You never know what you’re going to get at Ball Arena sometimes, but for a long time, two players have been the staple.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray just won the 400th game together of their careers in last night’s game vs the Dallas Mavericks in a 142-135 shootout. It was a special night in what was a fairly pedestrian result, but it was how the game came together that mattered the most, centered around Denver’s two stars.
Tonight was the 400th time that Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray played in a game together and won (including playoffs).
The 400 wins are the most by any duo in the NBA since they became teammates in the 2016-17 season. pic.twitter.com/B9FsU7GOhL
— Jake Coyne (@TheStatSquatch) March 26, 2026
Murray went for 53 points in one of the very few games when any NBA player has scored 50+ this season. It’s happened just 16 times all season around the NBA, and Murray has now done it twice.
The Nuggets star shot 19-of-28 from the field, 9-of-14 from three, and 6-of-6 from the line en route to 53 points, the 10th highest in the NBA in a single game this year just ahead of his 52-point performance in Indiana in December. The shotmaking was ridiculous, the energy in the arena was infectious, and to do it on the second night of a back-to-back given Denver’s late game the previous night was an incredible achievement.
“Jamal shot-making was insane. So many tough shots off the bounce,” David Adelman shared postgame. “His progression over the years of doing that on both hands, and then the ability to finish in the paint…Just another special night for Jamal. He’s had so many of these.”
53 POINTS FOR JAMAL MURRAY! t.co/mzKKnX7n1o pic.twitter.com/R1fGiz0cpn
— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2026
Denver needed that level of shotmaking down the stretch too. The Mavericks simply never went away as Denver’s defense really struggled, but the Nuggets had the two best players on the floor, and that mattered in the closing minutes.
“They cut it to one. We’ve had some moments this year where that has turned into now we’re down five, now we’re down six, now we’re up against it. This was different,” Adelman shared postgame. “Guys made key shots, we executed, got enough stops at the end to win the game.”
It helps when you’ve got another player in Nikola Jokic doing absolutely everything else as a playmaker and rebounder while Murray is scoring. Jokic put up 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 19 assists. The only other player to put up that stat line in NBA history is…Jokic himself, about a year ago against the Phoenix Suns.
On Tuesday, Jokic hit a game-winner set up by an assist from Murray. On Wednesday, it was mostly the other way around.
Jokic’s passing has become so matter-of-fact as the Nuggets orbit around him at an incredibly high level. As a team, the Nuggets shot 50% from three, several of those being set up by Jokic dimes. The back cuts for dunks were there, as were the transition passes, as were the two-man actions with Murray. It takes a lot to accumulate 19 assists, though Nuggets fans in the arena were a little disappointed he didn’t log that 20th assist at the end of the game.
“For me especially, when Jamal is having that kind of game, you’re trying to get him open,” Jokic stated plainly about finding Murray on a hot shooting night.
“The ball’s in his hands a lot, and for him to get doubled most of the time, making passes, making reads over high hands, teams game-planning for him, I think it’s just super impressive,” Murray said of Jokic’s night and his high level passing.
“He just gets better doing it.”
Outside of Murray and Jokic, Peyton Watson stepping up off the bench was the biggest storyline. The Nuggets rested Aaron Gordon tonight and started Spencer Jones, but they closed with Watson even with the minute restriction. He played an excellent and efficient game with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting 7-of-10 from the field, 2-of-3 from three, and 5-of-6 from the line. He got to the paint, hit outside shots, was unselfish, and made a huge impact when the team needed him.
“He’s so big and tall, so even on the move he can see everything,” Jokic complimented Watson on his ability to get to the paint. “Putting the pressure on the rim, it helps us a lot.”
The result in this game matters. Denver won, and they extended a four-game winning streak. It wasn’t perfect, but it had to be done, and the Nuggets found a way.
But tonight was also an opportunity to take a step back and understand what Nuggets fans are watching. In a season that hasn’t gone perfectly, Nuggets fans can still value the immense contributions from their two best players, who have stepped up and played elite basketball.
“They really are the history book of this franchise when it comes to the longevity together and then also the playoffs and all these wars. They’ve been through wars in basketball,” Adelman shared. “Tonight was just really special, man. I mean, 53 from your point guard, 23, 21, 19 from your center. Just outrageous numbers from the best tandem in the NBA.”
Cam Johnson raved about the pair postgame.
“Jamal Murray’s touch and different shots — mid-range, floaters, layups, threes — he’s one of the best in the game now.”
“Jok can kind of just put the ball in the hoop from anywhere…I’ve never seen somebody so [consistent] — these middle shots that he shoots, where he kind of just puts it over his head…he makes them like 85 percent of the time. That’s not regular. Not normal.”
Finding joy late in the season has been important for this Nuggets team. For a while, they were going through the routines, the steps they know they have to take but aren’t exactly fun to do. Finding an opportunity to celebrate something like this is a big deal for a team that’s worn down at the end of an arduous year.
When it’s all said and done though, after this season, after these careers, the Jokic-Murray era will be a defining moment in Denver sports, not just Nuggets history.
“It’s gonna be really cool when this thing is over and we look back at what these two guys have done together. We’re very lucky in this city to have these two people playing for our basketball team.”
There are lots of moments watching this version of the Denver Nuggets that I will cherish forever as a watcher of basketball. By far, the best part of it all was winning a championship with Jokic and Murray leading the way. It was a special moment, a culmination of development, and the understanding that chemistry and camaraderie can take many forms.
The Nuggets drafting and developing an original duo together was so rare for a long time. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green were one of the original draft and develop stories of this century, but it’s possible that Jokic and Murray are the best pure duo in a long time. They work together directly, feed off each other’s success, and play unselfish basketball to help the team win.
For Nuggets fans, this duo has been extremely rewarding. There have been ups and downs, but Murray finally breaking through as an All-Star was a big deal.
Let’s see if the Nuggets can pull off another championship with this group. If they can, it will go down in history as a great group led by a truly all-time great duo.
They’d have it no other way than that.
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