After a poor loss vs the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night, the Denver Nuggets did what they often do on the second night of a back-to-back after a loss: bounce back.
The Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 130-112 on Saturday night with both teams flying into Phoenix after a game the night before. The Suns initially looked like they were going to give the Nuggets some issues, but a strong recovery and even better second half gave Denver a 20+ point lead in the fourth quarter.
It really helps that the Nuggets shot a flat out absurd 58% from three (22-of-38) on the night. Tim Hardaway Jr. shot 7-of-11 from distance to go with 23 points and gave the Nuggets bench a leg to stand on in the first half. Jamal Murray also shot 5-of-10 from deep, continuing his aggression from behind the arc. Cam Johnson continues to grow in comfort with 3-of-6 from deep. Nikola Jokic went 2-of-2.
But the real swing factor was Spencer Jones. After going 1-of-5 from three the night before and being benched in the fourth quarter, Jones shot 4-of-6 from distance, setting a new career-high of 16 points to go with nine rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Jones made the Suns pay for leaving him open consistently, especially in the second half to help the Nuggets separate.
SPENCER JONES WITH THE JAM pic.twitter.com/AiEmuFn2p8
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 30, 2025
After a couple early turnovers, Jokic set the tone for Denver against the defensive coverage the Suns consistently played. Phoenix used Royce O’Neale, Dillon Brooks, and other forwards to guard him and switched everything to keep their centers out of the action. Jokic fought through it, drew fouls, and stayed patient all night.
https://t.co/GnZ1EoeCQe pic.twitter.com/XKUPG6bxTj
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 30, 2025
Finally, Bruce Brown deserves a ton of credit for his creation in the second half. He finished the game with just four points and has struggled as a scorer lately, but 10 assists compared to one turnover is a fantastic ratio off Denver’s bench. Murray and Johnson were with Brown in the fourth quarter, but Murray kept passing the ball to Brown and getting him to initiate things. Brown obliged, getting downhill and setting up Jones and Jonas Valanciunas nicely in the quarter.
Bruce Brown has made some great passes in this fourth quarter pic.twitter.com/2HfzLW12T9
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) November 30, 2025
Overall, the Nuggets are 14-5 through 19 games. Though they’ve had some shaky losses at home here and threr, they’re still on pace for 60 wins. Navigating the absences of Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun (and Julian Strawther for a while) can be difficult. Denver’s making it work though, and they’re figuring out new ways to score and involve Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones, the two starter replacements.
This was a good bounce back after a bad moment. It was good that Denver didn’t let the bad moment spiral too. They have yet to lose two games in a row this season, showing an ability to correct their mistakes and refocus when needed. That’s a good sign for the future.
Next up? A Monday matchup at home vs the Dallas Mavericks before another three-game road trip to the Eastern Conference. I’m sure David Adelman will be thrilled.