Michael Finley and Stephon Marbury as the only rookies in NBA history to have a game of 28 points, 10 assists, and no turnovers since turnovers were tracked as a stat in the 1977-78 season.

The thing making it more impressive is that Nembhard is an undrafted rookie only playing in his 9th game. He got this opportunity because of a strong second half against the Miami Heat, and has started the last few games against the Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets. The offense has looked much better in those games, too, as their two best offensive games by offensive rating this season have come against the Lakers and Nuggets.

Dec 1, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (9) gestures as he dribbles the ball up court in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Mavericks Need to Create Space for Ryan Nembhard

The Dallas Mavericks have had a massive hole at point guard all season because Kyrie Irving is still recovering from a torn ACL, and he likely won't be back until after the new year at the earliest. And with the way the season is going, it may be best for Irving to sit out longer.

They signed D'Angelo Russell to help fill the gap, but he's been downright bad in 70% of the games he's played. They also waived Oliver-Maxence Prosper to make room for Dante Exum, but Exum is going to be out all year due to complications from a knee procedure this offseason. That has left Jaden Hardy, who doesn't have Jason Kidd's trust, Brandon Williams, who has been serviceable, and Nembhard.

The roster has a full 15 standard contracts, but they may want to convert Nembhard before the end of the season, they'll just need to waive someone to free that space up, which likely can't be done until after the new year.

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