NBA: Jamal Murray pours in 45 as Nuggets hold off Jazz

Jamal Murray delivered one of his best performances of the season, pouring in 45 points and adding eight assists to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 128-125 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night in Salt Lake City.

Murray shot 8-for-13 from 3-point range and helped Denver snap a two-game losing streak. Nikola Jokic finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, while Julian Strawther contributed 15 points off the bench.

The Nuggets shot 54.1 percent from the field and connected on 16 of 39 attempts from beyond the arc (41 percent). Denver also made its presence felt on the glass, holding a 14-7 edge in second-chance points.

Utah was paced by Keyonte George, who scored 36 points and recorded four steals. Kyle Filipowski added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Ace Bailey chipped in 18 points. Svi Mykhailiuk finished with 15 points.

The Jazz dropped their sixth straight game despite capitalizing on 15 Denver turnovers for 27 points and outscoring the Nuggets 25-15 in fastbreak opportunities.

Utah trailed by nine with 7:32 remaining in the fourth quarter but responded with a late surge. The Jazz scored on nine consecutive possessions to take a 122-118 lead with 2:13 left. George sparked the run with four straight baskets, including a go-ahead 3-pointer, and added a running dunk off a steal to extend the advantage to four.

Jokic answered by knocking down four free throws across two possessions to tie the game.

George completed a three-point play with 1:28 remaining to give Utah a 125-122 edge, but Murray took over down the stretch. He drained a fadeaway jumper and later sank two free throws with 31.8 seconds left to put Denver ahead for good.

George missed two attempts in the final seconds, and Jokic sealed the win with two more free throws.

Denver was nearly perfect at the line in the fourth quarter, going 20-for-21, while Utah attempted just three free throws and made all of them.

The Nuggets controlled much of the third quarter after opening the second half with an 8-0 run. Strawther and Murray hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Denver a 74-67 lead.

Utah briefly regained momentum when Bailey converted a pair of free throws to put the Jazz ahead 91-90. The lead was short-lived, as Murray responded with a stepback 3-pointer on the next possession. His fifth 3-pointer of the quarter ignited a 7-0 run that helped Denver carry a 100-93 advantage into the final period.

Murray scored 18 of his 45 points in the third quarter.

Earlier, George beat the halftime buzzer with a pull-up 3-pointer to give Utah a slim 67-66 lead heading into the locker room. -Field Level Media/Reuters