Jamal Murray erupted for 33 points to power the Denver Nuggets to a 118-109 win over a Dallas Mavericks side that missed the presence of top rookie Cooper Flagg in the second quarter of their National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season battle.

The Nuggets were ahead when Flagg rolled his ankle after being called for a foul while defending Peyton Watson with more than six minutes left in the second quarter.

The 19-year-old former Duke star limped to the locker but returned to play in the final two minutes of the first half. He, however, was no longer available in the third period before the Mavs announced that he was done for the night.

He finished with six points in just 15 minutes of play.

On the other hand, Aaron Gordon had 22 points and Watson added 18 for Denver while Naji Marshall scored 24 points and Brandon Williams had 20 for Dallas, which shot a season-worst 14.7 percent from the three-point range.

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 three-pointer to start a 13-2 run that put Denver in front 101-85. Murray capped the run with a trey.

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.

Aside from Flagg, the Mavericks also ruled out starting center Daniel Gafford in the second half with a right ankle sprain that has bothered him for 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.

Meanwhile, on the eve of the first regular season NBA game in Germany, European basketball pioneer Detlef Schrempf is “proud” of the role he played in making the league a worldwide phenomenon.

“The NBA has gone global,” Schrempf told AFP from Berlin, where the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic will face off on Thursday.

A three-time NBA All-Star, Schrempf is considered the first true European star in the NBA, popularizing the game in his native Germany and Europe.