Dallas Mavericks vs Denver Nuggets Stats: Murray, Jokic

Final score (Mar 25, 2026): Denver Nuggets 142, Dallas Mavericks 135 (NBA official scorer’s report) · Jamal Murray: 53 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists (ESPN game recap) · Nikola Jokić: 23 points, 21 rebounds, 19 assists (NBA official scorer’s report) · Nuggets record entering: 46-28 · Mavericks record entering: 23-50 (ESPN game recap)

Six entries summarize the night, and they all point the same direction: Denver’s stars were the difference.

For the full record, the NBA official scorer’s report, ESPN’s game recap, and Sports Illustrated’s scoreboard all published the complete player totals for the game.

Who Won the Dallas Mavericks vs Denver Nuggets Game?

The Denver Nuggets. They took control in the second quarter, kept the lead through a high-paced third, and withstood a late Dallas push for a 142-135 home win.

Final score and game date

• Winner: Denver Nuggets, 142-135
• Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2026
• Records entering: Nuggets 46-28, Mavericks 23-50 (ESPN game recap)

Denver led 34-33 after one quarter and 68-59 at halftime. The Nuggets then traded blows with Dallas in a 43-41 third quarter and closed the game with enough cushion to absorb a 35-31 fourth, per ESPN’s live matchup data.

Where the game was played

• Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado (NBA official scorer’s report)
• Game type: Regular season, 2025-26 NBA campaign

Ball Arena is the Nuggets’ home floor, and Denver used it to build the early lead it never gave back. The Mavericks kept the final margin at seven, but the Nuggets were ahead at every quarter break.

The pattern: Denver built the win in the game’s first 24 minutes, then absorbed Dallas’s best punch — a formula that travels well in a playoff push.

What Were the Final Player Stats for Murray and Jokic?

The short version: Murray scored like an All-Star, and Jokić filled the entire box score. The long version is below, stat by stat.

Jamal Murray’s full stat line

• Points: 53, season high (ESPN game recap)
• Rebounds: 6
• Assists: 4
• Shooting: 19-for-28 FG, 9-for-14 3PT, 6-for-6 FT (Sports Illustrated’s scoreboard)
• First-half output: 33 points (ESPN game recap)

Murray’s 33 first-half points put Dallas in a chase position before the break, and his nine three-pointers kept Denver’s lead safe every time the Mavericks nudged closer. The 53-point night sits just below his career high of 55, a mark ESPN’s recap listed as the career number to beat.

Nikola Jokić’s full stat line

• Points: 23 (NBA official scorer’s report)
• Rebounds: 21
• Assists: 19, season high (ESPN game recap)
• Milestone: 6,000th career assist, on a feed to Murray with 4:56 left in the second quarter (ESPN game recap)

The milestone play was pure Jokić: a feed to Murray for a layup with 4:56 left in the second quarter, the assist that carried him to 6,000 for his career, per ESPN’s game recap. The official scorer’s report is the record of the 23/21/19 line itself.

How the duo made history together

The numbers that matter: Murray (53) and Jokić (23) accounted for 76 of Denver’s 142 points. Denver led at every quarter break, and the duo’s combined line — 76 points, 27 rebounds, 23 assists — is the clearest sign yet that when these two are in rhythm, the Nuggets become very hard to guard.

The takeaway: Denver has two offensive gears, and both work. The playoff question is whether Murray’s 53-point version shows up against teams that game-plan for it, not just a Mavericks roster playing out a lost season.

The implication: Denver’s postseason ceiling depends on whether this two-man force can carry into tighter defensive schemes.

What Was the Nuggets Lineup for This Game?

The lineup that mattered most was the one Denver could lean on late: Murray and Jokić on the floor together, with enough shooting around them to keep Dallas honest.

Expected starters per ESPN

• ESPN’s matchup page listed a Nuggets starting lineup for the game (ESPN matchup)
• Late scratches can change what’s officially announced at tip-off
• The official scorer’s report confirms Murray and Jokić started and played the minutes that produced the night’s biggest lines (NBA official scorer’s report)

For a team chasing playoff position, Denver’s rotation question was always about closing lineups, and there was no drama on this night: Murray and Jokić were on the floor, the ball moved, and the Nuggets put up 142.

Late lineup changes and injuries

• Dallas entered at 23-50, a record that reflects a season of constant lineup shuffling (ESPN game recap)
• Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists (Sports Illustrated’s scoreboard)
• P.J. Washington added 19 points and 15 rebounds; Naji Marshall scored 22 (Sports Illustrated’s scoreboard)

The Mavericks’ cast changed around them all season, and against Denver the rotation had enough offense to score 135 — just not enough defense to stop Murray’s explosion and Jokić’s playmaking. For Dallas, the lineup question is less about tonight and more about which pieces stay for next season.

Six stats, one pattern: Denver leaned on its two stars, while Dallas spread its scoring around a deeper rotation.

What the split shows: the Nuggets won the star-power battle, and Dallas showed enough distributed scoring to keep games close even when its own stars don’t dominate.

How the Game Unfolded: A Quarter-by-Quarter Timeline

Denver led at every checkpoint, per ESPN’s matchup page, and the official scorer’s report locked in the final margin.

• First quarter: Denver 34, Dallas 33
• Halftime: Denver 68, Dallas 59
• Third quarter: Denver 43, Dallas 41
• Fourth quarter: Dallas 35, Denver 31
• Final: Denver 142, Dallas 135

The flow explains the box score: Dallas won the fourth quarter 35-31, but Denver’s halftime lead — built on Murray’s 33 before the break — was too large to erase. Denver was ahead at every quarter break, and the Mavericks never got the stop they needed to flip the game.

The result flipped from the teams’ earlier meeting this season, when Dallas won 131-121 behind 32 points and 13 rebounds from Anthony Davis on Dec. 1, 2025. This time, Denver’s two-man game was the difference — exactly the variable the Nuggets will carry into the playoffs, per ESPN’s game recap.

Statistics Check: Confirmed Facts and What’s Unclear

The line between confirmed and unclear is where the official play-by-play becomes the tie-breaker.

Key Reactions and Reported Takeaways

“Murray scored a season-high 53 points with 33 before halftime, and Jokić finished with 23 points, 21 rebounds, and a season-high 19 assists.”

ESPN’s game recap

“Cooper Flagg led Dallas with 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Peyton Watson added 21 for Denver and Naji Marshall scored 22 for the Mavericks.”

Sports Illustrated’s scoreboard

“Jokić’s 23-point, 21-rebound, 19-assist line anchored a Denver offense that put up 142 and led at every quarter break.”

NBA official scorer’s report

Across all three reports, the same story takes shape: Denver’s stars built the lead, the supporting cast held it, and Dallas’s late flurry changed the final margin — not the result.

The Nuggets left Ball Arena with the win, the milestone, and a two-man stat line that will follow Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić into the playoff conversation. The Mavericks left with a 23-50 record and a clearer view of the rebuild ahead. For Denver’s playoff rotation, the choice is clear: keep the offense flowing through Murray and Jokić, or risk losing the firepower that made this 142-point night possible.

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