JAMAL Murray erupted for a season-high 52 points as Denver Nuggets turned back the short-handed Indiana Pacers, 135-120, in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season on Wednesday night (Thursday in the Philippines) in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Murray, listed as questionable earlier in the day because of a sprained right ankle, delivered one of the finest shooting performances of his career. He made 19 of 25 attempts from the field and an astounding 10 of 11 from beyond the arc.
Nikola Jokić narrowly missed another triple-double with 24 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists, Bruce Brown added 14 markers, while Tim Hardaway Jr., and Peyton Watson contributed 11 apiece.
The Nuggets notched their second-highest scoring output of the year and asserted control early with a 13-0 run for a 27-17 lead. After the Pacers trimmed the gap to 50-45 midway through the second quarter, Denver closed the half on a decisive 22-3 spurt.
The Nuggets stretched the lead to 92-63 in the third quarter, but the Pacers mounted a late push, repeatedly slicing the margin to 13 in the final period before Denver ultimately secured the win.
Pascal Siakam paced Indiana with 23 points, while Andrew Nembhard posted 16 points and seven assists. Six Pacers finished in double digits, but it wasn’t enough to prevent their second straight loss after notching their first back-to-back wins of the season.
Meanwhile, Deni Avdija scored 27 points, Caleb Love and Shaedon Sharpe added 20 apiece off the bench and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a three-game losing streak, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-110.
Portland led by 10 at halftime and two minutes into the fourth quarter before it went on a 14-6 run that included 10 straight points by Toumani Camara to secure the victory.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 33 points, and Evan Mobley had 23 points and 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers have dropped four of five and this was their first loss this season against a team with a losing record.
In other results, San Antonio Spurs prevailed over Orlando Magic, 114-112; Los Angeles Clippers walloped Atlanta Hawks, 115-92; Brooklyn Nets edged Chicago Bulls, 113-103; Houston Rockets dominates Sacramento Kings, 121-95; and Milwaukee Bucks stunned Detroit Pistons, 113-109./PN
