Jamal Murray poured in 39 points and Christian Braun buried a career-high seven three-pointers as the Denver Nuggets opened NBA Cup play with a 127-120 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, a shootout in Phoenix that swung on a third-quarter ejection and a hail of long-range shooting from both sides. The Nuggets Suns result gave Denver a winning start to the in-season tournament and extended its recent dominance of this matchup, while Phoenix slipped to a third defeat in its first four games of the season despite a late rally that briefly threatened to steal the game back.

Murray was the night's defining force. He finished 7 of 9 from three-point range, scored 28 of his 39 points after half-time, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out five assists, and he closed the game at the free-throw line after the Suns had cut a double-digit deficit to six in the final minute. Braun matched him from deep, also going 7 of 9, and his seventh triple put Denver up 121-110 with 2:20 remaining, the shot that finally broke Phoenix's resistance after a night in which the two teams combined for 38 made three-pointers.

Key Points

• Jamal Murray scored 39 points on 7-of-9 three-point shooting as the Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 127-120 in their NBA Cup opener on Friday, October 30, 2026.
• Christian Braun added 29 points with a career-high seven three-pointers, making all six of his first-half attempts from deep.
• Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks was ejected with 8:05 left in the third quarter after a Flagrant 2 foul for kicking Murray while attempting a shot.
• Nikola Jokic finished with 18 points and 10 assists, three rebounds short of a second consecutive triple-double, two nights after his 200th career triple-double.
• Devin Booker scored 20 points on his 30th birthday for Phoenix, which has now lost three of its first four games, while Denver swept its two-game road trip.

What Happened

Denver arrived in Phoenix having just watched Jokic make history in New Orleans, and the Nuggets carried that momentum into a Friday night that quickly became a three-point contest. The visitors shot 20 of 38 from beyond the arc, a 52.6 percent clip, while the Suns answered with 18 of 42, or 42.9 percent, and for long stretches neither defence could slow the other down. Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson added two three-pointers apiece for Denver, while Brooks went 4 of 6 from deep for Phoenix before his night ended early and Collin Gillespie hit 4 of 8 on his way to 16 points and 10 assists.

The flashpoint came midway through the third quarter. With 8:05 remaining in the period and Denver leading 84-76, Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected after extending his right leg and kicking Murray in the groin while attempting a field goal from the left baseline. Brooks had scored a season-high 22 points to that point, and his departure removed one of Phoenix's hottest hands at exactly the moment the Suns needed scoring to stay in touch. Denver pressed the advantage: Murray scored 15 points in the third quarter alone, and the Nuggets pushed their lead to 103-90 on a short jumper from Jokic.

Phoenix refused to fold. Miles Bridges, who finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Booker kept the Suns within reach, and a 7-0 run pulled the hosts to 123-117 with 35.4 seconds remaining. But Murray, who had already done the damage all second half, stepped to the line and made two free throws with 13.4 seconds left to restore a 125-117 lead, and the Nuggets closed out a 127-120 win. Johnson, back after missing the previous three games with a sprained ankle, added 12 points and 10 rebounds in his return, a quiet but important contribution on a night when Denver's stars carried the scoring.

Background/Context

Friday's games opened group play in the NBA Cup, the league's in-season tournament, and the early returns across the league made for a dramatic first night. Elsewhere on Friday, the Golden State Warriors rallied from 23 points down after the first quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95, and the Philadelphia 76ers edged the New York Knicks 98-93 behind a late surge from LeBron James. Denver's win in Phoenix fits that pattern of road teams and late drama, but it also continued a one-sided recent history: the Nuggets have now won six straight games against the Suns.

The result also extends two contrasting early-season stories. Denver swept its two-game trip, following up Wednesday's win at New Orleans, where Jokic recorded his 200th career regular-season triple-double and became only the second player in NBA history to reach that mark, behind Russell Westbrook's 209. Jokic finished Friday three rebounds short of a second consecutive triple-double, a reminder of how routinely he flirts with history even on nights when a teammate takes the scoring lead. Phoenix, meanwhile, is searching for rhythm: the Suns have lost three of their first four games, and Booker, playing on his 30th birthday, went 7 of 19 from the field for his 20 points after managing just three points in Monday's loss at Oklahoma City.

The NBA Cup format gives every group game added weight, because only a limited number of teams advance from group play to the knockout rounds. An opening win on the road, against a conference rival, is therefore worth more than a routine early-season victory: it puts Denver in control of its group and leaves Phoenix needing to make up ground in its remaining group games. For a Suns team still finding its identity under a new-look roster, the margin for error is already shrinking.

Nuggets Suns: Murray and Braun Combine for 14 Three-Pointers

The headline numbers tell the story of the night. Murray and Braun combined for 14 three-pointers on 18 attempts, a staggering 77.8 percent from deep between them, and their shooting turned a competitive game into a Denver win. Braun was perfect in the first half, making all six of his three-point attempts before half-time, and his seventh triple, with 2:20 left, answered Phoenix's last real push and restored a double-digit cushion. Murray's arc was the mirror image: he saved his best for the second half, scoring 28 points after the break, including 15 in a third quarter that decided the game.

What made the shooting so damaging was its timing. Every time Phoenix threatened to close the gap, Denver had an answer from deep, and the Nuggets' 20 made threes were spread across the roster rather than concentrated in one hot hand. Gordon and Johnson chipped in two apiece, and Jokic's playmaking — 10 assists against a defence stretched thin by Denver's spacing — kept the ball moving to the open man. Phoenix shot well itself, at 42.9 percent from three, but the Suns could not match Denver's volume or its efficiency, and the loss of Brooks in the third quarter cost them their second-most productive scorer on the night.

