National Basketball Association
Denver 117, Phoenix 108
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 8, 2020
Where: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Officials:
#55 Bill Kennedy, #84 Jenna Schroeder, #26 Pat Fraher
Attendance:
16843
By Field Level Media
Jamal Murray scored 36 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 points, and the Denver Nuggets completed a season sweep of the Phoenix Suns, 117-108, Saturday at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Denver came into Saturday's matchup off two days rest, last playing Wednesday in a win at Utah. However, Phoenix -- playing the second leg of a back-to-back -- surged ahead in the first quarter.
The Suns were coming off a blowout Friday night of the Houston Rockets, in which Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a career-high 39 points. He followed up with 20 points against Denver, and cooled off significantly from 3-point range.
Oubre shot 3-of-11 from beyond the arc after going 7-of-9 on Friday.
The back-to-back, coupled with the starters playing extended minutes, seemingly wore on Phoenix. Both Oubre and Deandre Ayton -- who finished with 28 points and 19 rebounds -- logged 42 minutes. Devin Booker, who scored 21 points but shot just 5-of-16 from the floor, played 37 minutes.
In contrast, no Nugget played more than Gary Harris' 36 minutes.
The Suns came into Saturday's contest with a bevy of injuries, including Dario Saric, Aron Baynes and Ty Jerome. Their situation was not unlike that of the Nuggets on Wednesday, when coach Mike Malone used just seven players.
Depth was not as dire for Denver on Saturday, with Paul Millsap back in the rotation. He registered a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Denver also got significant minutes from Monte Morris, who scored 11 points and dished five assists. Murray was the driving force for the Nuggets offensively, though.
He shot a blistering 14-of-17 from the floor, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Murray added five rebounds and five assists, as well.
Jokic, who registered just the third 30/20/10 triple-double since the NBA-ABA merger in Wednesday's win, grabbed nine rebounds and doled out six assists Saturday.
With the win, Denver finishes the 2019-20 season a perfect 4-0 against the Suns. The Nuggets are winners of seven of their last nine, with two more to play ahead of next week's All-Star break.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Denver |
|
Phoenix |
Jamal Murray 36 |
Scoring |
Deandre Ayton 28 |
Nikola Jokic 6 |
Assists |
Devin Booker 9 |
Paul Millsap 11 |
Rebounds |
Deandre Ayton 19 |
Nikola Jokic 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Devin Booker 8 |
Jerami Grant 2 |
Steals |
Deandre Ayton 3 |
Nikola Jokic 3 |
Blocks |
Deandre Ayton 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Denver
|
117 |
54.9 |
11-28 |
16-21 |
23 |
40 |
7 |
7 |
14 |
Phoenix
|
108 |
43.7 |
9-32 |
23-23 |
25 |
41 |
4 |
7 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Phoenix will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Suns have a W/L % of .238 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Denver will play their next game at home against San Antonio. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .676 after a win and .750 after a loss.