The Denver Nuggets allowed the game to get a bit closer than it should’ve been down the stretch, but that’s why they have Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the clutch moments.

With 29 seconds to go and the score tied at 123, Jokic and Murray ran two-man game against the Phoenix Suns. Murray set the table for Jokic in the pick and roll, and Jokic hit a smooth jumper inside the left elbow with less than 12 seconds to go.

Denver was up two heading into the final possession, and Devin Booker had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds with a clean look from three.

Fortunately for the Nuggets, the shot rimmed out, and the Nuggets won 125-123 vs the Suns.

Jokic had a very impressive performance with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 17 assists. He might not have broken his own record for fastest ever triple-double tonight, but he achieved it on the first play of the third quarter, dominating as a scorer, playmaker, and rebounder throughout the evening. The Suns had little answer for Jokic, and it was only when Jokic made unforced errors that the Suns had any shot of guarding him.

Murray wasn’t quite as good, especially in the first three quarters. The All-Star point guard was just 3-of-11 from the field heading into the fourth, but some clutch shotmaking and playmaking in the final frame helped the Nuggets escape Phoenix with a win. Murray’s fallaway and stepback jumpers were incredibly clutch, often happening late in the shot clock with nowhere else to turn.

Outside of Denver’s dynamic duo, the other starters were mostly subpar. Aaron Gordon had 16 points and five offensive rebounds but shot just 5-of-10 from the free throw line. Christian Braun had some moments in the first half but a very quiet second half dealing with Booker. Cam Johnson was underwhelming as well with Booker and the Suns targeting him defensively in the fourth quarter.

It was Denver’s bench that made a bigger difference.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 18 points while making four three-pointers. Bruce Brown accumulated 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in his minutes, hustling all over the place and hitting a big corner three.

Spencer Jones accumulated 4 points and 7 rebounds, including 3 on offense, in his minutes. Even Julian Strawther got in on the action with 7 points in just 8 first half minutes, earning a +12 in a key second quarter stretch to give the Nuggets the lead at halftime.

Ultimately, the Nuggets got enough from their bench to support the starters, a trend that’s occurred a fair amount lately. Every game, another bench guy is stepping up and playing really well. Many nights, it’s Hardaway and his big shotmaking, but going forward, Peyton Watson will have several of those nights too.

Fans might be frustrated that this game got a little closer than it probably should’ve been, and some of the clutch time concerns are real. The Nuggets decided to intentionally foul Oso Ighodaro while up late in the fourth quarter to stem Phoenix’s momentum, and it didn’t work. Denver’s execution down the stretch was subpar on defense, and while the Suns have a solid scoring formula, it isn’t that good that the Nuggets shouldn’t be helpless trying to find solutions and resort to intentional fouls.

In addition, the Suns played pretty well. They attempted 47 three-pointers, 37 free throws, and had just 3 total turnovers. That’s the mark of a very efficient team that did a lot of good things, and the Nuggets still managed to hold on. That says a lot about Denver’s offense.

But a win is a win. The Nuggets rested Watson ahead of their back-to-back in Denver on Wednesday night. How they handle that matchup against the Dallas Mavericks will be interesting. However it goes, this was a good win for Denver against a good team, a playoff team. No matter how it happens, the Nuggets will take the victory, especially when a game-winning shot happens because of the struggles.