Michael Porter Jr. hits winning jumper in the final seconds and Denver beats Dallas 122-120

DENVER -- Michael Porter Jr. hit a mid-range jumper with seven seconds left and the Denver Nuggets won their fifth straight, 122-120 over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night.

Nikola Jokic had 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists for his fourth straight triple-double and his NBA-best sixth this season. Jamal Murray had 18 points and Porter finished with 17.

Kyrie Irving had a season-high 43 points for Dallas. Luka Doncic added 24 points and Daniel Gafford had 16.

Trailing by three going into the final period, Dallas got three 3-pointers in a row from Irving to take a 105-102 lead with 8:46 left to play. The teams kept trading shots to keep it close the rest of the way. Irving’s bank shot gave Dallas a 120-118 lead with 1:39 left but Jokic then had a tying tip-in and ahead of Porter’s winning shot. Irving missed a 3-point try at the buzzer.

Down by 10 midway through the first quarter, Dallas outscored Denver by nine points in the second period and led 63-60 at halftime.

Mavericks: Irving and Doncic spearheaded the Mavericks’ strong offensive play which just came up short.

Nuggets: Sparked their offense with effective 3-point shooting, making 14 of their 29 attempts (48.3 percent). Peyton Watson was 4 of 4 from 3-point range.

Dallas, already without injured P.J. Washington (knee), Dereck Lively II (shoulder) and Dante Exum (wrist), feared Doncic would be held out with a left groin strain. But he showcased his mobility and shooting in warmups and was cleared to play.

The starting five for both teams all scored in double figures.

Mavericks: Klay Thompson, who joined Dallas last summer as part of an offseason trade with Golden State and four other teams, faces his former team on Tuesday night.

Nuggets: Begin a three-game road trip Friday night in New Orleans.

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