Murray, Nuggets ruin Irving’s return with runaway victory

The Denver Nuggets won the NBA championship in 2023. Last season, the Mavericks were in the NBA Finals.

Those accomplishments, as great as they were for the two franchises who met for the second time in three days Tuesday at American Airlines Center, also mean nothing.

And the fact that the Nuggets roughed up the Mavericks to the tune of 118-99 only emphasizes what the Mavericks already knew. They are always in the crosshairs these days. And they certainly can’t live on anything that happened last year.

The Mavericks welcomed back Kyrie Irving after a five-game absence with a back sprain, but nothing that coach Jason Kidd tried worked against a determined Denver team that swept their two-game…