The Denver Nuggets found a way to walk away victorious Tuesday night with a 126-118 shootout win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Denver has now won 11 of their last 13 games and their last seven games at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets still sit atop the Western Conference standings with a record of 21-9, which is good for a half-game lead over the Golden State Warriors for first place in the Western Conference. It also gives the Nuggets their best start to a season since 1976-77 and a 13-4 record against the Western Conference this season.

Even with the Nuggets’ roster depleted due to injuries, they are still finding ways to pick up wins. Players are constantly stepping up in big moments; part of the five biggest things to take away from the Nuggets’ victory over Dallas.

Nikola Jokic stays aggressive

There is no question that the Nuggets have been struck with a terrible injury bug; Will Barton, Gary Harris, and Paul Millsap have all been forced to miss extended time. But what those injuries have done is force Jokic to be the driving force for the Nuggets’ offense on a nightly basis, which only continued on Tuesday night. You could tell Jokic had that look in his eye from the opening tip as the Nuggets’ big man already had 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field after the first quarter.

That number was just the beginning for Jokic, as he chipped in another 11 points in the second quarter. Jokic did all that on 9-of-18 shooting from the field, while also hauling in nine rebounds in his 17 first-half minutes. He didn’t limit his scoring to the paint; Jokic went 2-of-4 from distance and showed off his ability to score the basketball in every way imaginable.

Jokic just took over the final two minutes of the period to push the Nuggets’ lead to double-digits going into the fourth quarter. Through three quarters, Jokic had already attempted 23 shots — making 13 of them — and was in complete control of what the Nuggets were doing offensively.

Jokic finished with 32 points on 13-of-25 shooting from the field, while also collecting a game-high 16 rebounds. Six of those rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor, which was a huge factor in the Nuggets’ nine second-chance points. Jokic also had three steals on the defensive end of the floor. As the Nuggets’ injuries have piled up, Jokic has stepped up.

Jamal Murray posts a career-high in assists

Everything was working for the Nuggets’ point guard on Tuesday night. Coming into the game, Murray’s career high in assists was 10, which he coincidentally set against the Mavericks during his rookie season. It would not take long for Murray to beat that record against Dallas; he broke it with his 11th assist at the 5:15 mark of the second quarter; marking only the ninth time that Murray has recorded at least eight assists in a game for his whole career: one time when he was a rookie two-years ago, three times during his sophomore season, and five already this year.

Murray finished the first half with 12 assists, six points and two rebounds, and had only one turnover in his 21 first-half minutes. Murray finished with his second double-double of the season, finishing with 22 points, 15 assists and rebounds — and a late flurry of points that finished the visiting Mavericks off.

Trey Lyles gets his groove back 

Coming into Tuesday, Lyles was shooting just 23.5 percent from three-point range on the season and hadn’t scored in double-figures in five games. But following an effective first half, Lyles played aggressive basketball, finishing the game with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range.

In his 20 minutes off the bench, Lyles also chipped in three rebounds to go with his 16 points; marking his highest scoring total since November 23rd.

Monte Morris leads the Nuggets’ second unit

Monte Morris chipped in 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point-land and a big, Euro-step lay-in during the closing minutes of the fourth to help seal the win for Denver. Morris, a revelation at point guard, continues to be one of the Nuggets’ most important players this season.

Morris added to his league leading assist/turnover ratio (6.15) by dishing out five assiststo only one turnover.  After the game, head coach Michael Malone said the Morris was playing like “a 10-year veteran” rather than a second-year player.

Defense was optional

The Nuggets’ 126 points was tied for the second-most they have scored all season, exceeded only by the 138 points they scored against the Atlanta Hawks. The Nuggets’ 74-69 lead indicated that neither team knew how to stop the other.

The Nuggets ended up shooting 50-of-90 (55.6 percent) from the field and 12-of-29 (41.4 percent) from behind the three-point line for the game. Seven Nuggets scored in double-figures, and six of the seven shot over 55 percent from the field.

Dallas had five players in double-figures on their way to 118 points. Harrison Barnes led the Mavericks in scoring with 30, but Luka Doncic stole the show for Dallas with 23 points and 12 assists. The Mavericks’ rookie sensation got to the free-throw line 12 times as he and Jokic traded points for most of the night. Neither Jokic or Doncic was guarding one another, but each carried their team on the offensive end of the floor.

Despite the shootout, the Nuggets still post a defensive rating of 104.5, which is good for fourth in the NBA — trailing only Oklahoma City, Boston, and Indiana.