Jamal Murray Dominates Dallas: Cooper Flagg Injured, Nuggets Win 118-109
The game turned in the second quarter when Cooper Flagg, the first overall draft pick, twisted his left ankle while defending Peyton Watson. The 19-year-old rookie, a former Duke player, limped back to the locker room before briefly returning for the final 2 minutes and 35 seconds of the first half. He did not return after halftime, finishing the game with 6 points in 15 minutes of play.
This injury deprived Dallas of a key rotation player, as the Texas team was already weakened by the absence of Anthony Davis, sidelined for 6 weeks due to damaged ligaments in his left hand, and Dereck Lively II, out for the remainder of the season after foot surgery.
Cooper Flagg injury.
He was being taken to the hoop, landed on his left ankle weird, sprained it.
Prayers up 🙏 pic.twitter.com/UmbuTMnb7s
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) January 15, 2026
Murray Takes Control, Dallas Collapses from Three-Point Range
Jamal Murray dominated the game with 33 points, constantly finding offensive solutions against a struggling Dallas defense. The Canadian guard was supported by Aaron Gordon (22 points) and Peyton Watson (18 points) to help the Nuggets control the game.
Dallas showed signs of life by reducing a 23-point deficit to just 5 points early in the fourth quarter thanks to a three-pointer from rookie Ryan Nembhard. But Tim Hardaway Jr., a former Mavericks player, immediately responded with a three-pointer that sparked a decisive 13-2 run by the Nuggets, capped by a Murray three-pointer to make it 101-85.
The determining factor in this game was Dallas’s catastrophic outside shooting. The Mavericks finished with a terrible 14.7% from three-point range (5 of 34 attempts), their worst performance of the season in that area. Despite 24 points from Naji Marshall and 20 points from Brandon Williams, this poor shooting negated all their efforts.
Problems worsened when Daniel Gafford, the starting center already hampered by a right ankle sprain for several games, was ruled out for the second half. With three big men unavailable, Dallas finds itself in a critical situation.
The Nuggets will host Washington on Saturday to begin a three-game homestand, while the Mavericks will host the Jazz on Thursday for the first of two consecutive home games, hoping to turn around an increasingly concerning situation.
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