Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Mavericks came out on top at home over the Denver Nuggets in a big Western Conference showdown on Monday night.

The Mavs beat the Nuggets 111-101 for their second-straight victory while snapping Denver’s five-game winning streak in the process.

Two of the NBA’s better teams clashed in a game that could be a preview of a playoff matchup by next spring, and Dallas had their hands full with Denver’s reigning MVP, Luka Doncic.

In the first quarter, both teams were locked in a tight one, with the Mavs up by only three going into the second.

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The Nuggets tightened up their defense and held Dallas to 14 second-quarter points, while their offense turned things around to go into halftime with a 58-49 lead.

The Mavs fought hard in the third to pull things within four points, despite outscoring the Nuggets during those 12 minutes.

But Dallas responded with their own defensive tweak and held the Nuggets to only 18 points while putting up 32 to take the lead and hold on for victory at the final buzzer.

While Denver’s MVP was the high man, Dallas’ Kristaps Porzingis (26) took the top spot on Monday night for the Mavs, ahead of his teammate Luka Doncic.

In just eight games played, Porzingis is the second-leading scorer on the team with 19.3 points per game.

Even though he was his team’s leading scorer by the end of the game, he came up in the fourth with three rebounds and an assist to help the Mavs seal the win.

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Porzingis shot 11-for-20 from the field, including five of eight from behind the arc for a team-high 29 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

Last year’s MVP, Nikola Jokic is having a decent season, but he hasn’t always been quite as dominant as before.

This loss to the Mavs is a prime example. Jokic outscored and out-rebounded his opposing center in Porzingis, but was nearly equaled on the stat sheet by a less-talented player.

A lot of MVPs in the past were notorious for being the best on both offense and defense, but perhaps Denver’s big man is one of those rare exceptions where the defensive side of the game will remain underwhelming.

That was certainly the case in last year’s Western Conference semifinal sweep, when the Nuggets fell to the Suns in four straight games. There was plenty of offense from Jokic, fresh from his MVP award at the time, but not nearly enough defense to give his team a fighting chance in that series.

On Wednesday, the Mavericks head out to the desert to face the Suns while on Thursday, the Nuggets will be back at home to take on the Sixers.