Denver’s first overtime game of the season didn’t go as planned.
The Nuggets lost 117-107 Tuesday night to the Phoenix Suns. They put together a 21-point comeback in the second half to send the game into overtime, but were outscored by 10 points in the final five minutes. It was a miraculous comeback that was wasted.
“It was such a winnable game,” Jamal Murray said. “This has to be one of the worst losses we have suffered.”
Head coach Michael Malone said leg fatigue was a factor in Denver’s first overtime period of the season. However, that’s not why the Nuggets lost according to their head coach. It was a bad second quarter in which the Nuggets were outscored 37-18 that really doomed them.
“It was the second quarter. You win the first quarter. You win the third quarter. You win the fourth quarter. But to be outscored 37-18 and allow a 21-1 run. .. we didn’t do anything in that quarter,” Malone said. “We kind of took over pretty quickly.”
Murray led the way in the scoring department with 28 points on 12 of 25 shooting, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Yet in the post-match presser, Murray took responsibility for the defeat, stating that he “had to be better”. He also said…
“It’s frustrating, man. It’s frustrating. You’re putting a lot of energy and effort into catching up.” [the second] quarter and you lose,” Murray said. “It’s hard to go home at night.”
Peyton Watson and Christian Braun were also bright spots on the Denver bench. Braun had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in his 19 minutes off the bench.
“What I’ve seen lately is a guy who is totally committed to doing everything he can in his role to help win,” Malone said of Braun.
Watson, meanwhile, scored 4 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked 2 shots, made 1 steal and racked up 4 assists, just 1 shy of his season high.
“I thought Peyton was outstanding tonight,” Malone said. “He made some great drive and kick plays in that first half… His energy, I thought he was really, really good tonight.”
Everything was happening for Denver to start the evening. Michael Porter Jr. was hitting 28-foot deep bombs while spacing the floor. Murray introduced him to Bradley Beal several times during post-ups. Watson showed off his intriguing all-around skills, playing solid defense and sending a pass to Murray in the corner after dribbling under the basket Steve Nash-style. Hell, Nikola Jokić even made an improbable shot late in the quarter to send the Nuggets to the first break with a 32-28 lead.
The wheels fell off in the second quarter. Denver’s turnovers were slow throughout the period, particularly on the weak side, allowing Phoenix to get into a shooting rhythm. Grayson Allen made two three-pointers to reach 8 points in the quarter and help the Suns go on to a 27-9 lead. It was Phoenix that went into halftime with a 65-50 lead.
The Suns’ lead grew to 21 points, but the Nuggets’ defense came alive late in the third quarter. Malone lined up Jokić, Murray, Watson and Braun for defensive purposes. He then slipped into Kentavious Caldwell-Pope late in the quarter, and that group helped Denver go on a 21-9 run heading into the fourth.
Denver cut the lead to 6 points with just over three and a half minutes left, forcing a Phoenix timeout. A Murray layup and Jokić free throws made it a 2-point game. Denver got a stop on the other end and Caldwell-Pope scored a huge three-pointer to give his team a one-point lead.
Jamal Murray hit a tough mid-range jumper, and it looked like the game was over, but then Kevin Durant drained a huge three-pointer to send the game into overtime. This shot was a great precursor to the extra five minutes; Durant made two more deep shots to give his team a 10-point lead that secured the victory for Phoenix.
