The Mavericks, and especially Luka Donu010diu0107, weren’t going to let it happen again.
Three times in this young season, they’ve played opponents who were missing their leading scorer.
Three times they lost those games.
But they got it right Friday night against the Denver Nuggets, who not only were without two-time MVP Nikola Jokic but also high-scoring guard Jamal Murray, both going through the NBA’s safety protocols.
So the Mavericks jumped out to an early double-digit lead and never took their foot off the gas, waxing the Nuggets 127-99 in the first of two meetings at American Airlines Center.