ATLANTA — Rarely have these Nuggets faced the specific form of adversity they encountered Friday night, when the Hawks threatened to run them out of the gym.
They handled the challenge with a 20-0 fourth-quarter run and a 134-133 triumph over Atlanta, extending their franchise-record road winning streak to nine games.
On a roller coaster night of 3-point shooting variance that featured a dramatic 23-point comeback and a near-disastrous 11-point blown lead late, Jamal Murray made the game-winning plays at the defensive end. He stripped Kristaps Porzingis as the Hawks center rolled to the basket, forcing a turnover with 23 seconds left and Denver protecting a 131-129 lead.
Then after Nikola Jokic missed a free throw to keep Atlanta within one possession, Murray blocked his countryman Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a game-tying 3-point attempt. Alexander-Walker recovered drove for a layup with two seconds left, but Jokic fired a quick inbound pass ahead to Murray, who was able to run out the clock.
Jokic overcame one of his worst halves of the season to finish with 40 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. But he was content not to be Denver’s hero. He watched from the bench with delight as Murray and Cam Johnson staggered with the second unit and carried the decisive 20-0 run early in the fourth.
The Nuggets (16-6) outscored their hosts by 17 in 12 minutes without Jokic. They held Atlanta scoreless for almost five minutes of game time while flipping a 106-97 deficit into a 117-96 lead. The Hawks missed seven straight shots and committed three turnovers during the drought, while Denver generated open 3-point looks one after another.
Backup center Jonas Valanciunas was a team-best plus-16. Johnson was not far behind and made four 3s, including a deep one to tie during the onslaught. Murray amassed a 23-point, 12-assist double-double and improved to 14 of 17 from 3-point range in the first two games of this road trip. The Nuggets will visit Charlotte for a matinee on Sunday.
The Hawks were led by Jalen Johnson, who has stepped up with Trae Young injured. He recorded a triple-double by halftime and finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists.
That Denver ended up shooting a higher clip than Atlanta outside the arc would’ve seemed impossible for most of the first half. Twenty-three was the Nuggets’ largest deficit of the season, as the Hawks made 14 of its their 17 shots and eight of their first 10 triples.
Jokic and company couldn’t buy a bucket. At one point in the first quarter, the Hawks were averaging 2.18 points per field goal attempt to Denver’s 0.75.
Jokic rebounded from a 2-for-13 half by scoring 16 points in the third quarter. Just as importantly, he provided a spark by protecting the rim as Denver turned defense into offense to fuel its comeback.
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