(Field Level Media) Jamal Murray scored a season-high 32 points to go along with nine assists and connected with Nikola Jokic for the go-ahead basket with 2:28 remaining as the Denver Nuggets continued their improved play in road games with a 122-117 victory over the slumping Brooklyn Nets last night.
Jokic got his 25th double-double of the season by finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Aaron Gordon added 18 and Michael Porter Jr. contributed 15 as the Nuggets won for the sixth time in seven games and got their fourth straight road win.
Murray notched his first 30-point game of the season and had 10 points and three assists in the final period. All of his assists were in the final 2:28, including the pass to Jokic for an uncontested layup that gave the Nuggets the lead for good at 106-105.
Murray also found Kentavious-Caldwell Pope for an open 3-pointer in front of Brooklyn’s bench for a 109-105 lead with 1:56 left and then answered Spencer Dinwiddie’s corner 3 with an 18-footer to put the Nuggets ahead 111-108 with 80 seconds left.
After Murray hit Peyton Watson with a lob that resulted in a dunk for a 115-110 lead with 25.5 seconds left, the Nuggets sweated out the final seconds. A four-point play by Cam Thomas got Brooklyn within 115-114 with 19.4 seconds left.
Murray also grabbed five rebounds, including the board of his missed free throw with 18.4 seconds. After being fouled by Thomas, Murray sank two free throws for a 118-114 lead with 15.8 seconds left.
With 5.9 seconds left, Cameron Johnson went to the line and made the first free throw but the Nets could not get the rebound when he missed the second intentionally and Gordon and Jokic hit free throws in the final four seconds to ice it.
Thomas led seven players in double figures with 23 points but the Nets lost their season-high fifth straight. Johnson added 17 while Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 14 apiece as the Nets shot 48.3 percent. Royce O’Neale and Day’Ron Sharpe chipped in 13 apiece while Nic Claxton contributed 10 points and 16 rebounds for the Nets.
Brooklyn trailed by 11 before outscoring Denver 21-10 over the final 6:29 for a 28-28 deadlock after the opening period. After taking a seven-point lead early in the second, the Nets held a 60-58 lead by halftime.
A 3-pointer and two free throws by Murray gave Denver an 88-81 lead with 2 1/2 minutes left but the Nuggets faltered when Jokic rested and settled for an 88-86 lead into the fourth quarter.
But the Rockets followed with a 19-5 burst featuring a Sengun reverse layup and a Smith 14-footer, and Sengun later added a 3-pointer that extended the lead to 54-36. It came after Rockets reserve guard Aaron Holiday answered a Hardaway 3-pointer with one of his own.
Sengun and Smith combined for 21 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the second quarter as Houston carried a 56-39 lead into the break. Hardaway and Jaden Hardy sank late treys to keep the Mavericks from converting only one shot from long range in the half.
VanVleet and Green combined for three 3-pointers as Houston opened the third quarter with a 15-5 run, and the Rockets extended that rally to 29-8 while building an 85-47 lead on a reverse layup by Brooks with 4:43 left in the third.