Jamal Murray scores 32 points, Nuggets use big run to beat Kings 117-96
DENVER (AP) Jamal Murray scored 32 points, Nikola Jokic had 14 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in just three quarters for his fourth straight triple-double and the Denver Nuggets had a big run to beat the short-handed Sacramento Kings 117-96 on Wednesday night.
Jokic had his 19th triple-double of the season as Denver avoided losing all four games to Sacramento this season. Murray made 13 of 15 shots, including five of his six 3-point attempts, to help the Nuggets win their fourth straight since the All-Star break. They had dropped three in a row, including a home loss to the Kings on Feb. 14.
“I’m sure there are plenty of people around Denver jumping off bridges,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “And everybody’s just got to take a chill pill and relax. Take a deep breath. This is a good team and when we’re healthy, we’re a really good team. That’s been the key. This group has proven they can beat anybody on any given night.”
Denver trailed 47-32 early in the second quarter and outscored the Kings 68-22 over the next 18:21 to lead by 32. Jokic completed the 124th triple-double of his career when he fed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a corner 3-pointer that made it 100-68 with 1:14 left in the third quarter.
Sacramento guard De’Aaron Fox was scratched from the lineup about an hour before tip-off because of a left knee contusion. He went through pregame warmups before being ruled out.
Domantas Sabonis, the NBA triple-double leader with 21, was held to 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Keegan Murray scored 21 points for the Kings.
Keegan Murray had 11 points in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer at the end of the period that gave Sacramento a 35-28 lead, but was shut down by the Nuggets’ swarming defense. He made just 2 of 5 shots in the second and third quarters and scored six points with the game already out of reach.
Alex Len added 18 points off the bench for the Kings.
“They started getting deflections and we started making bad decisions with the basketball,” Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. “As soon as that happened you could see how hard they pushed and ran in transition.”
Several of Jokic’s assists led to dunks by Aaron Gordon, who had 17 points. Caldwell-Pope, who missed the last two games against the Kings, had 11 of his 18 points in the third quarter and Michael Porter Jr. finished with 14 points.
The Nuggets remain two games behind Minnesota for the top seed in the Western Conference.
“We came in after the All-Star break, everybody had the same mentality, the same goals in mind, and that’s to get back to the No. 1 spot and try to go back-to-back,” Caldwell-Pope said.
UP NEXT
Kings: At Minnesota on Friday night.
Nuggets: Host Miami on Thursday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Domantas Sabonis vs. Nikola Jokic (Aaron Gordon gains possession) | ||
| 11:46 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:40 |  | Harrison Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 11:35 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Davion Mitchell assists) | 3-0 |
| 11:14 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:11 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | Harrison Barnes misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 10:55 | | Jamal Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 10:52 | | Jamal Murray turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:42 | | Harrison Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:39 | | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | ||
| 10:36 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point jump shot | ||
| 10:34 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 10:16 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point stepback jump shot (Aaron Gordon assists) | 3-3 |
| 10:01 | | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point driving floating jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 5-3 |
| 9:44 | | Jamal Murray misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:42 | | Harrison Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 9:36 | | Michael Porter Jr. blocks Keegan Murray's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 9:27 | | Harrison Barnes offensive rebound | ||
| 9:24 | | +2 | Davion Mitchell makes two point driving floating jump shot (Harrison Barnes assists) | 7-3 |
| 9:13 | | Jamal Murray turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 8:57 | | Kevin Huerter misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:57 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 8:47 | | Kevin Huerter shooting foul (Michael Porter Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 8:47 | | +1 | Michael Porter Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 7-4 |
| 8:47 | | +1 | Michael Porter Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-5 |
| 8:31 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Harrison Barnes assists) | 10-5 |
| 8:15 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point driving reverse layup | 10-7 |
| 8:09 | | +3 | Harrison Barnes makes three point jump shot (Davion Mitchell assists) | 13-7 |
| 8:07 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:55 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point reverse layup (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 13-9 |
| 7:44 | | Davion Mitchell misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:37 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point running dunk (Jamal Murray assists) | 13-11 |
| 7:17 | | Davion Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:08 | | Jamal Murray misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | ||
| 7:00 | | Keegan Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:58 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 6:38 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 6:37 | | Kings defensive rebound | ||
| 6:24 | | +2 | Kevin Huerter makes two point driving floating jump shot | 15-11 |
| 6:07 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:03 | | Davion Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 6:00 | | Kevin Huerter turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 5:48 | | +3 | Jamal Murray makes three point jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 15-14 |
| 5:27 | | Kevin Huerter turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 5:18 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:13 | | Malik Monk defensive rebound | ||
| 5:04 | | +3 | Davion Mitchell makes three point jump shot (Harrison Barnes assists) | 18-14 |
| 4:53 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:50 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope offensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | +2 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes two point putback layup | 18-16 |
| 4:42 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:35 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 4:33 | | +3 | Reggie Jackson makes three point running jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 18-19 |
| 4:18 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point stepback jump shot | 20-19 |
| 4:03 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:03 | | Harrison Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | Nikola Jokic shooting foul (Harrison Barnes draws the foul) | ||
| 3:52 | | +1 | Harrison Barnes makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-19 |
| 3:52 | | +1 | Harrison Barnes makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-19 |
| 3:36 | | Chris Duarte blocks Reggie Jackson's two point cutting layup | ||
| 3:36 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 3:29 | | Reggie Jackson misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:28 | | Kings defensive rebound | ||
| 3:28 | | Christian Braun personal foul (Loose ball) (Chris Duarte draws the foul) | ||
| 3:28 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:15 | | Malik Monk misses two point driving bank hook shot | ||
| 3:10 | | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | ||
