Mavericks lead wire-to-wire to beat Nuggets 122-105
DALLAS (AP) - Harrison Barnes scored 22 points, Dennis Smith Jr. added 20 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 122-105 on Monday night.
Six Dallas players scored in double figures as the Mavericks earned their second straight wire-to-wire win after beating the Clippers by 26 on Saturday. Dallas had its highest scoring game of the season and has won five of eight since starting 2-14.
Will Barton led Denver with 23 points, Jamal Murray added 22 and Gary Harris had 21.
Denver played without two-thirds of its starting frontcourt as Paul Millsap (left wrist injury) and Nikola Jokic (sprained left ankle) remained out. The Nuggets got Wilson Chandler back, but Chandler scored just four points in 27 minutes.
Denver fell to 3-8 on the road against 10-2 at home.
Dallas led by as many as 25 points but the Nuggets started the second half making their first six shots and cut the lead to 88-80 on Barton's 3 with 2:13 left in the third quarter. It was the first time Denver had been within single digits since trailing 16-8 early on.
Barnes hit a long jumper to restore a 10-point lead, and Dallas maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks built a 21-point first-quarter lead and finished their highest-scoring quarter of the season up 39-23. They added the first nine points of the second quarter and led 64-47 at the break.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Kenneth Faried had 13 points and 11 rebounds, his fifth-straight double-figure scoring game while starting in place of Millsap.
Mavericks: Dallas held its annual Seats for Soldiers Night, where the team's season-ticket holders provide their courtside seats to more than 100 wounded U.S. service members. Former president and first lady George W. and Laura Bush were also in attendance. The Mavericks improved to 11-2 in these games since starting the tradition in 2004.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: At New Orleans on Wednesday night. Denver scored an NBA season-high 146 in beating the Pelicans on Nov. 17.
Mavericks: At Boston on Wednesday night to start a three-game trip. The Celtics beat the Mavs in overtime on Nov. 20.
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