DENVER —— The Denver Nuggets continued their impressive run of form with a convincing 126-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. [BOX SCORE]
The win was the Nuggets’ 12th straight at home and 14th in their last 17 games, putting them in a tie for the Western Conference lead with the Memphis Grizzlies at the halfway point of the season. Read more: Latest NBA results on Jan. 6
Leading the way for the Nuggets was star center Nikola Jokic, who recorded a triple-double with 21 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists. Jokic’s dominance on the court was on full display as he controlled the game from start to finish, and he even sat out the entire fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
Watch Nikola Jokic highlights for Denvers Nuggest vs Phoenix Suns
Bones Hyland also had a strong game off the bench for the Nuggets, scoring 21 points, while Jamal Murray contributed 16 points and six assists.
Seven Denver players scored in double figures in total, with Zeke Nnaji (15 points), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (15 points), Aaron Gordon (12 points), and Michael Porter Jr. (11 points) all making significant contributions.
”I feel like whoever gets the ball and they’re open, it’s a made shot,” Hyland said. ”I feel like we’re so connected right now.”
The Suns were led by Torrey Craig, who scored 16 points, and Josh Okogie, who added 14 points and nine rebounds.
However, the Suns’ offense struggled throughout the game, shooting just 43.3% from the field and missing 23 of their 3-point attempts. The Suns have now lost 10 of their last 12 games.
”They posted up Jokic early and just flattened us out (defensively),” said Suns coach Monty Williams after the defeat. ”And he does a really good job of finding the open man or scoring.”
Denver’s home record of 18-3 is one of the best in the league and they are 21-9 in conference play compared to Memphis’ 14-10 league record. The team’s shooting efficiency was also on display in the game, with the Nuggets shooting 56.5% from the field and making 15 of their 3-point attempts.
In terms of team statistics, the Phoenix Suns had 52 points in the paint, 6 fast break points, 2 big lead points, 51 bench points, 10 rebounds, 16 turnovers, 4 team turnovers, and 29 potential points.
On the other hand, the Denver Nuggets had 60 points in the paint, 24 fast break points, 32 big lead points, 51 bench points, six rebounds, and 10 turnovers.
