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2026-27 · Regular season
Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix Suns 127-120 as Jamal Murray scores 39 and Christian Braun a career-high 31 with 14 threes between them
Jamal Murray scored 28 of his 39 after halftime and Christian Braun hit his first six threes on the way to a career-high 31 as Denver made 20 threes and held off Phoenix after Dillon Brooks' third-quarter ejection.
In this article
Jamal Murray scored 39 points and Christian Braun added a career-high 31 as the Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 127-120 at Mortgage Matchup Center on Friday, October 30, in both teams’ opener in Emirates NBA Cup group play. Murray and Braun each made 7 threes, and Denver went 20 of 37 from deep. The Nuggets are 3-2 and the Suns are 1-3.
Murray made 10 of 18 shots, 7 of 9 threes and 12 of 15 free throws, with 8 rebounds and 5 assists, and scored 28 of his points after halftime. Braun went 11 of 16 and 7 of 9 from three. Nikola Jokic had 18 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, and all five Denver starters scored in double figures.
Video: NBA / X.
How it turned
Phoenix led 37-32 after one quarter and by as many as seven in the second, at 45-38. The game was tied at 51 and 54 before Murray’s three, Braun’s three and Trevon Brazile’s alley-oop dunk put Denver up 59-54. The teams traded the lead until Braun’s late threes, and the Nuggets went to halftime ahead 71-67.
Braun had 22 points at the break and was 6 of 6 from three. Dillon Brooks kept Phoenix close with 20 first-half points on 8-of-10 shooting.
Brooks was ejected with 8:05 left in the third quarter after a Flagrant 2 on Murray’s jump shot, with Denver up 84-76. He finished with 22 points. More on the ejection and the Suns’ reaction here.
Murray scored 15 in the third quarter, and Jokic’s floater made it 103-90, Denver’s biggest lead, with 50 seconds left in the period. Phoenix got within five, 103-98, early in the fourth, but Murray answered with two threes and a step-back jumper, and his three free throws made it 116-107 with 5:25 left. Braun’s three made it 121-110 with 2:20 to go. The Suns cut it to 125-120 on Jordan Goodwin’s three with 9.7 seconds left before Braun closed it at the line.
Video: Denver Nuggets / X.
The numbers
Aaron Gordon had 15 points and 5 assists, and Cameron Johnson had 12 points and 9 rebounds. Denver went 23 of 30 at the line and had 30 assists, but its 19 turnovers led to 28 Phoenix points. It is the Nuggets’ first two-game winning streak of the season.
Phoenix’s side
Miles Bridges led the Suns with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Devin Booker scored 20 on 7-of-19 shooting, and Collin Gillespie had 16 points and 10 assists off the bench. Goodwin scored 11 and Luke Kennard 9. Phoenix shot 46 of 94, made 18 of 42 threes, scored 50 points in the paint and went 10 of 11 at the line. Mark Williams was out with a shoulder injury.
What’s next
The Nuggets host the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, November 2, at 9 p.m. ET (4 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time). The Suns visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday, November 2, at 10 p.m. ET (5 a.m. Tuesday Cairo time).
Full box score and play-by-play: Game Center. All-time head-to-head.
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