Stats Rundown: 3 numbers from Mavericks win over the Nuggets

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Denver Nuggets 103-89 on Monday night. The win was their fourth in five games, and put them over .500 for the first time since Dec. 13.

Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 21 points and dished out a game high 15 assists. Reggie Bullock scored 15 points off the bench on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc, one point shy of tying his season-high in points. All five starters scored in double digits.

Nikola Jokic led all scorers with 27 points and collected 16 rebounds. He got no help from his teammates, however, with Aaron Gordon the second-leading scorer for the Nuggets with 15 points. Will Barton chipped in 12 points, the only other Denver player to score double digits.

Here are three numbers from the win:

4: The number of consecutive games the Mavericks have held opponents under 100 points

The Mavericks defense has been stifling lately. They’ve been helped out by playing some teams decimated by injuries and COVID-19 protocols, and the Kings. But you can only play who’s on your schedule, as the old saying goes. The Mavericks came into the game 16th in the league in defensive rating, and if they keep playing like this, that number is sure to rise. The last team to score more than 100 on the Mavericks was the the Trail Blazers.

25: The number of turnovers forced by the Mavericks

Dallas has been incredible at protecting the ball, and when they force turnovers, they’re hard to beat. A lot of the games lately have been sloppy due to the constant lineup shuffle, but the Mavericks were especially aggressive tonight and forced the Nuggets into numerous mistakes. It’s the most turnovers forced by the Mavericks since a 2016 game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

19: The number the Nuggets out-rebounded the Mavericks by

Dallas was only able to grab 28 boards, while Denver had 47. They were absolutely dominated on the glass. The Nuggets had 11 offensive rebounds, and the Mavericks only had five. This helped Denver outscore Dallas by 10 in the paint. None of it mattered. The Mavericks scored 28 points off the Nuggets turnovers and rode timely 3-point shooing in the fourth quarter to victory.

Here’s our latest episode of Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you’re unable to see the embed below, click here to be taken to the podcast directly. Or go to your favorite podcast app and search Mavs Moneyball Podcast.