A second-half surge led by Jamal Murray inspired Denver Nuggets to go past visitors Phoenix Suns 125-107 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Out of his 34 points in the game, Jamal Murray scored 20 in the second half, besides Nikola Jokic scoring 24 points. Murray also added nine assists, while Jokic had 19 rebounds.
Aaron Gordon scored 23 points, Bruce Brown finished with 14 points off the bench, Michael Porter Jr. added 11 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 10 for the Nuggets.
Game 2 is on Monday night in Denver, where the Nuggets have yet to lose in this year's playoffs.
Kevin Durant had 29 points, 14 rebounds and seven turnovers, Devin Booker scored 27 points and had eight assists, Deandre Ayton had 14 points and seven rebounds and Chris Paul added 11 points for the Suns.
Phoenix trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter but cut its deficit to 10 with Durant getting a rare rest. Gordon and Murray hit layups to extend the lead to 106-92 with 8:21 remaining.
Booker converted a three-point play, but Murray answered with two makes from deep to restore Denver's 17-point lead and force a Suns timeout.
Paul missed a corner 3-pointer out of the timeout and the Nuggets began to pull away. Jokic scored on a finger roll and fed Brown for a dunk before Brown stole the ball from Durant and dunked again to put Denver ahead 118-95 with 5:09 left.
The teams emptied the benches for the final minutes.
(AI image)
The Suns led 32-31 after the first quarter behind 15 points from Durant, but he was held to just four in the second quarter.
Booker's layup with 9:46 left in the period put Phoenix ahead 39-38, but the Nuggets went on a 13-2 run to lead by 10. After the Suns cut the lead to six, Caldwell-Pope hit two shots from deep and Gordon made one from behind the arc to spark a 17-6 run to end the half and give Denver a 68-51 lead.
Phoenix got within 11 early in the third, but a pair of 3-pointers from Murray made it 83-66, and the Nuggets took a 94-81 lead into the fourth.
(With agency inputs)
