Murray faces former Kentucky teammate

Questions popped up about Jamal Murray’s ability to play point guard in the NBA partially because of his role at Kentucky, where Tyler Ulis was the Wildcats’ primary ball-handler.

The former teammates matched up against each other at Pepsi Center on Wednesday night. Murray is coming off the best month of his pro career, averaging 19.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 46.4 percent from 3-point distance in December. Ulis, meanwhile, entered Wednesday averaging 7.5 points and 4.1 assists per game as the Suns’ starter.

The biggest thing Murray said he learned from Ulis while at Kentucky was how he used his dribbling technique and angles while playing in the pick-and-roll.

“He’s so undersized (at 5-foot-10), but he’s quick, he’s crafty,” Murray said. “He moves laterally. He gets steals. But I think his main thing is he’s just smart. He’s deceptive and he can really pass the ball and make plays for others.”

Murray also has history with Phoenix coach Jay Triano, who was his Team Canada coach in the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

Plane troubles delay Suns.

The Suns did not arrive in Denver until about 2 p.m. Wednesday, thanks to plane troubles after the home victory over Atlanta on Tuesday night.

According to The Arizona Republic, the Suns arrived at the Phoenix airport and had to wait in their cars and on the tarmac for about two hours while workers attended to mechanical problems. Then after boarding the plane, players and staffers were told at about 2 a.m. that the pilot had logged too many hours and needed to go home for the night. The Suns returned to the airport Wednesday, then landed in Denver about five hours before tipoff against the Nuggets.

Triano called the ordeal “a little bit frustrating” but conceded that “stuff happens.”

“You can’t control it,” Triano said. “So you’ve got to move on.”

Footnote.

Denver sixth man Will Barton (illness) was listed as questionable to play against the Suns but was active and entered the game near the end of the first quarter. Barton, who has recently become Denver’s backup point guard, entered the game averaging 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Malone did not provide a diagnosis for Barton during his pregame media availability. Juancho Hernangomez (coach’s decision) was inactive for Denver.