Jamal Murray scored a team-high 28 points and hit the go-ahead hoop with 8.6 seconds remaining as the Denver Nuggets outlasted the Sacramento Kings 130-129 for a dramatic road win Monday night.
Nikola Jokic recorded his 140th career triple-double (20 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists) to help Denver earn its third win in a row.
After leading by as many as 23 points in the second quarter before falling behind by 10 with 4:10 left in the game, the Nuggets rallied.
A DeMar DeRozan dunk gave the Kings their last lead at 129-128 with 20.5 seconds to go, and the Nuggets called a timeout.
Murray’s 17-footer, off an assist from Jokic, proved to be the game-winner after DeRozan failed to connect on a buzzer-beating 6-footer at the other end.
Sacramento rallied quickly after falling behind 24-6 in the first six minutes and 44-21 in the first minute of the second quarter.
Doug McDermott bombed in three 3-pointers and DeRozan converted three three-point plays among 11 points as Sacramento trumped the Nuggets’ 41-point first quarter with a 47-point explosion of its own in the second period.
The Kings climbed within 75-68 by halftime, setting up a tight final 24 minutes.
The Nuggets trailed 119-109 with 4:10 left before scoring 14 of the game’s next 17 points to go up 123-122 on a Jokic 10-footer with 1:15 to go.
The clubs then traded five hoops in rapid-fire manner, with DeRozan’s dunk putting the Kings in front before Murray’s go-ahead hoop for Denver.
Jokic wound up with his league-leading 10th triple-double of the season. He ranks third all-time in the category behind teammate Russell Westbrook (200) and Oscar Robertson (181). Westbrook nearly notched another, finishing with 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Aaron Gordon added 24 points, Julian Strawther 13 and Michael Porter Jr. 11 for the Nuggets.
Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points, while Domantas Sabonis had 28 to go with 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Malik Monk finished with 25 points and a team-high 10 assists for the Kings. DeRozan had 17 points, McDermott 16 and Keon Ellis 12.
–Field Level Media
