The Nuggets wouldn’t let the loss of two key players impact their chance to extend their season-long win streak to four as they powered through to secure a 117-113 victory against the Mavericks in Dallas. Despite losing PJ Dozier to a right hamstring injury and Jamal Murray to a third quarter ejection, Denver rallied behind the efforts of Nikola Jokić, Michael Porter Jr., and the rest of its reserves. Porter Jr. came off the bench and tied his season-high with 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting to go along with eight boards and two steals. Jokić had his 17th consecutive double-double, putting up 20 points and 10 rebounds and added four dimes and two steals. Denver’s bench would outscore its counterparts with a sizable 63-29 margin. Luka Dončić was a man possessed for Dallas, dropping an unreal stat line of 35 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds.
"My whole mindset since I started playing [again] is to just contribute in any way I can," Porter Jr. said. "I just wanted to come in and give a spark off the bench. Now, me and those guys have really developed chemistry. Porter Jr. remained sizzling in the second half, picking up the slack following Murray’s ejection in the third quarter. He even showed some progression on defense, making two key stops late in the fourth quarter – including one on the Mavs’ all-world star Dončić.
"Just my attentiveness," Porter Jr. said of his improvement on the defensive end. "Just trying to anticipate actions before [they happen] and not just react to what the offense is doing. That's been helping me a lot lately." Porter Jr. also played a part of the Nuggets’ 7-0 run late in the fourth with a slam at the 2:49 mark thanks to an assist from Gary Harris. It was Porter Jr.’s three-pointer with 41.3 seconds remaining that would ice the game for Malone’s team. Porter Jr. set a new career-high in made threes, notching six on the night. His previous high was five, set against the Spurs in the Bubble on Aug. 5, 2020.
Green poured in a season-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds in just 23 minutes. His chemistry with Porter Jr. has been impressive so far as their ability to space the floor and get to the rim are forcing opposing defenses to pick their poison.