NBA roundup: Jamal Murray lifts Nuggets over Jazz in his return

Aug. 8, 2020

4:36 PM

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. —

Jamal Murray scored 23 points in his first game of the NBA restart, including the tying and go-ahead baskets, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 134-132 in two overtimes Saturday.

The Nuggets overcame Donovan Mitchell’s 35 points for Utah, including a three-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining in the second overtime. But he missed a desperation heave from near half court as the game ended.

Murray, playing his first game since March 11 after missing four games with left hamstring tightness, sank a fallaway jumper for a 123-all tie and then beat the shot clock with a go-ahead three-pointer. He had 12 rebounds and eight assists, just missing a triple-double.

Nikola Jokic scored 10 of his 30 points in the first overtime for Denver, which solidified its hold on third place in the Western Conference playoff standings.

At the start of the day, only one game separated Houston, Utah and Oklahoma City for the fourth through sixth spots in the Western Conference.

An officials review confirmed Jokic drove the baseline for a layup before the remaining 3.4 seconds expired in the first overtime, forcing the second extra period. The clock did not start on the play.

Mitchell drove through the Nuggets’ defensive breakdowns for a tying uncontested layup with less than one second remaining in regulation.

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