CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 34 points, Nikola Jokic finished with 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets held on to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 115-106 on Sunday night for their third straight win.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 14 points off the bench for the Nuggets (17-6)
Miles Bridges finished with 24 points while Brandon Miller added 16 for the Hornets, who played without six players due to injuries including their
top two point guards, LaMelo Ball and Collin Sexton. Rookie Liam McNeeley added a boost off the bench with a career-high 13 points for the Hornets, making 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range.
Murray, who had 52 points on 10 3-pointers last week's 135-120 win over Indiana, erupted for 23 points in the first quarter Sunday but the Nuggets still trailed 58-57 at halftime.
That all changed in the second half Jokic began to take over, using his versatility to score and create for the his teammates.
The Nuggets built a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Hornets (7-17) clawed back to within seven after Miller knocked down a 3 from the wing plus the and-1 free throw to cut the lead to seven. But the Hornets weren't able to build on that momentum.
Murray finished the game 14 of 25 from the field and wasn't much of a factor in the second half with just 9 points.
Charlotte outrebounded Denver 47-35.
Bridges had nine rebounds and eight assists for the Hornets, but missed all six of his 3-point shots.
Denver: At Kings on Thursday night.
Charlotte: Host Bulls on Friday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
