DALLAS — Jamal Murray scored 33 points and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 118-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who were without Cooper Flagg for the second half after the rookie No.1 overall pick sprained his left ankle Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
The Nuggets were comfortably in front when Flagg turned the ankle as he stumbled to the court when he was called for a foul while defending Peyton Watson with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter.
Flagg limped to the locker room, but returned and played the final 2:35 before the break. He didn’t come out for the second half before the announcement that he was done for the night. The 19-year-old former Duke standout scored six points in 15 minutes.
Aaron Gordon had 22 points and Watson added 18 for Denver.
Naji Marshall scored 24 points and Brandon Williams had 20 for Dallas, which shot a season-worst 14.7 percent from 3-point range (5 of 34).
Dallas had trimmed a 23-point deficit to five early in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer from rookie Ryan Nembhard when former Maverick Tim Hardaway answered with a 3 to start a 13-2 run that put Denver in front 101-85. Murray capped the run with a 3.
The Mavericks got back within six in the final 1:12 before Murray hit a jumper just above the free-throw line and Gordon hit two free throws.
The Mavericks ruled out Daniel Gafford in the second half with a right ankle sprain that has bothered the starting center most of the season.
The Dallas frontcourt was already missing 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II. Davis is expected to miss about six weeks with ligament damage in his left hand. Lively is out for the season following foot surgery.
Bulls 128, Jazz 126
In Chicago, Nikola Vucevic made a tiebreaking layup with 4 seconds remaining, and the Chicago Bulls overcame Brice Sensabaugh’s career-high 43 points to beat the Utah Jazz.
Vucevic scored 35 points to lead the Bulls, who had five reserves finish in double figures. Isaac Okoro was the only other starter in double figures with 12 points for a Bulls team playing without Josh Giddey because of strained left hamstring.
Sensabaugh scored 21 in the first quarter, the most by a player off the bench in the period since play-by-play tracking for all quarters began in 1996-97. He helped carry Utah in a game without leading scorer Lauri Markkanen because of an illness.