NBA: Jamal Murray hits 10 3-pointers as Nuggets handle Jazz

Jamal Murray matched his career high with 10 three-pointers and scored 37 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 130-117 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City.

Cameron Johnson added 19 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while Christian Braun contributed 18 points as the Nuggets (49-28) extended their winning streak to seven games.

Denver star Nikola Jokic recorded 15 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists for his 196th career triple-double, standing just 13 behind all-time leader Russell Westbrook. Jonas Valanciunas added 13 points and Bruce Brown chipped in 11 as the Nuggets swept the four-game season series against Utah and defeated the Jazz for the 10th straight time.

For the Jazz (21-56), Brice Sensabaugh scored 28 points, including six three-pointers, while Kyle Filipowski finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Kennedy Chandler contributed 16 points, and John Konchar added 12 off the bench. Ace Bailey also scored 12 points but made just five of 17 shots. Utah dropped its seventh consecutive game and 19th in the last 22 contests.

Denver shot 48.4% from the field, including 16 of 39 from three-point range, and outrebounded Utah 53-44. The Jazz briefly cut the deficit to 99-95 on two free throws by Chandler with 10:38 left in the game, but the Nuggets answered with a 17-4 run. Murray hit his eighth three-pointer to extend Denver’s lead, followed by a layup from Brown. Valanciunas scored four straight points to make it 116-99 with 6:02 remaining.

Utah rallied with nine straight points to narrow the gap to eight, but Denver responded with a 10-0 run, highlighted by two quick three-pointers from Murray, giving the Nuggets a 126-108 advantage with just over two minutes left. The Jazz finished the game shooting 46.3% from the field and 12 of 37 from beyond the arc.

Murray set the tone early, making three consecutive three-pointers to start the game. Johnson added a fourth, helping Denver score the first 12 points. Murray capped the first quarter with a halfcourt trey, giving the Nuggets a 39-28 lead. He later hit another three-pointer to extend Denver’s lead to 51-33 in the second quarter. Murray finished the half with 20 points as the Nuggets led 68-54 at halftime. Filipowski scored 19 and Sensabaugh had 18 points for Utah in the first half.

Denver led 97-90 entering the final quarter and never looked back, securing a convincing win to continue their late-season surge.

—Field Level Media/Reuters