The Nuggets beat the Suns Monday. Phoenix got revenge Wednesday.
Here are three takeaways from the Nuggets' 110-100 Christmas Day loss to the Suns.
1. The Nuggets couldn't gift the national-television audience the pleasure of watching Denver's preferred brand of basketball during the Christmas nightcap. Denver finished with 20 assists on 36 made shots from the field and had nearly as many assists, 16. Jamal Murray was the only Nuggets player to record more than five assists, tallying six, but he also committed four of Denver's turnovers. Michael Porter Jr. gave it up five times against two assists, while Russell Westbrook had twice as many turnovers (4) as assists (2). It was too sloppy of a showing if the Nuggets wanted to win their third in a row and impress an audience that doesn't always get to watch what's typically one of the better offensive shows in the NBA.
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2. It's a tough time for Denver to be dealing with injuries. Murray made his return to the starting lineup after missing Monday's game but didn't look comfortable on the court. Aaron Gordon left the game with right calf tightness and did not return. Gordon missed 10 games earlier in the season with a right calf strain. The timing is terrible, as the Nuggets have three games in four days to conclude the 2024 portion of the schedule. Denver also starts 2025 with another stretch of three games in four days. That stretch of the schedule gets immensely more challenging if Gordon misses weeks.
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3. Christian Braun's offensive slump is creeping into the rest of his game. After scoring four points on nine shots in Monday's game, Braun scored five points on 2-of-7 shooting Wednesday. It marked the first time this season the third-year wing was held to fewer than 10 points in back-to-back games. Shooting struggles happen to every player, but it seems to have impacted his defense, which Denver can't afford.
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SUNS 110, NUGGETS 100
What happened: Phoenix started the second quarter with a four-point advantage and led 58-56 at halftime. Denver fell behind by seven by the end of the third quarter and was unable to close the gap in the fourth. Denver dropped to 16-12 on the season.
What went right: Russell Westbrook was the only Nuggets player with a positive plus-minus rating. The Nuggets won Westbrook's 27 minutes on the court by three points. The veteran point guard finished with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
What went wrong: Phoenix made its first six 3-pointers in a 38-point first quarter. The Suns cooled off from there, finishing 11 of 36 (30.6%) from deep. Denver wasn't able to take advantage, going 8 for 30 (26.7%) from 3-point range.
Highlight of the night: Julian Strawther had an impressive stint early in the second quarter. First, the second-year wing connected with DeAndre Jordan on an alley-oop. A possession later, Strawther crashed the offensive glass for a put-back dunk that brought the Nuggets within six.
Up next: The Nuggets return to Denver for their second matchup of the season against the Cavaliers on Friday.