DENVER (AP) – The peach-coloured coordination between Jamal Murray (shoes) and Nikola Jokic (suit) was purely by accident.
This wasn’t: Murray turning in his best Jokic imitation.
Murray got his first career triple-double and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to nine games by routing the Indiana Pacers 134-111 yesterday without Jokic.
The two-time reigning NBA MVP sat out due to hamstring tightness. Murray finished with 17 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to replicate the kind of production usually seen from Jokic, who leads the league in triple-doubles.
Jokic had a courtside seat for the Jamal Murray Show and congratulated his point-guard teammate after the feat.
Aaron Gordon scored 28 points and Michael Porter Jr added 19 as the Western Conference-leading Nuggets ran their home win streak to 16 games. They haven’t lost at Ball Arena since December 6 against Dallas. A stat line Malone will certainly appreciate – a season-high 38 assists. This, too – 16 steals.
Adelman was especially pleased for Murray, who’s been working his way back from a torn ACL that kept him out all last season.
Bennedict Mathurin had 19 points and Chris Duarte added 18 for the Pacers, who dropped their sixth straight game. Indiana went eight of 32 from three-point range.
Denver had a back-to-back-to-back dunk sequence in the third quarter that drew thunderous applause from the crowd.
The Nuggets were jamming along all night with 16 dunks. That was tied for their most since 1996-97, according to the team.
