BBNBA: Jamal Murray's 27 points lifts Nuggets to OT win over Pelicans

Jamal Murray contributed his fourth 25+ point performance of the season Sunday night with 27 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in Denver’s 132-129 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

It’s been a somewhat disappointing season for Murray so far, as he is averaging just 19.1 points per game on 43% shooting. If those averages hold, it would be his lowest scoring average in four seasons and would mark the second worst shooting season of his career (eight seasons).

The 2023 NBA Champion, who is known for his clutch gene, tied the game at 119 with a step-back jumper with just eight seconds remaining. Murray and superstar teammate Nikola Jokic combined for 25 of their 54 total points in the fourth quarter, sending the game to overtime. In overtime, the Nuggets would outscore the Pelicans by three en route to the win.

Brandon Boston Jr. scored eight points for the New Orleans Pelicans in the loss, which marked their 16th in the last 17 games. The Pelicans (5-25) are currently tied with the Washington Wizards (4-22) and Toronto Raptors (7-22) for the best odds to earn the number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (14.0%).

Denver improves to 15-11 and currently sit at sixth in the Western Conference. Sunday’s performance marked four consecutive great games for Murray, who is averaging 24.8 PTS, 6.8 AST, and 4.5 REB in that span.

Fox’s Kings blown out at home by the Indiana Pacers

It was a forgettable night for the Sacramento Kings, who were beaten by 27 points at home by the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers scored 70 of their 122 points in a dominant second half, in which they outscored the Kings by 27 points.

The Kentucky trio of De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Trey Lyles combined for 45 points on just 16-42 shooting (38%). With the blowout loss, Sacramento falls to 13-17 and is 2.5 games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

In the loss however, Monk once again threw down a nasty alley-oop that had ALL of NBA Twitter buzzing.

GO UP AND GET IT, MALIK!

The Kings guard finishes a powerful alley-oop slam 💥

IND-SAC | NBA League Pass
📲 https://t.co/VmfSHUSZUR pic.twitter.com/raaLqJJW0S

— NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2024

12/22/24 BBNBA Statistics:

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Jamal Murray (DEN)	132-129 W @ NO	27	9-19 (2-9)	8	4	3	1	6	-5	41
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	95-122 L vs IND	23	7-19 (2-6)	5	7	1	0	2	-19	35
Malik Monk (SAC)	95-122 L vs IND	14	6-16 (2-9)	4	1	0	2	4	-19	31
Brandon Boston Jr. (NO)	129-132 L vs DEN	8	3-5 (0-1)	1	0	0	0	1	-6	15
Trey Lyles (SAC)	95-122 L vs IND	8	3-7 (2-4)	3	1	0	0	0	-4	19
Reed Sheppard (HOU)	114-110 W @ TOR	3	1-1 (1-1)	2	0	0	0	1	-3	6
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	122-95 W @ SAC	DNP (Achilles)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Immanuel Quickley (TOR)	110-114 L vs HOU	DNP (Elbow)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Antonio Reeves (NO)	129-132 L vs DEN	DNP ( CD)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA:

• 7:00 PM: Rockets (Sheppard) @ Hornets (Richards)
• 7:00 PM: Jazz @ Cavaliers
• 7:00 PM: Celtics @ Magic
• 7:00 PM (NBA TV): Spurs (Johnson) @ 76ers (Edwards, Maxey)
• 7:30 PM: Timberwolves (Dillingham, Randle) @ Hawks
• 7:30 PM: Nets @ Heat (Adebayo, Herro)
• 7:30 PM: Raptors (Quickley: OUT) @ Knicks (Toppin, Towns)
• 8:00 PM: Bucks (Livingston: GTD) @ Bulls
• 8:00 PM: Clippers @ Grizzlies
• 8:00 PM: Wizards @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace)
• 8:30 PM: Trail Blazers (Sharpe) @ Mavericks (Washington)
• 10:00 PM: Suns (Booker: OUT, Washington Jr.) @ Nuggets (Murray)
• 10:00 PM (NBA TV): Pacers (Jackson: OUT) @ Warriors
• 10:30 PM: Pistons @ Lakers (Davis: GTD, Vanderbilt: OUT)