# Luka's 47 Points Can't Save Dallas as Jokić Orchestrates Fourth-Quarter Masterclass
The Mavericks lost this game in a three-minute stretch midway through the fourth quarter, and if you weren't watching closely, you missed exactly how Nikola Jokić dismantled their defense without taking a single shot.
Dallas fell 118-112 to Denver on Sunday night at Ball Arena, and the box score will tell you Luka Dončić dropped 47 points on 17-of-29 shooting. It'll show Jokić finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 16 assists. What it won't show is the chess match that unfolded between 6:42 and 3:18 in the fourth, when the Nuggets turned a 98-96 deficit into a 110-100 lead they never relinquished.
Jason Kidd made a mistake. He went small.
With Dallas trailing by two and 6:42 remaining, Kidd pulled Dereck Lively II for Josh Green, betting that extra perimeter speed would contain Denver's guards. Instead, it gave Jokić the exact matchup he'd been hunting all night: Maxi Kleber as the lone big defender.
## Jokić's Four-Possession Clinic
Here's what happened next, possession by possession.
First trip down: Jokić catches at the elbow, Kleber playing three feet off. Dončić had just hit a stepback three on the other end—his sixth of the night—so Dallas is feeling good. Jokić pump fakes, Kleber doesn't bite. Jamal Murray cuts baseline, Jokić hits him with a bounce pass through traffic. Layup. 100-98 Denver.
Second possession: Mavericks run a Dončić-Kyrie Irving pick-and-roll that gets Irving a clean midrange look. He misses. Long rebound to Michael Porter Jr., who pushes in transition. Jokić trails the play, sets up at the top of the key. Porter swings it to him. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope cuts from the weak side, Jokić delivers a no-look pass for a corner three. Splash. 103-98.
Look, this is where Dallas needed a timeout. They didn't get one.
Third possession: Dončić tries to answer immediately, waves off the screen, goes iso on Murray. He gets to his spot—left elbow, 18 feet—and rises for the jumper. Christian Braun rotates over from the weak side, contests just enough. Rim out. Jokić secures the rebound, immediately outlets to Murray in transition. Murray attacks, draws Kleber's help, kicks to Aaron Gordon streaking down the lane. Dunk. 105-98.
Fourth possession: Now Kidd calls timeout. But the damage is done. Out of the timeout, Dallas runs a set for Irving, who gets a decent look from three. Misses again. Jokić grabs his 13th rebound, walks the ball up himself. He surveys the defense for eight seconds at the top of the key—Kleber backing up, Green trying to help from the weak side, Dončić conserving energy on Murray. Jokić drives middle, Kleber commits, Jokić dumps to Gordon for another easy bucket. 107-98.
Four possessions. Nine points. Zero Jokić field goal attempts.
That's 2:24 of game time where Denver's offense looked like a college team playing against high schoolers, and it happened because Dallas couldn't protect the rim without Lively on the floor.
## Dončić's Brilliance Wasn't Enough
Real talk: Dončić was spectacular for three and a half quarters. He had 38 points through three periods, including a stretch in the third where he scored 14 straight for Dallas. He hit contested threes, he bullied smaller defenders in the post, he found Lively for three lobs in the pick-and-roll.
But here's the thing about playing Jokić—you can't just outscore him. You have to make him work on defense, and Dallas couldn't do that with their small lineup. Green isn't a post threat. Kleber can't punish mismatches. P.J. Washington tried twice to back down Porter in the fourth and got stripped both times.
The Mavericks scored 14 points in the final 6:42. That's not terrible efficiency. But they gave up 20, and 16 of those came on possessions where Jokić touched the ball and made the right read before Dallas could rotate.
Irving finished with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting, but he went 1-of-6 in the fourth quarter. Washington added 16 points and 8 rebounds. Lively had 12 points and 11 boards in just 26 minutes—and this is the controversial part—he should've played 35.
## Denver's Depth Advantage
Murray had 22 points and 7 assists, but he wasn't the second-best player on the floor. That was Gordon, who finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He guarded Dončić for 47 possessions and held him to 3-of-9 shooting when he was the primary defender.
Porter added 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three. Caldwell-Pope chipped in 11 points and played stellar defense on Irving in the fourth, forcing him into three tough contested jumpers that all missed.
Thing is, Denver's bench outscored Dallas's reserves 22-8. Peyton Watson gave them 8 points in 14 minutes. Julian Strawther hit two threes in garbage time. The Mavericks got 6 points from Dante Exum and 2 from Olivier-Maxime Prosper. That's it.
This game exposed Dallas's biggest weakness heading into the playoffs: they're seven deep, maybe eight if Green is hitting shots. Denver can go ten deep without losing much defensively.
The Mavericks are now 54-23, still second in the West behind Oklahoma City. Denver improves to 52-25, sitting third. These teams will likely meet in the second round, and if that happens, Kidd better have an answer for Jokić's playmaking that doesn't involve going small.
## The Prediction
Dallas won't beat Denver in a seven-game series unless Lively plays 35-plus minutes per game. Kidd's going to try to get cute with small-ball lineups again, and Jokić will carve them up the same way he did Sunday night. Nuggets in six.