The Dallas Mavericks picked up their fourth-straight win in a 123-120 thriller against the Denver Nuggets. Dallas led by 20 at halftime and eventually as much as 24 early in the third quarter before Denver stormed back to take a lead in the 4th quarter.

Nikola Jokic made his return from a three-game absence and produced a triple-double, but it wasn't enough to beat a Mavericks team that was without Luka Doncic. Jokic led the Nuggets with 33 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists.

The depth of the Dallas Mavericks will be tested without Luka Doncic in a fearsome NBA Cup battle against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Both the Mavericks and Nuggets enter Friday with a 1-1 record in NBA Cup group play,

Both teams have a combined 12 players listed on their injury report.The Nuggets have five players listed on their injury report: Aaron Gordon, Vlatko Cancar, DaRon Holmes II, Spencer Jones, and Jalen Pickett.