Jamal Murray scored a season-high 53 points, Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 21 rebounds and a season-high 19 assists, and the Denver Nuggets held off the Dallas Mavericks 142-135 on Wednesday nightDENVER — Jamal Murray scored a season-high 53 points, Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 21 rebounds and a season-high 19 assists, and the Denver Nuggets held off the Dallas Mavericks 142-135 on Wednesday night.Jokic entered the night with 5,992 assists and reached the milestone when he fed Murray for a layup with 4:56 left in the second quarter. It was part of a 33-point first half for Murray, who was 11 of 16 from the field and scored 14 straight points in one stretch.Jokic recorded his 6,000th career assist during Denver’s fourth straight win. The Nuggets (46-28) are tied for fourth with Minnesota, which beat Houston in overtime on Wednesday night. Denver holds the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series against the Timberwolves.He made his only shot of the third quarter but heated up in the fourth after Dallas had trimmed an 11-point lead to 127-126 with 4:20 left in the fourth. The Mavericks had a chance to tie the game but Brandon Williams missed two free throws with 3:58 left and Denver took over.Jokic hit an 8-foot floater, fed Peyton Watson for a corner 3-pointer and …
