Trey Murphy III did everything he could to keep the New Orleans Pelicans in the game Monday night, but even a career night from the sharpshooter wasn’t enough to take down the Denver Nuggets. Murphy erupted for 41 points, tying his career high, and tied a franchise record by scoring 24 in the third quarter. His red-hot shooting helped New Orleans cut a 20-point deficit down to eight entering the fourth quarter, but the Pelicans never got closer than six the rest of the way as the Nuggets pulled away for a 125-113 win.
No matter what the Nuggets tried to slow him down, Murphy delivered, shooting 13-of-21 from the field and drilling eight of his 12 three-point attempts. Murphy has been playing the best basketball of his young career, averaging 37.7 points over his last three games while shooting an absurd 70.7% from the field and 63.6% from deep (21-of-33).
Unfortunately, Murphy didn’t get much support from his teammates. CJ McCollum added 30 points (17 in the fourth quarter), and Zion Williamson finished with 14 (5-13 FG), but the rest of the Pelicans combined to shoot just 37.3% from the field. After a season-high four-game winning streak provided some hope, the Pelicans have now lost six straight as injuries continue to take their toll.
Denver’s firepower proved too much to overcome with the Pelicans allowing an opponent to shoot 50% or better from the floor for the 22nd time this season. New Orleans is 4-18 in those games (.181). Michael Porter Jr. scored a season-high 36 points, Nikola Jokic notched his NBA-best 23rd triple-double of the season with 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Jamal Murray added 20 points and eight assists. Denver had six players in double figures on the night.
The Nuggets took control early, responding to a Murphy three that tied the game at 21 with a 14-2 run, and never looked back. Denver has now won three in a row after a brief slump and remains in fourth place in the Western Conference.
New Orleans, meanwhile, will get a quick shot at revenge when the two teams meet again in Denver on Wednesday night.
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