| 3:07 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point driving layup (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 24-19 |
| 2:59 | | Peyton Watson misses two point layup | ||
| 2:55 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 2:50 | | +3 | Malik Monk makes three point running jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 27-19 |
| 2:35 | | +2 | Peyton Watson makes two point alley-oop dunk (Nikola Jokic assists) | 27-21 |
| 2:28 | | Nikola Jokic kicked ball violation | ||
| 2:18 | | Trey Lyles misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 2:14 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 2:01 | | +3 | Christian Braun makes three point jump shot (Jamal Murray assists) | 27-24 |
| 1:51 | | Nikola Jokic blocks Malik Monk's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:50 | | Malik Monk offensive rebound | ||
| 1:46 | | Malik Monk misses two point fadeaway bank jump shot | ||
| 1:43 | | Alex Len offensive rebound | ||
| 1:36 | | Keegan Murray misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:34 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 1:24 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point driving finger roll layup | 27-26 |
| 1:13 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point driving floating jump shot (Chris Duarte assists) | 29-26 |
| 0:57 | | Nikola Jokic turnover (bad pass) (Chris Duarte steals) | ||
| 0:53 | | +3 | Chris Duarte makes three point running pullup jump shot (Trey Lyles assists) | 32-26 |
| 0:38 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point cutting layup (Jamal Murray assists) | 32-28 |
| 0:30 | | Alex Len misses two point layup | ||
| 0:19 | | Keegan Murray offensive rebound | ||
| 0:19 | | Keegan Murray misses two point tip layup | ||
| 0:19 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 0:16 | | Christian Braun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:06 | | Malik Monk defensive rebound | ||
| 0:05 | | Peyton Watson personal foul (Take) (Malik Monk draws the foul) | ||
| 0:00 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Malik Monk assists) | 35-28 |
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:42 | | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point driving floating jump shot (Malik Monk assists) | 37-28 |
| 11:24 | | Christian Braun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:21 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 11:09 | | Trey Lyles misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:05 | | Keegan Murray offensive rebound | ||
| 10:58 | | Keegan Murray misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:55 | | Jamal Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 10:51 | | Justin Holiday misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 10:50 | | Kings defensive rebound | ||
| 10:26 | | +2 | Trey Lyles makes two point floating jump shot (Malik Monk assists) | 39-28 |
| 10:10 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point turnaround fadeaway bank jump shot | 39-30 |
| 9:59 | | Zeke Nnaji blocks Malik Monk's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:59 | | Zeke Nnaji defensive rebound | ||
| 9:53 | | +2 | Peyton Watson makes two point running alley-oop dunk (Jamal Murray assists) | 39-32 |
| 9:45 | | Chris Duarte misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:45 | | Peyton Watson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | Alex Len blocks Zeke Nnaji's two point cutting layup | ||
| 9:29 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 9:23 | | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point running layup | 41-32 |
| 9:11 | | Christian Braun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:09 | | Malik Monk defensive rebound | ||
| 9:09 | | Zeke Nnaji personal foul (Malik Monk draws the foul) | ||
| 8:59 | | Zeke Nnaji shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 8:59 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 42-32 |
| 8:59 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 43-32 |
| 8:50 | | Davion Mitchell personal foul (Zeke Nnaji draws the foul) | ||
| 8:38 | | Zeke Nnaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:32 | | Malik Monk defensive rebound | ||
| 8:25 | | +2 | Kevin Huerter makes two point driving floating jump shot (Malik Monk assists) | 45-32 |
| 8:25 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:09 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point jump shot | ||
| 8:05 | | Trey Lyles defensive rebound | ||
| 8:00 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point running layup (Davion Mitchell assists) | 47-32 |
| 7:42 | | Domantas Sabonis kicked ball violation | ||
| 7:35 | | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point cutting layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 47-34 |
| 7:18 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:18 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:10 | | Michael Porter Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Malik Monk steals) | ||
| 7:06 | | Trey Lyles misses two point running alley-oop layup | ||
| 7:04 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (lost ball) (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope steals) | ||
| 7:04 | | Domantas Sabonis offensive rebound | ||
| 6:58 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point running layup (Aaron Gordon assists) | 47-36 |
| 6:37 | | Davion Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:37 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 6:35 | | Trey Lyles shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 6:35 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 47-37 |
| 6:35 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 47-38 |
| 6:24 | | Kevin Huerter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:19 | | Nuggets defensive rebound | ||
| 6:06 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point cutting layup (Reggie Jackson assists) | 47-40 |
| 6:06 | | Keegan Murray shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 6:06 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 47-41 |
| 5:51 | | Nikola Jokic kicked ball violation | ||
| 5:37 | | Keegan Murray turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 5:32 | | +3 | Michael Porter Jr. makes three point running jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 47-44 |
| 5:30 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:16 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point jump shot (Kevin Huerter assists) | 49-44 |
| 4:59 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point dunk (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope assists) | 49-46 |
| 4:59 | | Malik Monk shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 4:59 | | Aaron Gordon misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 4:57 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:43 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving layup (Kevin Huerter assists) | 51-46 |
| 4:29 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point turnaround jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 51-48 |
| 4:12 | | Domantas Sabonis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:07 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 3:57 | | +3 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes three point jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 51-51 |
| 3:49 | | Kevin Huerter misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:45 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 3:38 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point driving finger roll layup (Michael Porter Jr. assists) | 51-53 |
| 3:20 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 3:16 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point running dunk (Nikola Jokic assists) | 51-55 |
| 3:15 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:03 | | Michael Porter Jr. personal foul (Keegan Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 2:54 | | Malik Monk misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 2:51 | | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope defensive rebound | ||
| 2:48 | | +3 |