The Denver Nuggets defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 100-99, in a last-minute thriller at Pepsi Center on Thursday.

Everything seemed poised to go the Mavericks' (27-40) way after a strong third quarter left Dallas with a double-digit lead. Denver (44-22), however, managed to put together a defensive masterpiece in the fourth to eke out the win. The Mavericks were limited to just 10 points in the fourth quarter, which culminated in a wild back-and-forth finish. Rookie sensation Luka Doncic put the Mavericks up by one point on a dunk with just 5.8 seconds remaining. He was fouled on the play, but missed the free-throw, allowing Denver a final possession to take the lead. The Nuggets did that, winning the game on a buzzer-beating floater from star center Nikola Jokic.

Jokic flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. He was not particularly aggressive offensively, shooting just 3-of-8 on the night. Veteran Paul Millsap took the lead instead, shooting 14-of-19 from the field en route to a season-high 33 points.

Doncic nearly had a triple-double of his own, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. The rookie star continued to struggle at the free-throw line, though, going just 3-of-7 at the stripe. Fellow rookie guard Jalen Brunson also had a memorable game, finishing with 20 points.


Both teams will take the floor again on Saturday, with Denver hosting the Indiana Pacers and Dallas seeing a visit from the Cleveland Cavaliers.