Jamal Murray Leads Nuggets Past Mavericks After Cooper Flagg Injury

The Denver Nuggets managed to pick up yet another win without Nikola Jokic. As they still play without their three-time MVP, the Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 118-109 on Wednesday night, marking their fifth win in six games.

This was a huge road win for the Nuggets in a game without Jokic, Cam Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas, as they continue to stay afloat while dealing with significant injuries. Luckily, of course, they have Jamal Murray to lead the way while shorthanded.

Jamal Murray has another big game

In Wednesday's win in Dallas, Murray finished with a game-high 33 points on 13-24 shooting from the field. Murray is undoubtedly making his case for his first career All-Star appearance, but more importantly for the Nuggets, he is leading them to victories in Jokic's absence.

33 points for Jamal Murray in Dallas 🏹

It's his 12th 30-point game this season, the most in a season in his career 📈

First-time All-Star incoming? pic.twitter.com/SvsF8sqIcL
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 15, 2026

Murray has been huge for Denver, and leading them to their 17th road win of the season, good for most in the NBA, is a monumental step as they eagerly wait for Jokic to return.

As the Nuggets swept their back-to-back series, with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, Murray combined for 68 points and 14 assists, putting the offense on his back with limited weapons around him. However, that does not mean he has not had any help.

In Tuesday's win, Peyton Watson stepped up to drop 31 points alongside Murray, but on Wednesday night, it was a combination of Watson and Aaron Gordon as his supporting cast. Gordon finished with 22 points on 8-12 shooting, while Watson had 18 on 6-12. Overall, it was a good team performance by the Nuggets in Dallas.

Cooper Flagg exits early with an ankle injury

While all eyes were ultimately on the Nuggets as they pulled out a win, Cooper Flagg's injury was the headline of the game. The first-overall pick left with an ankle injury after just 15 minutes of action, as he limped to the locker room and did not return.

Cooper Flagg limped back to the locker room after twisting his left ankle vs. the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/g0f70Xcwk8
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 15, 2026

Flagg finished with six points on poor 3-9 shooting, but his absence certainly took some fun out of the matchup. Still, even without him, the Mavericks had an impressive second half that nearly amounted to a comeback.

The Nuggets stormed out to take a 23-point lead, but Dallas outscored Denver in the second half to at least make things interesting by the end, and did so with Flagg on the sideline. For a Mavericks team already playing without Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and more, as well as in-game injuries to Flagg and starting center Daniel Gafford, they managed to put up a valiant fight.

The Nuggets will now return home to Denver to host the Washington Wizards on Saturday after picking up another strong win in Dallas.

Jamal Murray has another big game

Cooper Flagg exits early with an ankle injury

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