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 on 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. — Reuters
