On December 24, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA regular season was underway, and the Nuggets defeated the Suns 117-90 at home, and the Suns suffered three consecutive defeats.

Statistics

Nuggets: Jokic 32 points and 7 assists, Westbrook 11 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, Michael Porter Jr. 24 points and 6 rebounds, Gordon 12 points

Suns: Durant scored 23 points and nine rebounds in the third quarter, Beal had 23 points

Background

The Suns suffered a two-game losing streak after losing 125-133 to the Pistons in their last game, losing five of their last seven games and currently sitting in 11th place in the West with a 14-13 record. The Suns' sloppy defense has been key to the Suns' recent losing streak, conceding a whopping 126.5 points per game during the two-game losing streak. Injuries have also had a huge impact on the Suns, with Booker unavailable with a groin injury, while Allen and Bol Bol are also on the injury squad. This has to put more responsibility on Durant, who has scored 37 and 43 points in the last two losses, but is still difficult to save.

The Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 132-129 in overtime in their last game and are currently in fifth place in the West with a 15-11 record. Against the Pelicans, Jokic continued to have 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, his 11th triple-double this season. So far this season, Jokic has averaged 30.9 points, 13.0 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game, ranking second in the league in scoring and assists and third in rebounds. Murray's recent form has improved, scoring more than 20 points in each of his last four games, but against the Suns, Murray is sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Wei Shao has been getting better and better recently, contributing 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists off the bench in the last game, and against the Suns, Wei Shao started the game in place of Murray.

Game recap

The Suns, who were playing away, took the lead in attacking, and Beal, Durant and other points blossomed and made an 8-2 start. Porter Jr. and Jokic's three-pointers started a wave of Nuggets offense, and the former scored 14 points on consecutive free throws to help the Nuggets chase the score to 21-24. However, the Suns' offense was abruptly halted, and the Suns did not score a single goal in the final three-and-a-half minutes of the quarter, while the Nuggets took a 27-26 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to two consecutive baskets from Jokic.

In the second quarter, the Nuggets continued to attack, and after a wave of 7-3 mini-climaxes, they extended their lead to 5 points. Iguodalo and Jones' jumpers helped the Suns break the deadlock, but the Nuggets went from strength to strength, and Jokic, who returned to the court, showed the style of a three-time MVP and easily hit a three-pointer. At 5 minutes and 1 second, Jokic accidentally tripped his left foot when he singled Nurkic under the basket, and Jokic looked very painful when he fell to the ground, but fortunately he was okay and made 2 free throws steadily, and the Nuggets rewrote the score to 43-33 and forced the Suns to stop. The game restarted, Durant scored 8 points on consecutive free throws, and directed an 11-0 offensive wave, and the Suns overtook 44-43. At the critical moment, Jokic's three-pointer helped the Nuggets stop the bleeding, and Gordon, Porter Jr. and Westbrook also scored one after another. At the end of the first half, the Nuggets led the Suns 55-51.

Yibian fought again, the Nuggets continued to soar, and Wei Shao staged a wonderful two consecutive dunks to help the team rewrite the score to 68-55. Beal's three-pointer was still unstoppable and Durant's three-pointer helped the Suns settle down, but Jokic and Tyson responded immediately. At the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets led the Suns 100-79. It is worth mentioning that the Nuggets scored 45 points in a single quarter in the third quarter and outscored the Suns by 17 points in a single quarter.

In the final quarter, Beal continued to work on the outside, but Strauser immediately responded with two three-pointers, and the Nuggets extended their advantage to 24 points. At 6 minutes and 46 seconds, Beal went off the court, Durant did not appear in the fourth quarter, and the Suns gave up resistance. The Nuggets, who fought back-to-back, won.

Both sides start

Nuggets: Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun

Suns: Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Royce O'Neal, Youssef Nurkic, Tyus Jones