Yes, the Dallas Mavericks were missing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but this was still a big win for the Denver Nuggets on the road.

Getting back Aaron Gordon was a big deal. He came off the bench, and this was one of the first games of the season when the bench lifted up the starters. Peyton Watson and DeAndre Jordan deserve a ton of credit for that, as does Gordon, who looked like he hadn’t missed a step in his first game back from a calf strain.

On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn reacts to the Denver Nuggets 112-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Aaron Gordon returned to the floor and played 18 minutes off the bench. His presence helped the bench lift the Nuggets starters on a bad day. Nikola Jokic was okay, Jamal Murray struggled, and Michael Porter shot 1/8 from 3. Fortunately, Russell Westbrook picked them up, as did Peyton Watson and the Nuggets defense.

Ryan discusses the win, AG’s return, and his thoughts on the Mavericks.

Pickaxe and Roll is a Nuggets podcast streamed live on YouTube every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10am MT. You can catch episodes live by subscribing to the Mile High Sports YouTube channel and turning on Bell Notifications.

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