The Mavericks found out Sunday that fourth quarter magic is a sword that swings both ways.
The Denver Nuggets awoke from hibernation, where they had spent much of the first three quarters, and rode Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook to a 112-101 victory Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks led by 19 points in the third quarter, and by 12 early in the fourth, but ended up getting outscored in that quarter, 33-12. They missed all 11 of their three-point tries in the period and were outrebounded 15-6.
It was an exact opposite of Thursday when the Mavericks used a big fourth quarter to overcome a late 10-point deficit against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We had a great lead,” said Klay Thompson, who led the Mavericks with 25 points. “That was a tough one. To get outscored 33-12 in the fourth is unfortunate. But luckily we get to see these guys on Tuesday and I think we’ll make the necessary adjustments to put ourselves in better position.
“This one stings because it was right in our grasp. But we’ll watch the film and be better.”
The Mavericks, who saw a two-game win streak stopped and fell to 22-16, do, indeed, get another crack at the Nuggets on Tuesday at AAC.
After getting outscored in the paint 68-40 and losing points in the paint 27-8, the Mavericks will have plenty to work on between now and then.
“The ball just stuck a little bit and we got a little tired which you do when you put out that type of energy on both ends, offense and defense,” coach Jason Kidd said of the fourth quarter meltdown. “But they had the big fourth just like we had the big first. They pulled away there in the fourth quarter.”
Jokic finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. Westbrook did almost as much damage with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. But the Nuggets wiped out a 91-79 Mavericks lead early in the fourth with 12 consecutive points, all scored with Jokic on the bench. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, who had not played since Christmas because of a calf injury, did the heavy lifting during that run.
Then, Jokic took over and led the Nuggets to a 55-37 rebounding edge for the game.
“We talked about that earlier,” Kidd said. “We got to be able rebound the ball and we just didn’t do that. We’ll look at that and see how we can improve there. They executed. Joker’s as good as they come in being able to make the pass and they knock down shots. Tonight, he was able to pass and score. But we got to be able to rebound the ball. Hopefully on Tuesday we can be better.”
In addition to Thompson, the Mavericks got 16 points and 10 assists from Spencer Dinwiddie. Dereck Lively II had 14 points and eight assists. Overall, the Mavericks had 27 assists, but just two in the fourth quarter.
When Jokic found Westbrook under the bucket for an uncontested layup, the Nuggets had gone ahead 101-97 and would score on their next two possessions to push the lead to 106-99.
It was a rough ending to a game the Mavericks had led virtually throughout until the final six minutes.
“We gave ourselves a chance to win the game,” Dinwiddie said. “If we’d have had another really good defensive quarter, we’d have been in position to win.
“A lot of it comes down to missed shots. It’s deflating, obviously, when they’re going on a run and we have some open threes. You knock a couple of those down, it stops their run and shifts the momentum. But when you miss those consecutively, it snowballs.”
Before the game, Denver coach Michael Malone was asked from his view how the Mavericks were able to win their past two games without Dončić and Irving.
“The Grimes-Hardy show off the bench,” was his primary explanation.
With good reason. Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy have been rolling of late, both averaging 18 points in their previous four games.
But the first half was more like the Klay Thompson show. Perhaps more than anybody, Thompson has had to make adjustments with Dončić and Irving on the shelf. He is his best as a spot-up shooter and now he has different distributors getting him the ball.
This time without Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving is proving to be a valuable learning experience, Thompson said, even through the losses.
“It’s definitely an adjustment and that’s the fun part of the season,” Thompson said. “Last game against the Blazers, I had a terrible game but my teammates picked me up. And that’s what having a deep roster is all about. Definitely an adjustment, but it’s welcomed. And I enjoy these moments when we got to battle adversity with our best players out of the lineup.
“Championships aren’t won just because of a great run in the playoffs. You have to build great chemistry before that. Sometimes these are the games you remember the most, when you’re down and out and your team’s not at full strength but we pull through.”
The Mavericks had a great chance to get the job done again against the Nuggets, but the fourth quarter sabotaged everything.
X: @ESefko
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