Nuggets Jamal Murray scores 52 in blowout of Pacers, 135-120

INDIANAPOLIS — Jamal Murray scored 52 points to lead the Nuggets to a 135-120 win over the Pacers on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Pacers lost their second consecutive game and fell to 4-18. The Nuggets improved to 15-6.

Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic posted 24 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Former Pacers guard Bruce Brown Jr. added 14 points. Forward Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 23 points. Andrew Nembhard added 16. Bennedict Mathurin had 15, Ben Sheppard and T.J. McConnell had 14 each with McConnell adding six assists and three steals.

Here are three observations.

Jamal Murray goes for 52, Nikola Jokic does Joker things

The Nuggets weren’t totally sure if Jamal Murray was going to play on Wednesday as he entered the game listed as questionable with a right ankle sprain. Even in pre-game, David Adelman said Denver couldn’t be sure until Murray went through his warm-up.

But Murray’s ankle responded well and Murray responded with his best night of the year. After finishing with just 10 points against the Mavericks on Monday night, Murray had 10 points in the first quarter alone on 4 of 6 shooting, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and he was just getting started.

Murray played a big part in the 22-3 scoring run that doomed the Pacers in the second quarter and by the break he had 23 points, making 9 of 11 first-half field goals and 5 of 6 first-half 3-pointers. And his shots were attracted to the bucket like a magnet the rest of the night as well. He finished with 52 points on 19 of 25 shooting including 10 of 11 from the 3-point line, getting fantastic rolls and bounces even when he didn’t swish shots.

Meanwhile, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic did his part to tee up Murray with his usual production. He fell short of a triple-double but finished with 24 points on 9 of 17 shooting, eight rebounds and 13 assists.

Pacers doomed by Nuggets’ second quarter avalanche

At the 5-minute mark in Wednesday’s second quarter, the Pacers were showing every sign that they intended to answer each Nuggets push. Denver had taken a 12-point first-quarter lead, but the Pacers had cut that down to one by the 8:13 mark in the second quarter and with 5:08 left, an Andrew Nembhard jumper cut a seven-point Denver lead down to five at 50-45.

And by halftime the game was effectively decided. The Pacers would rally but never recover.

From the 5:20 mark on, the Nuggets hit 10 of their last 11 shots in the period including four 3-pointers. They scored 16 straight points, saw Bennedict Mathurin hit a 3, but then got back-to-back Jamal Murray 3-pointers to close the half on a 22-3 run to go up 72-48 at the break. Then to start the third quarter they got another 3-pointer from Murray to make it a 25-3 run. They won the second period 39-20, making 16 of 23 field goals and 5 of 7 3s in the period to post a gaudy 1.48 points per possession in the period.

The Pacers cut the deficit to 13 points in the fourth quarter but never got closer.

Ben Sheppard near perfect

On a night when the game got away from the Pacers in a hurry, Ben Sheppard was the evening’s bright spot.

The third-year wing has struggled with a shift in role and an overall increase in responsibility. He had to play a lot of point guard while Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell were out in the season’s first three weeks and it wasn’t great for his efficiency. He went into Wednesday’s game shooting 33.1% from the floor and 24.7% from the 3-point line. However, he’s had decent performances recently since Nembhard and McConnell returned to the lineup including a 15-point night agasint the Hornets in the Pacers’ Nov. 19 win.

On Wednesday, Sheppard hit his first five shots including his first three 3-pointers, cracking double figures for just the fourth time this season. He added a free throw to finish with 14 points.