Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray led the Denver Nuggets to a dominant 122-105 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, extending their winning streak to six games.
Jokic finished just shy of a triple-double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists while shooting 11-of-13 from the field in just 28 minutes.
Murray spearheaded Denver’s offense with 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting, including six three-pointers, helping the Nuggets improve to 34-19 on the season.
Denver secured the win despite missing Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr., both sidelined with left hamstring injuries.
Julian Strawther and Christian Braun stepped up in their absence, each contributing 18 points, while Braun also added seven rebounds and six assists.
Phoenix (26-26) struggled without three key starters, as Kevin Durant (ankle), Bradley Beal (toe), and Grayson Allen (knee) were all unavailable for the second straight game.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 24 points in 34 minutes but shot just 8-of-19 from the field after playing 49 minutes the night before.
Bol Bol had a season-high 19 points in an expanded role, while Tyus Jones posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
The game remained competitive early, with Denver holding a 37-32 lead after the first quarter behind 10 points from Murray.
Jokic took control in the second, scoring 12 points and helping Denver extend the lead to 63-55 at halftime.
The Nuggets pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Suns 35-26 as their defense tightened and Murray caught fire from beyond the arc.
By the start of the fourth, Denver led by 17 points, allowing Jokic to rest while the bench closed out the victory.
Phoenix struggled from the field, shooting 38.8% overall and 34.0% from three-point range, while Denver shot nearly 49% and connected on 16 threes.
Denver also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Suns 56-43, including 15 offensive rebounds that led to second-chance points.
Aaron Gordon contributed nine points and 10 rebounds, while DeAndre Jordan grabbed 11 boards off the bench in limited minutes.
For Phoenix, Royce O’Neale had nine points, while Ryan Dunn scored eight, but their efforts were not enough to keep pace with Denver’s firepower.
