During the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' action against the Mavericks, Johnson would go down with what the team labeled a right knee sprain while landing from attempting to grab a rebound. He would inevitably be deemed questionable to return to the game, but wound up staying out in the final few minutes.

Nuggets vs Mavericks predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, December 23. Nikola Jokic is in the giving spirit.

Denver Nuggets forward Cam Johnson suffered a knee sprain in Tuesday night's showdown with the Dallas Mavericks

Jamal Murray led the way for the Nuggets in Monday’s victory as he ended the game with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists while Cameron Johnson added 20 points and four assists of his own. While both teams are looking to pick up a victory in Tuesday night’s matchup, both squads may be without multiple key players due to injuries.

Expert recap and game analysis of the Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets NBA game from December 23, 2025 on ESPN.

The Mavericks have been extremely underwhelming for most of the season, holding a 12-19 record, but first-overall pick Cooper Flagg had one of the best games of his rookie season to take down Denver.

For most of the night, it felt like the Mavericks were daring the Nuggets to keep up. Dallas blitzed Denver early, survived the inevitable comeback, and then leaned on its two stars when the game tightened to steal a 131-130 win Tuesday night.

Cooper Flagg scored 33 points as the Mavericks edged the Nuggets 131-130, snapping a losing streak and handing Denver a rare road loss.