The Denver Nuggets got exactly what they needed out of a road trip.
After leaving home and handling business in back-to-back games, Denver finished a 2-0 swing Friday night with a win over the Phoenix Suns in its first NBA Cup game of the season. The Nuggets have not had much success in the event before, but this one fit the moment perfectly.
Jamal Murray took over in the second half and finished with 39 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He scored 28 after halftime, giving Denver the burst it needed to stay ahead of a Suns team that kept firing from deep and kept the pressure on late.
Phoenix tried to throw different answers at Murray as his night kept growing. Dillon Brooks, Murray’s fellow Canadian, was ejected in the third quarter after a play that drew an offensive foul for making downstairs contact.
It was ruled unnecessary and excessive contact, which brought a Flagrant 2. Murray said he didn’t believe it was intentional though.
Christian Braun may have been the bigger story early. He opened the game by going 6-of-6 from three-point range and had 22 points in the first half alone. He ended with a career-high 31 points and a career-high seven made threes, building on the shooting touch he showed in the fourth quarter Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
That matters for Denver. Braun’s three-point shooting has been a major talking point around his role in the starting lineup, and these last two games have changed the conversation.
He’s now averaging 15.4 points per game while shooting 40.0% from three (12-of-30). It’s still a small sample, but when he’s aggressive and efficient like this, he changes the math for everyone else on the floor.
And when Murray and Braun combine for 70 points and 14 made threes, the rest of the roster can settle into support roles.
Nikola Jokic came close to a triple-double, though he fell short on the boards. Cam Johnson returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with an ankle injury and shook off some rust as a scorer, but he still grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out three assists. Aaron Gordon added 15 points, four rebounds and five assists.
Denver’s starters piled up 115 points. The bench managed just 12. That’s not a formula the Nuggets can lean on forever, but it does underline how much firepower is sitting in their starting group, especially with the staggered lineups they’re using to cover for a shortened rotation.
Still, the biggest takeaway from this road trip wasn’t only the scoring.
It was the timing.
There’s real pressure at home right now, and the fan base is feeling it. The expectations are high, the anxiety is obvious, and even though it’s still October and the playoffs are months away, people are already watching closely for signs of trouble. That’s the reality Denver is dealing with.
So the answer, at least for now, has been to get away from it all and play.
That’s what made this road trip feel so important after the loss to the Golden State Warriors. Denver tightened up defensively against New Orleans, holding the Pelicans to 91 points after giving up 135 in overtime four days earlier. Against Phoenix, the Nuggets shifted back to offense and found elite shot quality, with Braun turning in the kind of night that can give a team a real lift.
A championship won’t be built in October, but progress can still be made. These two games were part of that. If Denver keeps stacking days and stacking moments the right way, it gives itself a better chance when the games start to matter most.
For now, the Nuggets leave the road trip with another positive result and a 1-0 mark in Group Play. With the Houston Rockets losing to the Dallas Mavericks, Denver is also a step closer to winning its group for the first time since the NBA Cup began.
In Other News...
Nuggets May Already Have A Better Answer Behind Jamal Murray
The Nuggets search for a steadier answer behind Jamal Murray may already be shifting toward a new name. Denver has added two-way guard Ryan Nembhard and is weighing whether he deserves a larger role in the minutes when Murray sits, a stretch that has been a little too quiet offensively for a team trying to keep its second unit moving. Tyus Jones has held that spot for now, but the early look has left the Nuggets with reason to keep searching.
Nembhard has offered a different profile, one built around offense, ball control and the kind of pace Denver has been trying to find in those non-Murray stretches. Head coach David Adelman has made it clear the team is still evaluating the fit, and the decision may come down to whether Nembhard can translate what he has shown into real game minutes. For a Nuggets team with bigger goals, even a small upgrade in those backup guard possessions could matter. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Need Murray And Braun To Answer One Early Concern
With the Trail Blazers coming to Denver amid a stretch where both teams are dealing with absences from injuries and trades, the Nuggets are again leaning on the kind of perimeter scoring that has helped stabilize their early season. Jamal Murray has been the headliner in that regard, and Christian Braun has quietly given Denver another dependable option when defenses load up elsewhere.
Murrays shot-making has been central to how the Nuggets have started games and closed them, while Brauns expanded role has made him more than just a complementary piece. Against a Portland group that may not have all of its usual answers available, Denvers backcourt has a chance to set the tone early, and the bigger question is whether that scoring balance can keep holding up once the game starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Get Timely Boost Ahead Of Early Test Against Hot Blazers
The Nuggets head into a 7:00 p.m. MT meeting with Portland carrying a two-game winning streak and a healthier-looking roster, a welcome development as the schedule starts to tighten. Denver has been waiting for reinforcements, and Cameron Johnson is back in the mix after missing time with a right ankle sprain, giving the rotation a timely lift before an early-season test against one of the Wests hotter teams.
Portland arrives with momentum of its own behind Deni Avdija and Damian Lillard, so this is not the kind of matchup Denver can treat lightly just because it has recent wins in hand. The injury picture still matters, though, with Alpha Diallo questionable and Spencer Jones out, which leaves the Nuggets balancing improved depth against the reality of an opponent that has started fast and figures to make this one uncomfortable in Denver. [Read more 🡒]