Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. Deliver Late-Game Magic for the Denver Nuggets
The excitement in Ball Arena was short-lived. A group of Nuggets fans, donning their orange and blue, had made the quick shift from Empower Field at Mile High, where the Broncos had just secured a victory. They arrived just in time for a less-anticipated game against the Wizards, who entered with the NBA's worst net rating and the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. The atmosphere was subdued, as many fans were still buzzing from the Broncos' win.
"It was a bit quiet at first because everyone was focused on the Broncos game," admitted Jamal Murray. "I think they got to us, and it was like, 'Whatever.'"
The news of Bo Nix's injury, which occurred early in the Nuggets' 121-115 victory, didn't help matters. Coach David Adelman, a Bills fan, was disappointed in his basketball team's rebounding and the officiating in the football game, but he was relieved for the city after a 2-0 day in Denver.
"I heard it was a catch, but they said it wasn't," Adelman said about a controversial call late in the Broncos' win. "I'll be honest, it was an incredible game, and I'm super happy for Denver. But I feel terrible for Bo Nix. It's situations like that in sports that you hate seeing, as they are undeserved after such a game. You want the team that moves on to carry the momentum, so the next game is as good as this one. I'm super disappointed for my team, but it's fantastic for the city of Denver."
Aaron Gordon, who took a break from his pregame shooting routine to watch Wil Lutz's game-winning field goal on the jumbotron, was on fire. Just a couple of hours later, he hit a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final three minutes and executed a reverse dunk off an alley-oop, putting the Nuggets up by seven with 36 seconds remaining. Bruce Brown's floater in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter was the only other scoring by Nuggets players other than Jamal Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. in the fourth quarter.
Murray scored 16 of his game-high 42 points in the fourth quarter, while Hardaway contributed 15 of his 30 points in the final 12 minutes. Their performances brought a smile to the faces of Denver fans.
"I know there wasn't much energy in the building today," Hardaway said. "I think everyone was still buzzing from the Broncos game. Congrats to them, it was a huge win. I think they all came over here, and their energy was gone. We just tried to find our own energy. I did my best to come off the bench and be that sparkplug."
Peyton Watson was the only other Nugget to score in double figures, with 21 points. Kyshawn George led the Wizards with 29 points.
"It felt like a game we were going to lose, honestly, with the energy," Adelman said. "I thought the guys found a way in the fourth quarter to come together and get going. There are many ways to win these games. If we lost this game, we'd remember it. But now, because we won, it's just part of the season's tally. Some nights, the energy is off, and you just have to find a way to stay in it long enough to win. That's what we did."
NUGGETS 121, WIZARDS 115
- The Wizards erased Denver's seven-point lead after the first quarter and led 63-62 at halftime.
- Denver trailed by three to start the fourth quarter but used a 38-point fourth quarter to flip the lead.
- Aaron Gordon finished with 11 of Denver's 31 assists, 10 rebounds, and was two points shy of a triple-double.
- The Wizards had a 27-4 advantage in second-chance points, with 17 offensive rebounds among six different players.
- Highlight of the night: Tim Hardaway Jr. set a new season-high with a driving left-handed dunk, giving Denver a two-point lead in the final four minutes. Hardaway finished with 30 points.
- Next up: The Nuggets host the Hornets at Ball Arena on Sunday.
