The Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks got off to a bit of a slow start in their matchup, but the Nuggets turned things up in the third minute with a quick run to take a 9-2 lead early on. In the next minute, Julius Randle went on a run of his own, and tied the game at 11. The first timeout of the game came around the seven minute mark, and that gave the Nuggets the burst of energy they needed with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes. Following that run, both offenses went relatively cold for a few minutes before the Knicks started to claw their way back before eventually taking a 25-22 lead. Denver tied it up before giving up another five-point run to the Knicks second unit, and they were heading to the second quarter trailing 30-27.

To start the second quarter, Jamal Murray and Bones Hyland were in an arms race against the Knicks as they were lighting up the scoreboard while the Knicks were constantly scoring on the other end. Following the hot start from the two sides, things slowed down a bit until the starters for each side re-entered the game. Down the stretch of the first half, the two sides were trading buckets back and forth with Randle carrying a heavy load for the Knicks with 24 points late in the half. A Zeke Nnaji triple tied the game at 52 with a minute to go. Some late points from the Knicks saw them take a 55-54 lead into the half.

New York came out firing in the second half. They quickly built a lead and, despite Denver’s best efforts, they were keeping them at a distance. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope got hot with six points on back-to-back possessions, and they were right back in the game. Denver built a small lead midway through the quarter, and they had no intention of giving it back. Whenever the Knicks would make it close, Denver would score a bucket or two to extend that lead. Following a shot-clock violation by Immanuel Quickley, Denver had the ball with around four seconds left, which was just enough time for Bones Hyland to rush down the floor and drill a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make the lead 84-80 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, it appeared as though the Knicks were starting to show signs of playing back-to-back games at altitude. Denver was continuing to build their lead despite having a lineup full of reserves on the floor while New York had multiple starters on the floor. Denver’s offense began to stagnate midway through the fourth quarter. With 3:27 remaining, the Knicks were in the midst of a 7-2 run that had brought them within three. A couple of sloppy possessions from Denver gave the Knicks four points, and they were leading 101-98 with 2:37 to go. Denver fought back to tie the game at 103, but they just couldn’t get any consistent offense to go in their favor. Murray put up a triple at the buzzer that missed, and the Nuggets sustained their first loss at home of the year 106-103.

Stat Leaders

Points: Jamal Murray & Bones Hyland 21

Assists: Murray – 6

Rebounds: Murray – 9

Player of the Game: Jamal Murray – 21 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, 7-of-20 field goal, 3-of-7 3-point, 4-of-4 free throw