DENVER -- — Jamal Murray scored 34 points, Nikola Jokic finished an assist shy of his 26th triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets extended their winning streak to nine games by holding off the depleted Charlotte Hornets 129-115 on Thursday night.

Jokic finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. He attempted a career-high 14 3-pointers and made six.

Murray picked right up where he left off before the All-Star break when he erupted for 55 points. Against Charlotte, Murray was 12 of 18 from the floor, including seven 3-pointers.

A 17 1/2-point favorite, the Nuggets didn't put away the Hornets until a late spurt. The win, coupled with a loss by Memphis, moved the Nuggets into second place in the Western Conference.

Miles Bridges had a season-high 36 points to go with 13 rebounds for a Hornets team missing LaMelo Ball (ankle management) and Mark Williams (return to competition reconditioning). Charlotte was playing on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Lakers 100-97 in Los Angeles. It was a game rescheduled from January due to the devastating wildfires in Southern California.

Takeaways

Hornets: Tied Denver in fast-break points (15-15) and points in the paint (52-52). The Nuggets entered the game leading the league in both categories.

Nuggets: Russell Westbrook (hamstring), Michael Porter Jr. (hamstring) and Aaron Gordon (calf) all returned to the court Thursday. Gordon had 18 points and Porter grabbed 11 boards.

Key moment

Julian Strawther hit a pair of 3-pointers to fuel a 13-2 run early in the fourth quarter to help the Nuggets gain some separation.

Key stat

Jokic's opening seven shots of the game were all from 3-point range.

Up next

Both teams play Saturday. The Nuggets host LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Hornets play at Portland.

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Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Jusuf Nurkic vs. Nikola Jokic (Jamal Murray gains possession)	0	0
11:43	Jamal Murray bad pass (Josh Green steals)	0	0
11:30	Elfrid Payton misses driving layup	0	0
11:26	Jusuf Nurkic offensive rebound	0	0
11:26	Jusuf Nurkic makes tip shot	0	2
11:15	Nikola Jokic misses 25-foot three point jumper	0	2
11:11	Nick Smith Jr. defensive rebound	0	2
10:57	Miles Bridges makes dunk (Jusuf Nurkic assists)	0	4
10:46	Jusuf Nurkic shooting foul	0	4
10:46	Michael Porter Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2	1	4
10:46	Michael Porter Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2	2	4
10:22	Nick Smith Jr. makes 25-foot three point jumper (Jusuf Nurkic assists)	2	7
10:09	Michael Porter Jr. misses 16-foot pullup jump shot	2	7
10:07	Nikola Jokic offensive rebound	2	7
10:03	Jamal Murray makes 24-foot three point jumper (Nikola Jokic assists)	5	7
9:47	Josh Green misses 26-foot three point jumper	5	7
9:46	Aaron Gordon defensive rebound	5	7
9:35	Nikola Jokic misses 24-foot three point jumper	5	7
9:32	Miles Bridges defensive rebound	5	7
9:22	Jusuf Nurkic makes 8-foot two point shot (Elfrid Payton assists)	5	9
9:12	Nikola Jokic makes 25-foot three pointer	8	9
9:03	Jamal Murray blocks Nick Smith Jr. 's 1-foot driving layup	8	9
9:03	Nuggets defensive team rebound	8	9
8:57	Nikola Jokic misses 25-foot three point pullup jump shot	8	9
8:51	Elfrid Payton defensive rebound	8	9
8:46	Jusuf Nurkic misses 25-foot three point jumper	8	9
8:43	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	8	9
8:34	Jamal Murray makes 24-foot three pointer	11	9
8:09	Jusuf Nurkic out of bounds lost ball turnover	11	9
8:05	Christian Braun misses two point shot	11	9
8:04	Michael Porter Jr. offensive rebound	11	9
8:03	Michael Porter Jr. lost ball turnover (Elfrid Payton steals)	11	9
7:57	Miles Bridges makes two point shot (Elfrid Payton assists)	11	11
7:47	Christian Braun misses 25-foot three point jumper	11	11
7:44	Michael Porter Jr. offensive rebound	11	11
7:41	Jusuf Nurkic blocks Michael Porter Jr.'s two point shot	11	11
7:41	Miles Bridges defensive rebound	11	11
7:34	Josh Green makes 23-foot three point jumper (Jusuf Nurkic assists)	11	14
7:27	Elfrid Payton personal foul	11	14
7:27	Damion Baugh enters the game for Elfrid Payton	11	14
7:15	Jamal Murray makes 24-foot three point step back jumpshot	14	14
6:56	Miles Bridges misses 10-foot two point shot	14	14
6:53	Miles Bridges offensive rebound	14	14
6:51	Nick Smith Jr. misses 22-foot three point jumper	14	14
6:47	Miles Bridges offensive rebound	14	14
6:46	Miles Bridges misses 27-foot three point pullup jump shot	14	14
6:42	Nikola Jokic defensive rebound	14	14
6:40	Jusuf Nurkic shooting foul	14	14
6:40	Nuggets Full timeout	14	14
6:40	Tidjane Salaun enters the game for Josh Green	14	14
6:40	Moussa Diabate enters the game for Jusuf Nurkic	14	14
6:40	Christian Braun misses free throw 1 of 2	14	14
6:40	Nuggets offensive team rebound	14	14
6:40	Christian Braun makes free throw 2 of 2	15	14
6:20	Nick Smith Jr. misses 12-foot two point shot	15	14
6:16	Moussa Diabate offensive rebound	15	14
6:13	Damion Baugh bad pass (Nikola Jokic steals)	15	14
6:07	Nikola Jokic misses 25-foot three point jumper	15	14
6:05	Nuggets offensive team rebound	15	14
6:05	Russell Westbrook enters the game for Christian Braun	15	14
6:03	Michael Porter Jr. misses 22-foot three point jumper	15	14
6:00	Hornets defensive team rebound	15	14
5:48	Moussa Diabate misses driving floating jump shot	15	14
5:45	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	15	14
5:41	Jamal Murray makes 25-foot three point shot (Nikola Jokic assists)	18	14
5:22	Miles Bridges makes two point shot	18	16
5:10	Aaron Gordon misses two point shot	18	16
5:09	Aaron Gordon offensive rebound	18	16
5:09	Aaron Gordon misses tip shot	18	16
5:09	Aaron Gordon offensive rebound	18	16
5:09	Aaron Gordon makes two point shot	20	16
5:09	Moussa Diabate shooting foul	20	16
5:09	Aaron Gordon misses free throw 1 of 1	20	16
5:05	Miles Bridges defensive rebound	20	16
4:53	Tidjane Salaun offensive foul	20	16
4:53	Tidjane Salaun turnover	20	16
4:37	Damion Baugh personal foul	20	16
4:37	Jamal Murray makes free throw 1 of 2	21	16
4:37	Jamal Murray misses free throw 2 of 2	21	16
4:35	Tidjane Salaun defensive rebound	21	16
4:24	Miles Bridges misses 27-foot three point step back jumpshot	21	16
4:19	Russell Westbrook defensive rebound	21	16
4:16	Russell Westbrook lost ball turnover (Damion Baugh steals)	21	16
4:15	Damion Baugh makes driving layup	21	18
4:05	Aaron Gordon makes dunk (Russell Westbrook assists)	23	18
3:56	Damion Baugh makes 28-foot three point jumper (Nick Smith Jr. assists)	23	21
3:36	Nikola Jokic makes 24-foot three point jumper (Jamal Murray assists)	26	21
3:23	Tidjane Salaun makes driving layup (Miles Bridges assists)	26	23
3:12	Jamal Murray misses 24-foot three point step back jumpshot	26	23
3:10	Moussa Diabate defensive rebound	26	23
2:59	Moussa Diabate makes 2-foot layup (Miles Bridges assists)	26	25
2:43	Nikola Jokic makes 25-foot three point jumper (Michael Porter Jr. assists)	29	25
2:20	Miles Bridges makes 25-foot three point jumper (Nick Smith Jr. assists)	29	28
2:19	Nuggets Full timeout	29	28
2:19	Julian Strawther enters the game for Michael Porter Jr.	29	28
2:19	Zeke Nnaji enters the game for Jamal Murray	29	28
2:19	Christian Braun enters the game for Aaron Gordon	29	28
2:19	Seth Curry enters the game for Nick Smith Jr.	29	28
2:07	Nikola Jokic makes 17-foot jumper (Russell Westbrook assists)	31	28
1:54	Tidjane Salaun lost ball turnover (Christian Braun steals)	31	28
1:49	Christian Braun makes two point shot	33	28
1:30	Miles Bridges misses 14-foot two point shot	33	28
1:29	Nikola Jokic defensive rebound	33	28
1:09	Zeke Nnaji makes 20-foot jumper (Russell Westbrook assists)	35	28
48.1	Moussa Diabate misses 4-foot two point shot	35	28
47.0	Nikola Jokic defensive rebound	35	28
34.0	Nikola Jokic makes 25-foot three point jumper (Julian Strawther assists)	38	28
13.1	Julian Strawther shooting foul	38	28
13.1	Miles Bridges makes free throw 1 of 2	38	29
13.1	Miles Bridges makes free throw 2 of 2	38	30
0.2	Miles Bridges blocks Russell Westbrook 's 3-foot two point shot	38	30
0.0	Nikola Jokic offensive rebound	38	30
0.0	Nikola Jokic misses 10-foot tip shot	38	30
0.0	Nuggets offensive team rebound	38	30
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	38	30

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

Ball Arena

Denver, CO

Date & Time

2:00 AM, February 21, 2025

Coverage

Altitude Sports, FanDuel SN SE, NBA League Pass

Attendance

19,870

Referees

Mark Lindsay, Kevin Cutler, Che Flores

2025-26 Southeast Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
Orlando	31	27	.534	L1
Miami	32	29	.525	W1
Charlotte	30	31	.492	W4
Atlanta	30	31	.492	W3
Washington	16	43	.271	L4

2025-26 Northwest Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
Oklahoma City	46	15	.754	W1
Denver	37	23	.617	L1
Minnesota	37	23	.617	W2
Portland	29	32	.475	L1
Utah	18	42	.300	L5

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Jamal Murray scores 34, Nuggets hold off Hornets 129-115 for their 9th straight win

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