The Nuggets’ defense these days can make even the NBA’s worst offense look unstoppable.

The Mavericks entered Monday’s 131-121 win over the Nuggets at Ball Arena with a 106 offensive rating, the worst mark in the league. Denver entered with the league’s best offensive rating, 123.9, but it didn’t make a difference.

“We’re not physical enough right now,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “I think the stat that kind of stands out to me is only 11 personal fouls. That says you’re not putting your hands on people, and they’re running free.”

Denver’s coach was pleased with the defensive intensity in the first quarter, but that all went away quickly. Dallas scored 42 points in the second quarter and carried that momentum the rest of the way, handing the Nuggets their fourth consecutive loss at home.

“It doesn’t feel good to lose in front of our crowd,” Nikola Jokic said.

“We didn’t execute. We didn’t play our best basketball.”

Dallas finished 16 of 31 from 3-point range. Anthony Davis led the way with 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Ryan Nembhard, a rookie on a two-way contract, dropped 28 points on 12 of 14 shooting. He made 4 of 5 attempts from 3-point range and dished out 10 assists without a turnover, while this year’s No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg added 24 points.

“This team has obviously struggled to shoot the ball this year, and they had a night where they make 16 3s, but you couple that with our inability to get into people, get into the ball,” Adelman said. “I feel like Nembhard just played in space for the 34 minutes he played. We have to shore that up. We have to be better. … You can’t allow Nembhard and Flagg just to move around the court and do what they want like we did. That comes down to physicality.”

Nikola Jokic led Denver with 29 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists, and Spencer Jones finished with another career-high with 28 points.

“We can score in a multitude of ways. We can get to 130 points at will,” Jones said. “The only issue is can we keep teams under that. That’s our big step, staying focused on both ends, because no one can stop us on offense.”

Peyton Watson (15), Tim Hardaway Jr. (13), Cam Johnson (10) and Jamal Murray (10) also scored in double figures for Denver. Murray left the court in the first minute of the third quarter with a right ankle sprain and briefly returned but did not play in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets scored just 17 points without Murray in the final quarter, but the bigger issue was on the other end. The Nuggets remained without two of their best defenders in Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, but there weren’t any excuses made Monday.

“That’s part of the NBA. That stuff happens. That’s why you have to be consistent with your defensive effort,” Adelman said. “It was not (consistent) in the second quarter. I thought the third quarter, we actually really did compete, but at that point, we had given them confidence. They had seen the ball go in, and now your defense sometimes is victimized because they’ve gotten into a rhythm.”

MAVERICKS 131, NUGGETS 121

What happened: Denver took a 14-point advantage to the second quarter but trailed 69-68 at halftime. The Nuggets regained a two-point lead to start the fourth but dropped to 14-6 after an anemic final quarter on offense.

What went right: The Nuggets recorded assists on 14 of 17 made shots in the first quarter, and Nikola Jokic had six of them. It resulted in a 41-point opening quarter. Denver finished with 37 assists.

What went wrong: Dallas went 4 for 6 from 3-point range and scored 42 points in the second quarter. The Mavericks were 7 for 13 from 3 at halftime, which allowed them to erase Denver’s early 17-point lead.

Highlight of the night: Peyton Watson showed Cooper Flagg the level of athleticism that exists in the NBA. Watson cut down the middle of the lane, caught a pass from Jokic and cocked the ball back for a one-handed tomahawk slam late in the third quarter.

Up next: Denver starts a four-game road trip Wednesday in Indiana.