Nuggets beat Suns, sweep season series
Make that 4-0 against Phoenix for Denver this season.
The Nuggets completed the series sweep of the Suns with an 117-108 win Saturday night as Jamal Murray scored a game-high 36 points and Nikola Jokic went for 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists before 16,843 fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
The Nuggets (37-16) also scored 29 bench points in winning a third straight game.
Deandre Ayton led Phoenix (21-32) with 28 points and 19 rebounds while Devin Booker and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 21 and 20, respectively.
This was the second of a back-toback for the Suns, who beat Houston, 127-91, Friday night at home.
Player of the game: Jamal Murray
Could easily go with Jokic, who took the game over in the fourth, but Murray set the table with an explosive third quarter and then had a huge drive off the pick-and-roll with the all-NBA first-team center and fed him for a dunk late.
Missed just three shots, went 6of-8 from 3 and added five rebounds and five assists.
He's not an all-star, yet, but Murray is a player.
Key moments
Fourth quarter: Denver kept Phoenix at bay after the Suns pulled within four, 96-92, on a Kelly Oubre 3-point play. The Nuggets went on a 9-4 spurt to match their largest lead of nine, 10596, with 4:10 left.
Jokic had a 3-point play in the spurt and Murray got the rim and scored off a Jokic screen in the spurt.
Third quarter: Denver led by as many as eight in the quarter in taking a 83-78 lead going into the fourth. Murray
scored 13 points in the quarter fueled by three 3s.
The Nuggets could've been up by as many as 10 to end the third, but Cam Johnson had a 3-point play with 11.3 seconds left in the quarter.
First half: Phoenix led by as many as nine points, but Denver closed the half on a 10-0 run in taking a 55-54 lead. Jokic and Gary Harris each scored four points in the run Jokic capped with a floater in the lane.
Ayton had a double-double at the half of 18 points and 11 rebounds with six being on the offensive glass. He only missed three shot.
Booker and Oubre each had 10. Murray led Denver with 17 points while Jokic added 10 to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
What did we learn about the Suns tonight?
Phoenix has issues defensively. The Nuggets shot 54.9% from the field, got pretty much any shot they wanted when it mattered and would've won by more had they not went 16-of-21 from the line.
Ayton is showing his offensive capabilities. He'll block a shot from time to time, but his defense is lacking, especially against elite centers.