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DENVER NUGGETS

Murray leads another road win as Nuggets hit halfway point

Jamal Murray tallied another 30-ball, leading the Denver Nuggets to a second win in as many days on the road

Watch: Nuggets trade Watson β€” Is the Championship window closing? | Stokley and Evans with Mark Schlereth | 9 mins

Jamal Murray tallied another 30-ball, leading the Denver Nuggets to a second win in as many days on the road.

Murray’s game-high 33 points pushed the Nuggets to a 118-109 win in Dallas. It comes off his 35 points that paved the way for Denver’s 122-116 win over the Pelicans on Tuesday.

Murray, who missed a few games with an illness over the weekend, is one of a few Nuggets playing the best basketball of his career; the other standing out is Peyton Watson. The fourth-year wing followed up his 31-point, seven-rebound, five-assist game in NOLA with 18 big points against Dallas. The Mavs erased a 23-point lead late in the third quarter, getting the Nuggets count all the down to five before the road crew took over and punched back β€” led by Watson to make it double-digits.

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“I just love his mindset and his mentality. You know, he doesn’t waver in criticism,” Murray told the broadcast after the game. “Every game, just see his confidence is growing, He’s only gonna get better, the sky is the limit for him.”

But the Mavs, who lost star rookie Cooper Flagg in the game to an ankle injury, fought back to make it a two-possession game with a minute left. And that’s when, for a second-straight day, a big play by Murray β€” this time a hopping-middy-make- sealed the deal for Denver.

Aaron Gordon was big time in the fourth quarter. He recently missed a month with a leg injury β€” and maybe. unexpectedly β€” played in both ends of this back-to-back and was good in each game. He scored 22 points on Wednesday. A great sign for the Nuggets, who are still missing Nikola Jokic, Cameron Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas. They were also without Christian Braun for both of these games due to an ankle injury, having only played in three games since coming back from a six-week injury to the same ankle.

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“We know what we’re capable of, we got a lot of guys that can hoop, a lot of guys that wanted and just wait for the opportunity,” Murray said. “This is the opportunity. It’s good to see it come together differently every night.”

But if anything, this stretch has revealed just how good Murray is, an All-Star waiting for his nod. He hit 13 of his 24 shots, banging two triples and added five assists.

“He’s so clean with his decison making right now, the amount of open shots he’s creating is incredible,” David Adelman said. “Scoring is coming to him easily, and he’s finding that with making the right plays. He’s having an incredible season, and he’s been a special player forever in case anyone didn’t realize it, and he still is.”

The Nuggets are now 6-3 without Jokic, and have improved to the second-best record in the West.

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NBA’s road warriors

  1. 14-4 β€” Thunder
  2. 17-7 β€” Nuggets
  3. 13-6 β€” Pistons
  4. 13-7 β€” Lakers
  5. 14-8 β€” Spurs

What’s next for the Nuggets?

The Nuggets have hit the halfway point, having played 41 games now. They tip off the second half with a home back-to-back over the weekend against two of the NBA’s worst teams: Washington and Charlotte. Then it’s Denver against the Lakers at Ball Arena on Tuesday, a game Jokic will miss, but the three-time MVP’s comeback from a knee injury late last month is now looming.

“It’s been such a crazy 41 games, but successful and so much more to go and accomplish,” David Adelman said.

Jake Shapiro Denver Sports Analyst

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