Nikola finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead a deep offensive effort, and the Nuggets broke out in the second half to beat the Dallas.

Denver won the rebound battle 63-42, cruising to its third straight victory. The Mavericks have lost three in a row, this one without star rookie Luka Doncic due to a sore right ankle.

Denver outscored Dallas 39-23 in the third quarter to turn a one-point halftime lead into a 91-74 advantage. Paul Millsap had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Mason Plumlee had 12 points and 13 boards, and Isaiah Thomas had 16 points over 16 minutes in his second game since offseason hip surgery. Denver had seven players with at least 10 points.

„Rebounding was the biggest problem all night,“ Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. „They have three phenomenal rebounders with Jokic, Millsap and Plumlee, and they just beat us to death there.“

There were plenty of opportunities, too. Neither team shot better than 41 percent.

„We were aggressive,“ Jokic said. „We were going to the boards because they couldn’t make shots.“

ESPN