National Basketball Association
Denver 113, Phoenix 111
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, December 23, 2019
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Officials:
#20 Leroy Richardson, #6 Tony Brown, #50 Gediminas Petraitis
Attendance:
16041
By Field Level Media
Jamal Murray had 28 points and seven assists, and he hit a go-ahead basket with 2.5 seconds left as the visiting Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 113-111 on Monday.
Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season, Will Barton scored 13 points, Jerami Grant had 11 and Paul Millsap added 10 for Denver, which has won seven straight.
Ricky Rubio led Phoenix with 21 points and added nine assists, Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14 points, and Dario Saric and Frank Kaminsky had 13 each. The Suns have lost seven in a row.
Denver led by as many as 13 in the third quarter, but Phoenix cut the gap to 82-81 heading into the fourth.
Kaminsky's short jumper to open the fourth gave the Suns their first lead since the first quarter, but Grant's three-point play put the Nuggets ahead 88-85 with 9:49 left.
Phoenix came back to take the lead again. Cameron Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and Oubre converted a three-point play to put the Suns up 94-88.
Denver turned the ball over three times, Oubre hit a 3-pointer and Mikal Bridges added a jumper to make it 101-92 with 5:54 left, but the Nuggets rallied again.
Jokic scored nine points, hitting six free throws and a 3-pointer that tied it at 108, and then fed Murray for a 3-pointer that gave Denver a 111-108 lead.
Devin Booker, who was scoreless into late in the third and finished with 11 points, hit a tying 3-pointer with 25.5 seconds left. The Nuggets drained the clock and Murray hit a long two-pointer with 2.5 seconds left. Grant blocked Booker's 3-point attempt from the corner to end the game.
The Nuggets grabbed control early in the game, using a 21-5 run in the first quarter to go up by 15. Mason Plumlee's dunk gave Denver a 44-28 lead with 8:28 left in the first half, and then Phoenix chipped away.
Five points by Rubio and consecutive 3-pointers from Bridges made it 44-39 midway through the second quarter. The Suns got within four on Jevon Carter's 3-pointer with 2:20 left before Denver took a 56-49 lead into halftime.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Denver |
|
Phoenix |
|
Jamal Murray 28 |
Scoring |
Ricky Rubio 21 |
|
Nikola Jokic 10 |
Assists |
Ricky Rubio 9 |
|
Nikola Jokic 12 |
Rebounds |
Cameron Johnson 7 |
|
Nikola Jokic 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Devin Booker 4 |
|
Will Barton 2 |
Steals |
Mikal Bridges 3 |
|
Jerami Grant 1 |
Blocks |
N/A |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Denver
|
113 |
55.1 |
15-28 |
12-15 |
31 |
39 |
1 |
10 |
21 |
| Phoenix
|
111 |
48.3 |
13-37 |
14-18 |
29 |
38 |
0 |
10 |
17 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against Golden State. The Suns have a W/L % of .182 after a win and .474 after a loss.
-
Denver will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .810 after a win and .500 after a loss.
For more information, contact us