Five Denver Nuggets finished in double figures on Monday night. It was a team win.
Denver took down the Atlanta Hawks, 129-122, to snap a three-game skid. The Nuggets led by as many as 20 points and hung on despite a late push from Atlanta.
"When you lose three in a row, you'll take a win, and we needed one. Especially on the road where we've struggled this year. So, I applaud our guys for that," said head coach Michael Malone. "I thought the defense was outstanding."
Denver is now 15-9 on the season. They're also 6-8 on the road after the win at the State Farm Arena. Atlanta, meanwhile, drops down to 9-13 on the year and is currently on a four-game losing streak.
As mentioned, 5 of the 10 players that stepped on the floor for Denver finished with at least 10 points.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 29 points on 12-of-15 shooting in 29 minutes. He also grabbed 9 rebounds.
"I love it when Jamal rebounds," said Malone. "That, to me, shows that he's aggressive and he's impacted the game across the board."
Nikola Jokić finished with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Julian Strawther dropped 22 points off the bench on six made threes. He also ripped away 5 steals, earning him Defensive Player of the Game. All of these stats—his points, three-pointers made, and steals—were career-highs.
"I thought Julian was outstanding on both ends of the floor tonight," said Malone. "That's so encouraging. We need Julian, and nights like tonight help his continued development and maturation."
Aaron Gordon had a nice bounce-back showing with 18 rebounds and 12 assists. Reggie Jackson also pitched in 12 points on 50 percent shooting off the bench.
Bogdan Bogdanović led Atlanta with 40 points off the bench. He became the first reserve to drop 40 or more points against the Nuggets since Jordan Crawford in 2014. To do so, he hit an incredible 10 three-pointers, the most three-pointers by any player in a game this season.
The Hawks could not miss from deep in the first quarter, going 6-of-10 from behind the arc. This allowed them to go on a 19-8 run and build a double-digit lead. Strawther checked in and hit a pair of three-pointers to make it a 36-28 game, Atlanta, after 12 minutes of play.
Those two three-pointers opened the lid for Strawther, who poured in 13 points on 3-of-3 from deep in the second quarter. Murray hit some shots late to reach 9 points in the quarter on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting line. This allowed the Nuggets to not only come back but take the lead, 65-62, at halftime.
Jokić and Murray were locked in to start the third quarter and put up 15 combined points. This allowed the Nuggets to go on a 22-5 run and build a 20-point lead. Atlanta started to close the gap at the end of the period, but then Trae Young fouled Christian Braun, complained about the call, and was ejected from the game, giving the Nuggets five free throws. Denver entered the fourth quarter with a 103-86 lead.
Things were going smoothly in the fourth quarter until the final four minutes. The Nuggets offensive stagnated, and Atlanta went on a 12-4 run. Bogdanović hit two late threes to cut Denver's lead down to five with 30 seconds remaining. However, the comeback was too little too late, as Jokić hit a pair of free throws to ice the game.