Michael Porter Jr. hits the game-winning jumper in the final seconds and Denver beats Dallas 122-120

DENVER (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. hit a mid-range shot with seven seconds left and the Denver Nuggets won their fifth straight, beating the Dallas Mavericks 122-120 on Sunday night.

Nikola Jokic recorded his fourth straight triple-double and his NBA-best sixth of the season with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists. Jamal Murray had 18 points and Porter finished with 17.

Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 43 points for Dallas. Luka Doncic added 24 points and Daniel Gafford had 16.

Trailing by three points early in the final period, Dallas got three straight threes from Irving to take a 105-102 lead with 8:46 to play. The teams continually exchanged shots to keep the rest of the game close. Irving’s bench shot gave Dallas a 120-118 lead with 1:39 left, but Jokic then had the equalizer ahead of Porter’s game-winner. Irving missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Dallas trailed by 10 points midway through the first quarter, but outscored Denver by nine points in the second period to lead 63-60 at halftime.

Takeaways

Mavericks: Irving and Doncic spearheaded the Mavericks’ strong offensive game, which fell just short.

Nuggets: They sparked their offense with effective 3-point shooting, making 14 of their 29 attempts (48.3 percent). Peyton Watson was 4 of 4 from 3-point range.

Key moment

Dallas, already without injured PJ Washington (knee), Dereck Lively II (shoulder) and Dante Exum (wrist), feared Doncic would be sidelined with a left groin strain. But during the warm-up he demonstrated his agility and shooting ability and was given the go-ahead to play.

Key statistics

The starting five of both teams all scored in double figures.

Next

Mavericks: Klay Thompson, who moved to Dallas last summer as part of an offseason trade with Golden State and four other teams, faces his former team on Tuesday night.

Nuggets: Begin a three-game road trip Friday night in New Orleans.

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