DENVER — Jamal Murray erupted for a season-high 53 points and Nikola Jokic posted his 30th triple-double of the season (23 points, 21 rebounds, 19 assists) as the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 142-135 on Wednesday.
The night was a rare tandem performance: Denver became the first team in NBA history to have one player score 50 or more points while another teammate recorded at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in the same game.
The win came on the second night of a back-to-back, with tipoff about 16 hours after the team landed in Denver following a victory in Phoenix. The effort underscored how dangerous the Nuggets can be when both cornerstones are on the same page.
"Fifty-three from your point guard and 23, 21, 19 from your center. Just outrageous numbers from the best tandem in the NBA," coach David Adelman said. "They really are the history book of this franchise when it comes to the longevity together, and also the playoffs and all these wars they've been through in a basketball sense, it's just super special."
Jokic debuted in the 2015-16 season after being selected 41st overall, and Murray followed a year later as the seventh overall pick. Over the pas
