Murray scores season-high 53 points to lift Nuggets over Mavs

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored a season-high 53 points, Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 21 rebounds and a season-high 19 assists, and the Denver Nuggets held off the Dallas Mavericks 142-135 on Wednesday night.

Jokic entered the night with 5,992 assists and reached the milestone when he fed Murray for a layup with 4:56 left in the second quarter. It was part of a 33-point first half for Murray, who was 11-of-16 from the field and scored 14 straight points in one stretch.

Jokic recorded his 6,000th career assist during Denver's fourth straight win. The Nuggets (46-28) are tied for fourth with Minnesota, which beat Houston in overtime Wednesday night. Denver holds the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series against the Timberwolves.

He made his only shot of the third quarter but heated up in the fourth after Dallas had trimmed an 11-point lead to 127-126 with 4:20 left in the fourth. The Mavericks had a chance to tie the game but Brandon Williams missed two free throws with 3:58 left and Denver took over.

Jokic hit an 8-foot floater, fed Peyton Watson for a corner 3-pointer and Murray hit a 3-pointer and a 19-foot step-back jumper to make it 138-128.

Murray, whose career high is 55 points, was 19-of-28 for the game and hit 9-of-14 3-pointers.

Rookie Cooper Flagg had 26 points and Naji Marshall scored 22 for the Mavericks, who have lost five in a row and 24 of 28 since late January.

Dallas had cut 13-point deficit to 93-92 late in the third but Jokic scored six points and had three assists in the final 2:51 to give Denver a 111-100 lead heading into the fourth.