The Denver Nuggets did it the hard way on Friday night and still couldn’t get a win. After falling behind by 24 points early in their third NBA Cup game, the Nuggets came back to take a late lead in front of their home crowd before falling 123-120 to the Dallas Mavericks.

This game also marked the return of Nikola Jokic, who missed three games for personal reasons while his second child was being born. Jokic picked up where he left off before the absence, finishing the game with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Jokic’s entire repertoire was on display as he scored at will all night and gave his teammates that special touch.

The rest of the Nuggets didn’t play their best in a must-win NBA Cup game. Jamal Murray shot just 4 of 16 and scored 14 points while Michael Porter Jr. sat on the bench. After the game, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was disappointed in the supporting cast for not lifting Jokic during his herculean performance, according to Jake Shapiro of Denver Sports 104.3.

“I think a lot of guys exhaled because of Nikola’s back,” Malone said, according to Shapiro. “They expected Superman to come out on top, and that’s not fair. Do your own job. Everyone has to do their job. Nikola has obviously shown once again why he is the best player in the world. Miss a week of basketball, three games and go out and get a triple-double.”

The Nuggets ultimately failed largely due to the heroics of Naji Marshall and PJ Washington. Marshall finished with a career-high 26 points and Washington added 22 to lead the Mavericks, playing without Luka Doncic, to a big win that keeps their NBA Cup hopes alive.

Nikola Jokic shines and supports the lineup as it falters in the Nuggets loss

Nikola Jokic was back on the floor Friday night, bringing the Nuggets back into the game despite a massive deficit and almost no help from the players around him.

Ultimately, however, the Nuggets were unable to do their job defensively. Part of this could be due to some strange lineup decisions from Michael Malone. For a few defensive possessions late in the game, Malone left Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook on the court while Christian Braun, arguably the Nuggets’ best fullback, sat on the bench. The Mavericks continued to attack Murray with Naji Marshall and PJ Washington getting the crucial throws they needed down the stretch.

Jokic continued to perform well until the end of the game, coming up with several clutch baskets and a huge offensive rebound that set up a 3-pointer from Murray and gave the Nuggets a chance at the very end. That wasn’t enough, however, and now the Nuggets are likely eliminated from NBA Cup contention with their second loss in group play.

Jokic’s conditioning may have been the most impressive part of his performance in this game. The MVP big man played 39 quality minutes on Friday after not playing in a game for nearly two weeks and spending much of that time away from the team. Despite this, he still managed to make a big impact.