For Murray, the performance continues a strong start to a season in which his health and rhythm have been central to Denver's hopes. A 39-point night built on shot selection rather than volume — 7 of 9 from three, plus the late free throws that sealed the win — is exactly the version of Murray the Nuggets need if they are to contend again. For Braun, the career-high seven threes mark a personal milestone and a sign of his growing confidence as a scorer, not just a cutter and defender, in Denver's starting group.

Reactions/Quotes

The game's most talked-about moment was not a shot but a whistle. Brooks's ejection, with Denver leading 84-76 in the third quarter, drew immediate attention because of its nature: a Flagrant 2 foul, the most serious classification, results in automatic ejection, and the officials judged that Brooks extended his leg into Murray while attempting a field goal from the left baseline. The call ended the night of a player who had scored a season-high 22 points and was 4 of 6 from three-point range, and it shifted the game's balance at a moment when Phoenix was still within eight points.

The Field Level Media report of the game carried no post-game quotes from either locker room, so the clearest reactions on the night came on the court itself. Denver responded to the ejection by stretching its lead to 13 points by the end of the third quarter, while Phoenix responded with the late 7-0 run that made the final minute interesting. Booker's birthday night ended in defeat despite his 20 points, and the Suns' third loss in four games will sharpen the questions around a team that has shown it can score — 120 points on Friday — but has yet to show it can consistently stop opponents, particularly from three-point range, where Denver shot better than 52 percent.

For Denver, the reaction that matters most is the standings one: a road win to open Cup play, a sixth straight win over Phoenix, and a two-game trip swept. The Nuggets left Phoenix with momentum, a healthy Johnson back in the rotation, and their two guards combining for one of the great shooting nights of the young season.

Why It Matters

The win matters for Denver because it confirms the Nuggets' early-season form is real. Beating Phoenix on the road, in a tournament game, with Jokic playing facilitator rather than leading scorer, shows a team with more than one way to win. When Murray and Braun shoot like this, Denver is almost impossible to beat; when Jokic adds 18 points and 10 assists without needing a triple-double, the Nuggets look like a team built for the long season rather than dependent on one man's nightly brilliance.

It matters for Phoenix because the pattern is becoming familiar. The Suns can score with anyone — Bridges had a double-double, Booker scored 20, Gillespie added a double-double of his own — but they have now lost three of four, and Friday exposed two problems at once: defending the three-point line and keeping composure in a heated game. Brooks's ejection cost Phoenix a hot scorer and a physical presence, and while the Suns fought back late, moral victories do not count in the Cup standings. With group play offering little room for slow starts, Phoenix needs a win in its next Cup game to avoid an early hole.

It matters for the wider NBA Cup race because Friday's openers set the tone for the tournament. With the Warriors and 76ers also winning their openers in dramatic fashion, the first night of Cup play delivered exactly what the league hoped for: meaningful early-season games with real stakes. Denver's win puts it in the early driving seat in its group, and the rematch — whenever these two teams meet again — now carries the extra edge of an ejection, a six-game winning streak, and a Suns team with something to prove.

What Happens Next

Denver returns home with its Cup campaign off to a perfect start and its road trip swept, and the Nuggets will look to carry the shooting form of Murray and Braun into their next group game. The key question for Denver is whether the three-point barrage travels: 20 made threes at 52.6 percent is a difficult standard to repeat, but the process behind it — Jokic drawing defenders, Murray creating space, Braun moving without the ball — is repeatable even when the shots do not fall at the same rate.

Phoenix, meanwhile, faces a quick turnaround and a need to regroup. The Suns must tighten their perimeter defence, find a way to get Booker going earlier in games after his slow start on Monday and his 7-of-19 night on Friday, and manage the fallout from Brooks's ejection, which could draw further league attention depending on the review of the play. A team that has lost three of its first four games cannot afford to lose its composure as well as its games, and the next Cup fixture now carries real pressure for a Suns side that expected to contend in the West.

The broader Cup picture will sharpen over the coming week as group play continues, with the early winners — Denver, Golden State and Philadelphia among them — looking to build on their opening victories and the early losers fighting to stay alive. For now, though, Friday belonged to Denver's backcourt: 68 combined points from Murray and Braun, 14 three-pointers between them, and a 127-120 win that announced the Nuggets as a team to beat in this season's NBA Cup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the final score of Nuggets vs Suns on October 30, 2026?

The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 127-120 in Phoenix on Friday, October 30, 2026, in their opening game of NBA Cup group play.

How many points did Jamal Murray score against the Suns?

Jamal Murray scored 39 points, including 28 in the second half and 15 in the third quarter. He shot 7 of 9 from three-point range, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out five assists.

Why was Dillon Brooks ejected?

Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected with 8:05 remaining in the third quarter after extending his right leg and kicking Murray in the groin while attempting a field goal from the left baseline. Denver led 84-76 at the time.

How did Nikola Jokic play against Phoenix?

Jokic finished with 18 points and 10 assists, three rebounds short of a second consecutive triple-double. Two nights earlier, he had recorded his 200th career regular-season triple-double in a win at New Orleans.

What is the Suns' record after the loss?

Phoenix has lost three of its first four games this season. Denver, meanwhile, swept its two-game road trip and has now beaten the Suns six times in a row.

Related coverage: Warriors beat Lakers 112-95 in NBA Cup opener, 76ers beat Knicks 98-93 in NBA Cup opener, and Nikola Jokic's 200th career triple-double.