12/03/25 08:54:00
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12/03 20:49 CST Jamal Murray scores season-high 52 points, Nuggets hold off
Pacers 135-120
Jamal Murray scores season-high 52 points, Nuggets hold off Pacers 135-120
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) --- Jamal Murray scored a season-high 52 points and Nikola
Jokic fell just short of another triple-double to help the Denver Nuggets hold
off the short-handed Indiana Pacers 135-120 on Wednesday night.
Murray was 19 of 25 from the field and even better from 3-point range, 10 of
11, despite being listed as questionable because of a sprained right ankle late
in the afternoon. He fell three points short of matching his career high.
Jokic had 24 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists playing in front of NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver. He came up two rebounds short of starting December
with back-to-back triple-doubles but he still holds the league lead with 11
this season.
Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr and Peyton Watson all finished in double figures
as the Nuggets won for the third time in five games.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 23 points while Andrew Nembhard had 16 points
and seven assists on a night six Indiana players scored in double figures. The
Pacers have lost their two straight since winning back-to-back games for the
first time season.
But the discrepancy between the NBA's highest-scoring team and one trying to
fight through a rash of early-season injuries was never more obvious. Denver
finished with its second-highest point total of the season.
The Nuggets seized control with a 13-0 first quarter run that made it 27-17.
And after the Pacers managed to cut the deficit to 50-45 midway through the
second quarter, Denver closed the half on a 22-3 run, holding Indiana scoreless
more than four minutes.
While the Nuggets extended the lead to 92-63 midway through the third quarter
and looked like they were headed for an easy rout, they instead spent the
fourth quarter fighting off the hard-charging Pacers who cut the deficit to 13
multiple times.
Up next
Nuggets: At Atlanta on Friday night.
Pacers: At Chicago on Friday night.
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