DALLAS – Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Nikola Jokic added 19 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists as the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Dallas Mavericks 112-101 on Sunday.

The Nuggets trailed by 19 points late in the third period and by 12 points early in the fourth period. They outscored the Mavericks 33-12 in the fourth period. After making just four of 25 3-pointers through three quarters, Denver shot 3 for 7 while the Mavs missed all 11 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets won for the 12th time in 17 games.

Klay Thompson scored 25 points to lead the Mavericks, who are 2-5 and playing without All-Star guards Luka Doncic (calf strain) and Kyrie Irving (back sprain). Thompson was scoreless on four shots, all 3-pointers, in the fourth period.

Takeaways

Nuggets: At 23-15, they are eight games over .500 for the first time this season and are 12-3 with Jokic and Westbrook in the starting lineup. Her 21.9% three-point shooting percentage (7 of 32) was her worst of the season. Aaron Gordon returned for the first time since Christmas and scored 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the floor and six rebounds in 18 minutes.

Mavericks: Doncic finished third in last season’s MVP voting but is ineligible to play this season as of Sunday because he cannot meet the threshold of playing in at least 65 regular-season games.

Key moment

With Mavericks center Dereck Lively II committing five fouls, Jokic turned inside against forward PJ Washington and scored a finger-roll basket with 4:28 to play. That gave the Nuggets a 99-96 lead, their first lead of more than one point.

Key statistics

The Nuggets outscored the Mavericks in the paint 68-40.

Next

The teams will meet again on Tuesday night in Dallas in their final regular season meeting of the season.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba