The Denver Nuggets began a five-game trip with a double dip in Phoenix against the Suns. The first of two competitions in Arizona did not start well for Denver with Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton leading an offensive barrage. However, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were up to the task and responded in the second half to force extra time and secure a 130-126 victory.
The Suns were aggressive at the start, particularly Ayton, and opened with a 7-2 straight. The Nuggets’ offensive was also flat to start the game, Jokic got a few buckets, but there was not much else until Murray threw a big slam to pull the Nuggets within three. Ayton continued to score. He was the recipient of several nice Chris Paul feeds. Denver struggled to keep up, although Jokic was finally getting some help in the form of Will Barton. The Suns bank started from where the holders stopped, along with Booker, who was tearing apart Denver’s defense. If it weren’t for a classic Monte Morris final in the fourth, the Nuggets would have dropped double digits. Instead, they were 34-25 behind one.
The Denver bank, including Michael Porter Jr, made a strong race to start the second to reach four and force a Phoenix timeout. They responded with a pair of three and increased the lead to ten. MPJ kept Denver afloat while Jokic and Murray rested, they registered in the middle of the quarter with the Nuggets losing by eight. Denver immediately started an 8-0 run to get close to two, but failed to contain the three-point line and fell behind again. The defense was terrible, to say the least, while the quarter went down the stretch. The Suns kept shooting from three and before you knew it, half was gone and Denver was down by fourteen.
Denver seemed to finally find their defensive pace to start the second half. They kept Phoenix with just two points in the first three minutes of the game. This allowed the Nuggets to continue in a 9-0 race to reach five before Bridges sold out another three. Denver kept up the pressure and reached three, but every time they had a chance to capture the lead, Phoenix hit three more. The Nuggets remained within range of the attack when their bank started to check in, but the Suns still had an answer for every race Denver did. A Booker and one put them back at nine, when Michael Malone gave a timeout of just over two minutes. Murray led a race to close the quarter to save Denver’s chances and place them within four points after three quarters of the game.
The Nuggets’ defense was up to the task of opening the room, while its attack crackled a little. Morris, who was having an excellent night, led the next Nuggets race and this time they finally managed to take the lead. Phoenix pushed Booker, who went into battle with Joker. He continued taking the ball into the basket and making layups that compensated for Jokic by dominating the painting on the other side. The momentum returned to the Denver path when Malone successfully challenged to get an offensive foul on Booker that was originally called one and one for Phoenix. Denver leaned on his stars at the end of the straight and drew with just over three to finish. CP3 came to life exactly as in the final minutes of the first meeting between these two teams. After Jokic’s shot leveled with a minute to go, Paul turned to give the Nuggets a two-by-one chance with forty-one seconds left on the clock. The Joker hit three at the first opportunity, but lost and Murray failed to hit the winner on the second try, nor did he send the game into overtime.
Denver quickly took the lead to start overtime behind Harris and Jokic, but Booker and Ayton continued to score to keep the game from possession. Phoenix regained the lead after Cameron Johnson rushed in an offensive rebound and hit Ayton in one and one, but paid a high price for Booker to be injured during the play and had to leave the game. The Nuggets responded by taking a one point lead with two others for an opportunity. This time, Murray buried his patented fade turn at the Nuggets’ first opportunity and Barton hit two free throws on the second to increase the lead to five. Paul took down a three to keep Suns alive for another ball possession, but in the end the good guys prevailed. Nuggets win 130-126.