WHAT A GAME!
It was a Christmas Day matchup of Western Conference contenders as the Denver Nuggets visited the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets and Suns battled back and forth, with neither team able to pull away. In the end, it was the Nuggets who emerged victorious, winning 128-125 in overtime.
The Nuggets failed to cover the 4-point spread at DraftKings Online Sportsbook while the total has gone over 230.
The Joker Shows Up
Nikola Jokic’s superhuman effort was truly monumental, with 41 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists all in one game it has now gone down in NBA history as only the fourth time this feat has been achieved. Aside from Jokic himself, James Harden and Oscar Robertson have also done this before, both with Robertson pulling off an impressive double of the feat back in 1961 and 1962.
This achievement makes a powerful addition to Jokic’s already impressive career accolades with this being his 83rd triple-double so far. To top it off, only a week prior he had earned another passing milestone with 40 points alongside 27 rebounds and 10 assists; further showcasing why he is considered a two-time reigning NBA MVP.
Suns Battle to the End Despite Booker’s Exit
Despite Devin Booker’s early exit due to a groin injury reaggravation, Phoenix Suns stayed competitive against the Nuggets. Landry Shamet put up an impressive performance as the leading Phoenix scorer with 31 points and six assists, while DeAndre Ayton contributed 22 points and an amazing 16 rebounds.
After going into overtime with a 12-point lead over Denver in the third quarter, it seemed as if Phoenix had a great chance to claim the victory. The Suns set up for a final winning play and Mikal Bridges was called for an offensive foul after accidentally running into a Denver player.
Thankfully, he had the opportunity to make up for his mistake when Phoenix had another chance to tie it in the closing seconds of overtime. Bridges managed to block Jamal Murray’s shot just before the buzzer, and although they weren’t able to get the win in regulation.
However, despite the valiant effort without Booker, the Suns fell short in the end. It was certainly a discouraging outcome for the team but bodes well for them going forward once Booker is healthy enough to return.
Suns With a Three-game Losing Skid
After their 130-104 victory over the LA Lakers, the Suns struggled to shine again, losing three of their last game, where all of their opponents scored over 110 points. They look to break this streak and get back in the winning column again as they visit the Memphis Grizzlies who also lost on Christmas day – 123-109 against the Golden State Warriors without Curry.
